Maryland Preview
Maryland piled up 350 yards per game in 2008, good for 68th best in the country. 68th out of 119 teams might not seem like much to write home about, but for an ACC offense, the Terps were pretty strong. Only Georgia Tech and Florida State had better ACC offenses than Maryland last fall. However, there was a chink in the Terrapins’ offensive shell.
Saying that Maryland’s offense had consistency problems last year would be like saying that Ralph Friedgen had weight problems. It’s so obvious Lee Corso could figure it out. Yo. One week, they put up 14 points on FCS Delaware. Then, they drop 35 points on #23 California, and then they put up 0 points on UVa’s “Orange Crush” defense. They rack up a whopping 3 points against Florida State, and two games later, they put 35 on a 7 win Nevada team. No comprendo.
Hear me out for a second.
These Maryland Terrapins remind me of the Slowskys, the fictional, Comcast Commercial couple of turtles who prefer slow and squealy dial up internet to blazing fast Comcast high speed internet. They’re not simpletons, per se, but all those speedy technologies and flashy lights just give them the creeps.
Like the Slowskys*, Maryland snuck up on a lot of overrated, top 25 hares in 2008, but they really just couldn’t stand the excitement of being near the top 25 —in fact, they get so spooked that they quickly lost their next games to stave off attention. Exhibit A: Maryland tears through #23 California, Eastern Michigan, and #20 Clemson in consecutive weeks. On their way to face a reeling Virginia team in Charlottesville, the Terps must realize that they’re a win away from the top 25. So they lay an egg in a 31-0 loss. Phew.
Exhibit B: In November, they knock off 16th ranked North Carolina in a sloppy affair at Byrd Stadium. With the win, they attain the #22 ranking. Cue the horror music! It’s like high speed internet! Too fast! Too furious! The next week Florida State stomps the Terrapins 37-3, earning Maryland a much more comfortable spot on the couch of college football irrelevance.
So will Maryland’s offense have another case of stage fright in 2009? I think not.
Ralph Friedgen might have pulled all the Spam and ice cream out of the fridge this offseason (he lost 95 pounds) but his offensive refrigerator is still filled with all sorts of good stuff. Da’Rel Scott, Davin Meggett, and Morgan Green form one of the best backfields on the east coast while Torrey Smith leads a group of wide receivers talented enough to make fans forget Heyward-Bey on the outside. Directing the offense is senior QB Chris Turner whose 6-1 record vs. top 25 teams is better than Sam Bradford’s (5-2) or Colt McCoy’s (6-3).
If the offensive line gels quickly (that’s a big if!), a top receiver emerges, and Chris Turner responds well to his first year as incumbent starter at QB, this could be a top 40 offense in the country. And in ACC land, that’s big time news.
Slowskys Comcast Commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OINLN1sL2pQ&NR=1
QB- Chris Turner (2516 yards, 13 TD 11 INT, 119.3 rating)
Chris Turner just flat out doesn’t make sense. The 6’4 210 lb surfer-smooth QB from Simi Valley, California plays well against top 25 opponents and dreadfully against just about everyone else. Turner has an exceptional 6-1 career record vs. top 25 teams. In those games, he has thrown 7 TD and no picks, good for a rating of 140. For those of you keeping score at home, Turner’s 140 passer efficiency rating against ranked teams would be the highest in the ACC. In less important games, Turner ducks his head back in his shell and just disappears. He was Glennon-esque in games against Middle Tennessee State, Virginia, Delaware, NC State and Florida State. Turner isn’t blessed with speed or a powerful arm, but he can extend plays with his legs and compete against the best teams in the country. If he can step up his game against lesser opponents, Maryland could be a dark turtle pick in the ACC Atlantic Race.
RB- Da’Rel Scott (1133 yards, 8 TD, 5.4 ypc; 171 yards receiving)
Da’Rel Scott was a 4 star recruit in the class of 2006, and in 2008, he showed why. This is one Terrapin that might be faster than the hare. Huge games against NC State (163 yards) and UNC (129 yards) helped him pick up first-team all ACC honors as a sophomore last fall. Scott struggled big time against powerful defensive tackles (10 carries 11 yards vs. VT, 23 carries 39 yards vs. Clemson, and 13 carries 19 yards vs. BC), but ended the year with 174 yards on 14 carries in a Humanitarian Bowl win vs. Nevada. And that was all in the second half. Scott should finish with 1200 yards and 10 TD this fall.
Great Scott http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zV3UeqqHT4
RB- Davin Meggett (457 yards, 4 TD, 5.1 ypc; 79 yards receiving)
Meggett is just 5’8, but he’s a punishing runner and a great complement to Da’rel Scott. He doesn’t dance around (5.1 ypc), a large reason why Maryland was able to improve its yards per carry from 3.4 in 2007 to 4.3 in 2008. Football is in his blood, too. Father Dave Meggett made two trips to the Pro Bowl in the late 80s and early 90s.
*Junior RB Morgan Green (former 4 star recruit) had 72 yards on 10 carries in the bowl win over Nevada. He will also see carries this fall.
FB- Cory Jackson
Jackson is a powerful lead blocker who could be the most valuable Terrapin offensive player not named Chris Turner.
WR- Torrey Smith (336 yards, 2 TD)
Smith might be just as dynamic as Darius Heyward-Bey. He’s an exciting return man who started slow (3 yards in the first 3 games) and finished strong (115 yards and a TD vs. Boston College) in 2009. Smith could be a 700-800 yard receiver for this offense.
Heyward who? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtUcROTRFqk
WR- Ronnie Tyler (225 yards, TD)
Tyler is yet another Terp who finished 2009 with a bang. He’s smaller at 5’10 190 lb, and he’s not much of a deep threat (his longest career catch is 20 yards), but he could be a strong possession receiver. He torched Nevada with 5 catches for 55 yards and a TD in the Humanitarian Bowl. If he can fare just as well on non-smurf Turf, he could be a solid #2 receiver this fall.
WR- Adrian Cannon (3 catches 75 yards, TD)
Cannon had a 59 yard TD in the bowl win over Nevada. If that’s any indication of his big play abilities, Maryland might be just as dangerous in 2009 without Heyward Bey as they were in 2008 with him.
WR- Emil Lee-Odai (115 yards, 0 TD)
Lee-Odai raised himself up from a rough Washington, DC neighborhood to receive a scholarship as a Maryland receiver. He has good size (6’3 197 lb), and he finished the year strong (7 catches for 68 yards against Boston College), so watch out for Emil in 2009.
WR- Quentin McCree
McCree has had an eventless career at Maryland thus far, but he had a surprising 163 yards and 3 TDs in the Terps’ Red-White game. He could emerge as a 500 yard wideout for James Franklin’s Maryland offense.
*WR- LaQuan Williams (217 yards in 2007) is another candidate to see some action at receiver
TE- Lansford Watson ( former 4 star recruit; 115 yards, 0 TD)
Watson had a 32 yard reception against Florida State.
Offensive Line:
Bruce Campbell (T), Tyler Bowen (T), Lamar Young (G), Justin Lewis (G), Phil Costa (C)
Campbell and Costa are the only two returning starters up front, but they’re good ones. According to Chris Turner, the rest of the line is “young and athletic.” Campbell , listed by ESPN’s Bruce Feldman as the #8 “workout warrior” in the country—supposedly benches 490 pounds and runs a 4.82 40 at 6’6 300 lbs. We’ll see if that translates to quick success for the offensive line, or if that’s just preseason hot air when the Terps face Cal in their opener.
Defense:
Blitz-happy Don Brown steps in to take over the Maryland defense, and he doesn’t have a whole lot of talent to work with. He’ll be trying to help improve a Maryland unit that finished 63rd in the nation (365 yards per game) in 2008.
Like many other ACC teams, Maryland loses a lot of front-7 umph from its 2008 squad. On the line, they lose DT Jeremy Navarre (70 tackles, 7.5 TFL, Honorable Mention all-ACC), DE Trey Covington (38 tackles, 2.5 TFL), and a few other hosses with experience. All in all, they return just ten career starts on the defensive line—and that’s if massive DT Dion Armstrong is academically eligible in the fall.
At linebacker, the Terps lose Dave Philistin (94 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 sacks) and Moise Foukou (77 tackles, 12 TFL, 5 sacks), both of whom were crucial pieces of last year’s defensive unit. However, the Terps have developed tons of talent at linebacker in the past, and it appears that this group could keep up that tradition.
In the secondary, the Terps just lose SS Jeff Allen (66 tackles, 2 TFL, INT) and Kevin Barnes (20 tackles, 2 INT), so that should be the defense’s strongpoint, even though the unit finished just 61st in the nation in pass defense last fall.
Apparently, Maryland’s corners excelled in press coverage this spring, forcing Chris Turner into 6 interceptions in just two scrimmages*. The linebacker also looked good. However, the defensive line has very little depth or experience. I expect teams to run all over the Terrapins, who have not managed a top 8 ACC rushing defense in the last 4 years. Accordingly, there will be too much pressure on the defensive backs.
This defense could be the ACC’s worst. If Maryland is forced to bowl at Bowl America this fall, it’ll be because of these guys.
*Spoiler alert! That probably means Maryland isn’t a top 25 team because Chris Turner simply doesn’t throw interceptions against ranked teams. Ever.
Defensive Line
DE- Derek Drummond (4 tackles)
Drummond didn’t play last fall until DE Phil Costa got arrested. He’s only 250 lb, and he has very limited experience.
DE/”Anchor”- Jared Harrell (16 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks)
Harrell has had a relatively quiet career as a Terp, but he might be a breakout star on the defensive line. He finished with 4 TFL and 2 sacks last year in limited time.
DT- Dion Armstrong (22 tackles, TFL, sack) or AJ Francis (redshirt-freshman 3 star DT from class of 2008)
Armstrong looks like he will be ineligible academically, leaving just two big bodies in the interior of the Maryland defensive line. Francis is enormous (6’5 310 lb), but unproven. He’s never played a college snap.
DT- Travis Ivey (26 tackles, 4 TFL, sack)
Ivey (6’4 325 lb) also has taken advantage of Maryland’s award winning football dining facility. He’s huge and probably the Terps’ proven commodity on the line. Nonetheless, he had a concussion and shoulder surgery in the spring, so injuries could be an issue here. If Ivey goes down, this unit will get steamrolled on the ground.
LB- Alex Wujciak (133 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks)
Wujciak was a monster in 2008, earning 2nd team all-ACC honors. He’s already established himself as next in the line of star Maryland linebackers (10 MD linebackers are currently in the NFL!) that includes EJ Henderson, D’Qwell Jackson, Erin Henderson, and Shawne Merriman. He sat out the spring with an injury, but that allowed his backups to get some important reps at the position.
LB- Demetrius Hartsfield (redshirt freshman-3 star recruit in class of 2008)
LB- Adrian Moten (25 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, INT)
A Washington Times sportswriter calls Moten a “play-everywhere-utility-man.” That breadth of experience, which includes a start in the Humanitarian Bowl, has given Moten the confidence of the coaching staff.
Secondary (all 4 seniors)
CB- Anthony Wiseman (49 tackles, TFL, 10 passes broken up)
Wiseman finished fourth in the ACC in passes broken up. He’s got ample playing experience, too.
CB- Nolan Carroll (37 tackles, TFL, 8 passes broken up)
Nolan Carroll started 4 games last year. At 6’1 202 lb, he’s exactly the kind of physical, bump and run corner that Brown expects to rely on.
SS- Jamari McCollough (37 tackles, TFL, sack, 4 INT)
FS- Terrell Skinner (63 tackles, 3 TFL, INT)
Skinner is a big safety at 6’3 214 lb. Watch for Brown to employ him on safety blitzes a lot more this year.
