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Corey Clark covers Florida State for the Tallahassee Democrat.
You can find his work at:http://www.tallahassee.com/section/FSU/
Clark can also be found on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#%21/Corey_Clark
Baltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Clark for answering a few questions about the Seminoles, prior to the Maryland vs. Florida State game Saturday night.
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Starting QB Christian Ponder missed the Clemson game Saturday due the ruptured bursa sac in his right-elbow. Is he expected to play against Maryland, or will the Seminoles again be starting EJ Manuel? (Terp fans saw Manuel beat MD last-year in Tallahassee) Was there a difference in how FSU ran their offense against Clemson with Manuel under Center?"
Corey Clark: "Ponder will be starting. He was actually cleared to play by the team doctor before the Clemson game, but Jimbo Fisher wanted to go with Manuel since he had gotten all the reps in practice. I do think there was a difference in the gameplan. Much more option. Especially in the second half. With Ponder,the offense is a lot more pass-happy. Ponder is a talented runner and scrambles for two or three first downs every game, but he isn't nearly as adept running the option as Manuel is. But Ponder is a better pocket passer. At least right now in their careers."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Florida State is averaging 400 yards of offense a game, including 186 on the ground. I know that LG Rodney Hudson, and LT Andrew Datko are highly regarded. What else can you tell me about the blockers up-front for the Seminoles?"
Corey Clark: "The center, Ryan McMahon, is a four-year starter like Hudson. And the right tackle, Zebrie Sanders, is a three-year starter like Datko. So there is a lot of experience there, but due to a rash of injuries at the position, the Seminoles are currently on their fourth-string right guard.That's a bit of a problem, obviously. And while this O-line has plenty of experience, it's not a dominating O-line by any means. Good defensive lines have given them plenty of trouble the last couple of years."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "There are 3 running-backs on FSU with at-least 62 carries, and 444 yards rushing.Tell me about Chris Thompson, Jermaine Thomas, and Ty Jones and what each brings to the table."
Corey Clark: "Ty Jones is probably the best all-around back on the team, but he's been in and out of Fisher's doghouse at times this season. He didn't play at all against UNC despite being healthy. Thompson is the home-run guy - he already has two of the six longest TD runs in FSU history this season (83 yarder vs. BYU and a 90-yarder against Miami). Thomas won't play on Saturday because he sprained his knee in the second half of the Clemson game."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Whomever starts at QB for Florida State, apparently has a wealth of weapons to throw to. Four receivers for FSU with at-least 21receptions, and 300 yards receiving. Of that group of four Wideouts, the lowest totals belong to the 6'6, 220 lb Rodney Smith who exploded on Clemson. What doyou think about this group as a whole?"
Corey Clark: "Decent. Not great. Willie Haulstead is the most physically gifted and he had a huge game against UNC two weeks ago (10 catches for 154 yards), but he suffered a concussion against Clemson. He is expected back. Smith has struggled at times this year, but did make some big-time catches on Saturday night.Reed and Easterling are the two veterans.They're dependable enough, but neither are really game breakers."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Seminoles were rocked in September when they visited Oklahoma. No shame in losing to the Sooners,but the 47-17 score surprised me. Did Florida State lack the athletes necessary to match-up, or was FSU just not ready to go into Norman in Week 2 of the season and compete?"
Corey Clark: "Definitely answer No. 2. They just weren't ready. If they played out there in Week 10 instead of Week 2 it would have been much more competitive. Honestly, I think FSU was over-confident (if you can believe that) heading out to Norman. They had no idea what they were in for and the Sooners' hurry-up offense completely obliterated them in the first half. Plus, the young WRs (Haulstead and Smith) just weren't ready for that stage. FSU has the requisite athletes to compete with the elite programs - just not the experience."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Florida State responded impressively to that beating, coming back to win 5 consecutive wins including a 45-17 demolishing of the Hurricanes at Miami. During that stretch of play, FSU held BYU, Wake Forest, UVA, Miami, and Boston College to an average of 12 points a game. I note that the Seminoles are limiting opposing offenses to 111 yards rushing per game. Tell me about the Front 7 Defensively for FSU. Is the D-line getting a lot of pressure? Are the LB's too quick laterally to run against?"
Corey Clark: "Florida State leads the nation in sacks with 39, so that helps in the rushing defensive statistics obviously. The defensive ends have played much better this season than last. The tackles are bigger and moretalented - but still not a whole lot of depth up front. Against both UNC and Clemson, the Seminoles struggled to get any kind of push in the second half as the D-line seemed to wear down as the game went on. The linebackers are good, not great. Nigel Bradham and Kendall Smith are both playing better than they ever have,but they still aren't making any game-changing types of plays. The most talented linebacker on the team is likely Christian Jones, but he's a true freshman that doesn't get a ton of snaps."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Two weeks ago, North Carolina's TJ Yates threw for 439 yards against FSU. Are the Seminoles vulnerable in the secondary? Does FSU play a lot of man-to-man defense, or do they utilize zone schemes?"
Corey Clark: "It's a combination. Against Yates, it looked like they didn't do either, honestly. He had WRs running wide open all over the field. It's much more of a zone concept than it has been in recent years - former defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews was strictly a man-to-man guy. And the cornerbacks are actually quite good -especially redshirt freshman Xavier Rhodes, who might be the best corner they've had in a decade. Supremely talented kid. But the safeties don't make a lot of plays in the passing game and when the defensive front doesn't get pressure, it's bad news for the FSU defense."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Dustin Hopkins showed his leg strength with his 55 yard FG against Clemson.Florida State is typically strong in all-facets of Special Teams. Has that been true this year? Any issues with Punt or Kickoff coverage?"
Corey Clark: "The coverage has been fine. And Hopkins might have the strongest leg I've ever seen -including Janikowski. He is second in the nation in touchbacks and his 55-yarder against Clemson would have been good from 65. Truly. The surprising problem for FSU has been in the return game. Even with an electric return man like Greg Reid, the Seminoles have been ranked last in the nation for a majority of the year in kickoff returns. Still, the sophomore is capable of busting a big one at any time."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "What are the biggest differences you see with Coach Jimbo Fisher now running the program?"
Corey Clark: "Not as many dadgummits. That's No.1. Also, he is much more hands-on in every aspect of the program, to what they eat, when they sleep, who talks to the media (assistants are all off limits) and on and on and on. It's his ship. He's the captain. And he wants to be the lone voice for the program."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Maryland needs to win out over FSU, and NCST to win the Atlantic Coast Conference's Atlantic Division. For FSU to win the division, they have to beat Maryland and need NCST to lose to either North Carolina or NCST. Keeping the focus on the Maryland vs. FSU game, what are your predictions?"
Corey Clark: "I wish I knew. This Florida State team hasn't really played a good game since Miami. It's been a month since the Seminoles were impressive on both sides of the ball. So I really don't know what to think here. If FSU plays well, it should win by a couple of scores. If it doesn't, it will likely lose. Great analysis, right? I do think Ponder will play well - and the offense will move the ball. But the defense has been mediocre to very bad each of the last three games and has had trouble getting off the field. Even though the Maryland QB has had a fine year for a newcomer, this FSU defense has faced four other freshman QBs this season and has tortured all of them. Which is why I would give a slight edge to FSU. We'll go with FSU 27 Maryland 19."
The Maryland Terrapins were in Charlottesville for their border-war game against the University of Virginia. Virginia's biggest Atlantic Coast Conference rival will always be Virginia Tech. Despite that, and even considering that Maryland is in the Atlantic Division, while the Cavs are in the Coastal Division; this game is the closest the Terps get to a true rivalry game in ACC Football play.
The Terps entered the game today, with an opportunity to control their own fate. Win on the road against UVA, while winning the remaining home game against Florida State and North Carolina State - and Maryland will end the regular season as the winner of the Atlantic Division.
When you play your rival, with everything to gain, there are no moral victories. All that matters is finding a way to leave the field with the win. In the end, everything beyond wins and losses are superfluous. Give the Terps credit for doing what was necessary to head back to College Park with a 42-23 victory. With the win Maryland is 7-3 overall, and 4-2 in the ACC. If they win their next two games, they will head to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game.
Some brief takeaways:
1) Going on the road, and not coughing the ball up once shows a level of maturity for the Terps.
2) Maryland was 6 for 14 on 3rd down, which is not overly impressive, but O'Brien sustained a number of drives with quality throws on 3rd and long. The second Terps drive of the game featured a beautiful strike to Smith in 1x1 coverage against the blitz. The 62 yard gain to Smith also game on 3rd and 4.
3) The ESPN commentators correctly pointed out just how accurate O'Brien is with his deep throws. Pin-point placement on the ball directly over the shoulders of his receivers.
4) Several times in the game Maryland lost momentum, by allowing the Cavs to make plays on Special Teams. A large reverse on a kickoff, a fake on a FG attempt, a significant punt return. That has to be looked at.
5) When you think of the Maryland QB with legs, you think of Robinson. With that in-mind, it was interesting seeing O'Brien with the QB keeper for TD from 12 yards out.
6) Early in the game, the receivers McCree and Williams dropped a couple of passes. Both would make-up for it later. McCree caught a 55 yard pass in the 2nd Quarter, which would set-up the Terps 3rd TD. Facing another 3rd and long (14 yards to go) Williams made an outstanding catch off of a tipped pass, with under a minute to go in the 3rd Quarter. This would set-up the first of the three Terps TD's in the 4th.
7) The final numbers for DJ Adams were not overly impressive (13 carries, 34 yards, 2.6 yards per carry), but his downhill running made a difference at the goal-line as he scored 3 times. With 6 minutes left in the 1st-half, Maryland had a 4th and 1 on the VA 12 yard-line. Loved seeing the Power I formation with Adams pushing through. He consistently falls forward.
7a) Adams scored on a 4th and 1 in the 2nd Quarter after great blocks by OT RJ Dill, and FB Taylor Watson. Later DT Zack Kerr would join the offense and provide a solid block or two. The Adams score on 4th and 1, came after Franklin called a roll-out for O'Brien on 3rd and Goal. Maryland put the ball in the end-zone eventually, but they made things more difficult than needed.
7b) Not a bad day for Scott, 11 carries for 55 yards, but it could have been better. Missed a chance at a TD run when he was tackled by the ground.
8) Twice the Terps tried end-arounds in the first-half that gained nothing. The offense gets a little too cute at times when I do not think they have to. They have the skill position talent necessary to line-up and beat people. Trickery is not needed.
9) Dorsey has been coming on a receiver (no action today though) but another heralded WR Kerry Boykins stepped-up with a grab today.
10) The Terps run defense improved in the 2nd half. Vellano became more active, and Gloster's week-to-week improvement is evident.
11) Several nice-plays from Hartsfield. Obviously none bigger than the sack he had on a 3rd and 8, that pushed UVA to their 5. Maryland would take over on the UVA 42 yard line after the punt with 12:30 left in the 4th. Maryland scores their second TD of the Quarter with 8 minutes left and the game was effectively over.
12) The final margin could have been even higher had Super Safety Kenny Tate not missed an easy pick 6 in the 4th.
13) Franklin and Moten with picks to close out the game.
Up-Next:
Byrd Stadium will be rocking next Saturday night (8pm start) when the Seminoles come to town. Florida State hosts the Clemson Tigers tonight. Assuming FSU beats the Tigers as expected tonight, FSU will come to College Park with a 7-3, 5-2 record.
Under the blue Miami skies yesterday, the Maryland Terrapins were on the verge of securing their 7th victory of the season. Unfortunately the Terps were not able to close out the Hurricanes, and returned to College Park at 6-3, 3-2 overall.
If there was an immediate consolation for Maryland, it is that their Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division foes Florida State, and North Carolina State also lost. Of course those losses from the Seminoles, and Wolfpack only further illustrate the reality that an opportunity was lost.
It was an interesting game yesterday. The Terps had been very strong against the run against ACC competition coming into this game, but were gouged for 125 yards from Miami's backup RB Lamar Miller.
Miami believes in their athletes, and they run a defensive scheme that incorporates straight man-to-man coverage. It appeared that QB Danny O'Brien and the Maryland offense took awhile to get comfortable with this. O'Brien gets rid of the ball so quickly, that he is very hard to defend with zone defenses. Against a man-to-man defense, your athletes have to beat their athletes. That meant longer drops for O'Brien, more time pass-blocking for his line, and O'Brien's widereceivers had to make plays on the outside. The offensive player that stepped-up for the Terps was WR Kevin Dorsey. (3 catches, 63 yards, 1 TD). Dorsey was a prized 4star recruit, and it is good to see him emerging.
The Maryland defense let-up 500 yards of offense to the Hurricanes, but it was not all bad. (At-least until the last series) Maryland was basically running a bend but do not break defense. I think when the Terps review the film, they will be happy with how they ran to the ball collectively but upset with their tackling. The lack of tackling allowed the Hurricanes to repeatedly pile-up additional yards, and keep drives going. Despite the yards allowed, the Terps were in position to win because some of their defensive playmakers had stepped-up. Alex Wujciak is known for his tackling, but his 2 picks (including the return for TD) were huge. Text-book examples of an experienced Senior knowing where to be and reading the eyes of the inexperienced Freshman. David Mackall had 2 sacks, and Isiah Ross also contributed with 1.
My biggest issues of the game were:
1) The 28 pass attempts for O'Brien vs. the 20 combined carries of Meggett, Scott, and Watson. Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald had just told us the other day that if he was game-planning against the Hurricanes, he would run directly at their defense. Included in Meggett's 70 yards was a 37 yard scamper. Watson had 2 carries, 1 was for 15 yards. DJ Adams is Maryland's best downhill runner and had zero carries. I would have liked to have seen Franklin used a Jumbo package and attack Miami that way.
2) In the 2nd Quarter, Maryland had 1st and Goal on the Miami 2 yard-line. O'Brien missed a pass to the right, when H. Brown slipped on 1st down. On 2nd down Robinson came in at QB, and dropped the snap for an 8 yard loss. O'Brien was incomplete on 3rd down. The Terps had to settle for 3, in a series where they absolutely needed to come away with 6.
3) Maryland had dodged a bullet in the 4th Quarter when the Hurricanes were called for a phantom face-mask which eliminated their sack, and fumble return for a TD. The Terps used that penalty to go down and kick a FG to move ahead 20-18 with just over 9 minutes left.
The Terps defense then stands-up and forces Miami to punt with 5:30 on the clock. Maryland takes over on offense (with the Hurricanes having 0 timeouts) needing a couple of first-downs. Now, the Maryland offense gets conservative and hands the ball to Meggett for 3 consecutive carries. The first two rushes were the correct calls. The decision to run on 3rd and 6 yards to go is what I question. Yes, by doing so the Terps did run another minute off of the clock - but it was extremely unlikely Maryland was going to pick-up the first-down. If you do not pick up the 1st, that means you are going to punt back to the Hurricanes (only needing a FG to win) in their home-stadium with over 3 minutes left in the game.
That extra minute of clock time you ran, meant less than running a play that had a better chance to result in a 1st down.
4) The Hurricanes get the ball back for their last drive and wind-up facing 3rd and 11 on the MD 49 yard-line with 53 seconds left. I am not sure if there was a spy on the Miami QB or not, but I do know it was embarrassing to allow him to run for a 16 yard gain. That never should have happened. Maryland still reeling from that play, allows a 35 yard TD throw on the next play. That is as bad as it gets.
Up-Next:
ACC Atlantic Standings (and remaining schedules for leaders):
Florida State: 6-3 overall, 4-2 ACC (Clemson, @UMD, Florida)
NCST: 6-3, 3-2 (Wake, @UNC, @UMD)
MD: 6-3, 3-2 (@UVA, FSU, NCST)
For Maryland to have a chance to win the ACC Atlantic Division, they are going to have to win at Virginia. The Cavaliers lost a shoot-out at Duke yesterday.
Go beat the Cavs, and give yourself an opportunity to make those last two home games very interesting.
Manny Navarro covers the Miami Hurricanes for the Miami Herald. You can find his work at:http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/ & on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Manny_navarroBaltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Navarro for answering a few Hurricanes questions prior to the Miami vs. Maryland game this weekend.Baltimore Sports and Life: "Expectations are always going to be high for the Miami Hurricanes, but they were raised for this 2010 season based on the Top 20 finish a year ago. The expectation was that the Hurricanes would take the next-step this year, and were considered legitimate favorites to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and a dark-horse contender Nationally. There is obviously no shame in losing at Ohio State, but I suspect fans of the Hurricanes are surprised by beating they took at home to Florida State (45-17), and losing to Virginia (even when you account for the injury sustained to QB Jacory Harris). Does Head Coach Randy Shannon survive if the 'Canes do not run the table against the Terps, @Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and South Florida?"Manny Navarro: "UM President Donna Shalala has always backed Shannon because she believes he's a good leader and has done a good job not improving the work his players have done in the classroom, but also by avoiding the police blotter. The only way I see Shannon being fired is if this team completely tanks the rest of the season and fails to play in a bowl game. The pressure isn't from inside -- it is from the outside where Hurricanes fans are tired of losing and mediocrity." Baltimore Sports and Life: "Everyone saw the devastating hit Harris sustained last-week, and it appears he will not be available for Miami this weekend. Assuming Harris is not able to play, it looks like true Frosh Stephen Morris will get the call. After being down 24 points, Morris put 3 TD's on the board against Virginia in just over 5 minutes. What did you see from him? Does the offensive play calling change any with Morris behind Center?"Manny Navarro: "Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple isn't one to change his game plan -- regardless of who is under center. I think we saw that Saturday when Morris went under center and threw three consecutive passes to start the second half. The good news for Miami is that Morris might be the better quarterback for Whipple's system. He was handpicked by Whipple out of high school last year and played his entire senior season in a Miami-type pro style offense. He's just very young. I think the Canes will try to run the ball more this week and take the pressure off Morris. But I don't think we will see any drastic changes in playcalling. Morris will be asked to throw deep." Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Hurricanes always have plenty of speed on the roster, especially at WR. Leonard Hankerson has 9 TD's, and at 6'3 215 lbs will obviously be a large target for Morris. Who else should Terp fans be aware of at the WR or TE positions?"Manny Navarro: "Travis Benjamin has done a nice job rebounding from a sluggish start over the past weeks. He caught a 24-yard TD pass against North Carolina and had 4 catches for 78 yards at Virginia including that 60-yard touchdown catch and run. I think outside of Hankerson, Benjamin is the only real threat in the passing game Maryland should worry about. LaRon Byrd has always been an 8-15 yard possession type receiver. He'll have has catches, but nothing that breaks the game open." Baltimore Sports and Life: "Senior Damien Berry has rushed for 690 yards on 18 carries a game. I know Graig Cooper is also highly thought of. What are your thoughts on the Miami rushing attack?"Manny Navarro: "The Canes will be shorthanded this week without Berry. But his backups are very good. Redshirt freshman Lamar Miller is Miami's most explosive back. He hasn't had many touches this season. But given some more opportunities this week with Berry out, he could be a big key for UM against Maryland. Cooper has also played sparingly. But his role should increase this week along with sophomore Mike James, who is more like Berry in terms of their physical running styles." Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Terps have had better success getting to the Quarterback in recent weeks, bringing pressure from a multitude of differing looks. Is Tackle Orlando Franklin (6'7, 318 lbs) the leader of the O-line? How are the 'Canes as a pass-blocking unit?"Manny Navarro: "Franklin was supposed to be the anchor of this line, but he's had trouble jumping early and drawing false starts. The Hurricanes have been one of the most penalized team in the country this season, ranking 118th out of 120 FBS schools. Most of them having been holding (14) and false start penalties (21). I would expect for Maryland's pressure to create more of those mental mistakes, especially with a true freshman behind center. Miami's strength on the line, really, is its young. Freshmen Seantrel Henderson and Brandon Linder are two young promising players that have helped add depth to an inexperienced offensive line. UM has only surrendered 12 sacks thus far -- a large improvement over the 35 they allowed a year ago." Baltimore Sports and Life: "Conversely Maryland is still dealing with the loss of two starters on their offensive-line, while Miami's defense leads the Nation in Tackles for Loss, and is 6th in Sacks. What can you tell me about the Front 7 Defensively for the Hurricanes? How good is Allen Bailey on the line?" Manny Navarro: "UM coach Randy Shannon said his line has sorely missed defensive tackle Josh Holmes, who has only played in one of UM's last four games. While the line has done a good job creating problems in the backfield as well as sacks, they've been gashed in the running game. UM ranks 71st in run defense. It almost seems like all or nothing. The leader of the line is Bailey, a player Mel Kiper considers the 11th best senior in the country regardless of position. Bailey leads UM with 5.5 sacks. But at times, he can disappear. Sophomore Olivier Vernon, who has four sacks, is the best pass rusher on the team in my opinion." Baltimore Sports and Life: "With the help of that pass-rush, the Hurricanes lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in pass-defense, allowing just 152.5 yards per game. If you were game-planning against the Hurricanes, how would you attack Miami? Assuming you had the personnel sets to do either, would you run a power-set offense with extra-blockers, or would you attempt to spread Miami out with extra-receivers?"Manny Navarro: "If I were game-planning against Miami, I would run right at them (what Ohio State, Florida State did) and beat them with quick slant passes and screen passes. The one thing this defense does at times is over pursue and get itself out of position to make plays. Cutbacks have created a lot of problems. Throwing deep isn't smart. The corners -- Ryan Hill and Brandon Harris -- are solid. They've been taught not to get beat deep. But underneath stuff? It can work." Baltimore Sports and Life: "Maryland has two major Special Teams weapons with Torrey Smith, and Tony Logan. Has Miami been effective on their Punt and Kickoff coverages?"Manny Navarro: "Not exactly. The Hurricanes have given up a few long returns this season and kicker/punter Matt Bosher has had to make at least a handful of key stops to prevent touchdowns. Does Miami have players who can get downfield and make plays? Yes. But that doesn't mean they always do." Baltimore Sports and Life: "Predictions for this game?"> Manny Navarro: "The Hurricanes haven't had back-to-back losses since they lost three in a row to end the 2008 season. Even though Jacory Harris is out and leading rusher Damien Berry probably won't play, I think their backups might be upgrades and more than capable of making this team better. Maryland has played well this season. But who have the Terps really beaten that's impressed you? I see a close game. Miami will win 31-24."
The University of Maryland dismantled Wake Forest 62-14 yesterday, and may have dramatically raised the expectations for the remainder of their season.
QB Danny O'Brien did not throw for a lot of yardage during his 3 Quarters of play, but he did toss for 4 more TD's, and did not turn the ball over. The telecasters yesterday were making the same point you hear over and over about O'Brien, that he spends countless time studying his craft and looking to improve. The young QB now has 13 TD's to just 3 picks for the year.
Maryland demolished the Demon Deacons across the board, and impressively received contributions from numerous members of their roster.
Some of the notable contributions included:
1) The running game had success, with Meggett, Scott, and Adams each having at-least 50 yards rushing.
2) O'Brien's 4 TD passes went to 4 different receivers. McCree had his first college TD, with a great diving catch in the end-zone. FB Haroon Brown also had his first TD, and Dorsey had two more catches.
3) Baltz again knocked-in two more FG attempts, and has done a very good job in replace of Nick Ferrara.
4) The pressure-defense and schemes of Don Brown are starting to influence games. 5 sacks yesterday, and plenty of confused looks from Wake Forest about exactly what defense they were looking at.
5) DT A.J. Francis was disrupting the line of scrimmage, and having his way with the interior Wake blockers.
6) Obviously have to point out LB Ryan Donohue, and S Kenny Tate for their interceptions which they took back to the house. Tate and Perez are causing a lot of havoc at Safety, with Brown moving them all over the field.
7) Wake's RB Josh Harris had rushed for over 240 yards against Virginia Tech, but was held to just 27 yards by MD. This was the 4th consecutive ACC game where the Terps held their opponent to under 100 yards rushing.
8) As the game was over by the time the 4th Quarter started, the Coaching staff made the correct decision to get the starters out of the game and get the reserves some-time. That actual game experience is huge for those back-ups. One player who made the most of that playing time was OG Pete White. White (a former 4star recruit) had a great pulling-block to spring D.J. Adams for a TD run.
When this season started, I picked Maryland to finish 7-5, 4-4 in the ACC, and 2-3 in the Atlantic Division. Last Sunday I stated that if the Terps beat Wake as expected, things would start to get intriguing. How MD won yesterday makes the next 4 games extremely interesting.
Up-Next:
The Terps are 6-2 overall, and 3-1 in the ACC. They will head to Miami to face the Hurricanes. Yesterday Miami lost at Virginia, and lost their starting QB Jacory Harris to a vicious hit early in the 1st-half.
Last-week I wrote that the road-map to 8-4 was beating Wake, splitting the road games at Miami and UVA, and splitting the home games vs. FSU, and NCST to end the year. I said you would have to expect a loss at Miami. After yesterday, I want to see the Terps get greedy. Maryland had known they have plenty of athletic talent, but they have not played with a tremendous amount of confidence. You have to have success on the field, and learn to believe you are capable. If the Terps were still doubting what they were capable of prior to yesterday, they are not doubting themselves any more.
After a 2 win season last-year, this would be a very good turn-around season if the Terps finish with 8 wins, and a bowl appearance. The goal now though has to winning the Atlantic Division, and getting to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.
ACC Atlantic Standings (and remaining schedules for leaders):
Florida State: 6-2 overall, 4-1 ACC (UNC, Clemson, @UMD, Florida)
NCST: 6-2, 3-1 (@Clemson, Wake, @UNC, @UMD)
MD: 6-2, 3-1 (@Miami, @UVA, FSU, NCST)
Clemson: 4-4, 2-3
Boston College: 3-5, 1-4
Wake Forest: 2-6, 1-4
The University of Maryland won an important game yesterday at Boston College, moving to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. (Tied for 2nd in the ACC Atlantic)
The 24-21 victory was a pretty important event for the Terps. Not only did they claim their first road victory since at Clemson in 2008, they won a game they were not expected to win. By doing so they are set-up pretty well for the rest of the year.
The remaining 5 games for the Terps are:
10/30: vs. Wake Forest
11/6: @ Miami
11/13: @ Virginia
11/20: Florida State
11/27: NCST
Wake has been struggling, but had a bye this week, so they will be healthy and prepared.
If the Terps beat the Demon Deacons like they should, things get somewhat intriguing.
You beat Wake, you are suddenly 6-2, 3-1 in the ACC. You would expect Maryland to lose at Miami, and against the Seminoles. With the game against FSU at-home, who knows though? UVA always plays the Terps tough, and winning that game on the road will not be easy for MD. Still the Cavs best game all-season is their close loss to Southern Cal. That is certainly a game the Terps should probably win.
On a neutral-field NCST would probably be favored against the Terps, but at Byrd this will basically be a pick'em type of game.
So the road map is there. Beat Wake, split with Miami and UVA, and split with FSU and NCST. That would have Maryland finishing 8-4 overall, and 5-3 in the ACC. They would probably be good enough to finish 3rd in the ACC Atlantic Division. After a 2 win season in 2009, that would be a pretty nice turnaround. You add a bowl win to that season, and you have had a successful year.
These last two-weeks for Maryland at Clemson and at Boston College have been interesting to watch. The box-score says the Terps lost by 24 vs. the Tigers, but if you watched that game Maryland certainly had their opportunities. The end-result was disappointing considering the Terps out-gained Clemson by 140 yards. O'Brien impressively threw for over 300 yards in Death Valley, but was picked off 3 times. MD was never able to get their running game going, but for the first time in 2010 established their TE's as Furstenburgh, and Yeatman both had good games. Defensively USC transfer Antwine Perez was making his presence felt. The Terps were done-in by their a combination of their turnovers, their penalties (10 for 93 yards), Clemson kickoff and interception returns for TD's, and just a complete inability to stop the Tigers' DE Da'Quan Bowers.
Coming off that loss, the Terps could have easily seen their season go downhill with a loss at Boston College yesterday. BC has been struggling, but at-home and given their recent history against Maryland - had to be considered the favorite (Vegas had the Eagles as a 4.5 point favorite).
Terps DT AJ Francis stated this week this game was a must-win. I respected and agreed with his opinion, but if MD had lost yesterday, the rest of the season would have become increasingly difficult after having made such a public proclamation. Winning yesterday became a harder proposition during the week, when starting Offensive Tackle Pete DeSouza broke his legs driving his motor scooter. For the Terps to respond to those challenges, was good to see. You certainly have to be impressed with O'Brien's outing yesterday. 39 pass-attempts, with zero picks is a big deal. The Terps would need every one of his 3 TD's.
I believe in the skills of both Da'Rel Scott, and Davin Meggett and understand they are being limited by their offensive line, and defenses that are keying on the Maryland run game. While I understand their challenges, the production simply has to improve. A combined 24 carries for 58 yards is not acceptable. Franklin needs to either spread the field and make opposing defenses pay for stacking the box, or he needs to alter his offense to incorporate a jumbo package to help get the running game going.
The passing-attack had a good day as 6 different receivers caught at-least 2 passes from O'Brien. I really liked seeing Boykins and Dorsey get involved with the offense. One disappointment was that the TE's did not catch a pass this week. For the second-straight week Perez had a big game at Safety, this week coming up with 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Down 9-0 to Duke at-home, the Terrapins of Maryland rallied to 21-16 victory.
With the win, the Terps move to 4-1 overall and 1-0 within the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Saftey Antwin Perez played like the 5 Star recruit that he was, and Maryland received points on an explosive return from Tony Logan and reception from Da'Rel Scott.
Adrian Moten, and Joe Vellano also deserve credit for their performances tonight.
In the ACC's Atlantic Division, the Terps have also received some help. Coastal powers Virginia Tech, Miami, and Georgia Tech have scored wins over North Carolina State, Clemson, and Wake Forest respectively.
Clemson, NCST, and Wake dropping these home-games means that only MD and Florida State are undefeated in the Atlantic.
FSU has grabbed hold of the Atlantic with their wins over Wake last-week, and Virginia today.
After a bye next-week, Maryland will travel to Death Valley to face Clemson on the 16th. Clemson will be at North Carolina this coming week. If the Terps can win this game, the season will have the potential to become very interesting.
The University of Maryland is losing 9-7 to Duke at the half in College Park.
The Terrapins were down 9-0 and facing a potential knock-out punch from the driving Blue Devils, when Saftey Antwine Perez made a red-zone interception with under 5 mts remaining in the second-quarter.
Maryland was able to finally put together a drive and carve into the lead on the subsequent possession. That drive was aided by a 44 yard connection between O'Brien and Smith. The Terps ground-game has been ineffective so far tonight, and O'Brien was having a very limited half until that drive.
The Terps have allowed 227 yards, including 173 through the air.
This is an absolute must-win game if the Terps want to end their season in a bowl. Maryland needs to play the 2nd-half with an attacking mentality.
Terps Redshirt Freshman QB Danny O'Brien was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for his play against Florida International.
Dealing with his own injuries, and making an unexpected start; it was an impressive outing for O'Brien. It is pretty evident that O'Brien is the more polished (and traditional drop-back) passer in comparison to Junior Jamarr Robinson. The fact that O'Brien is this comfortable in Maryland's offense this early in his career, really bodes well for him.
I am feeling a bit conflicted here though as a Terps fan. O'Brien is receiving a lot of accolades for completing 18 of 27 passes for 250 yards, and 2 TD's at-home against the Florida International. How is that any more impressive than what Robinson did at Florida State (20 of 27 for 213 yards passing, 1 TD, 58 yards rushing) last-year?
I acknowledge that O'Brien looks like the more comfortable 'QB', but Robinson is the superior athlete. This is not the NFL, this is College with spread offenses all the rage. I think it is an interesting question to ask who is better equipped to get the most out of the surrounding skill-position talent. You can easily make a logical case for that being O'Brien, but I think it would be mistake to totally write-off Robinson yet.
The University of Maryland football team will attempt to move to 3-1 on the 2010 season, with a home win over Florida International today. After playing an emotional game against a border-rival last week, it would be easy to overlook a team from the Sun Belt conference.
That would be a mistake.
While it is quite possible the Terps overwhelm Florida International with their superior depth, it would also not be surprising if Maryland was lacking some focus today.
Hopefully Coach Friedgen was able to get the attention of his team by reminding them that Florida International plays in the same conference as Middle Tennessee. I'm sure Friedgen has also spent time reminding his players that Florida International has been very competitive these first two weeks in their losses to Rutgers (Big East), and Texas A&M (Big 12).
In the 19-14 loss to Rutgers, the Panthers had 371 yards of offense to Rutgers' 172. They lost the game in large part due to their 5 turnovers, and 14 penalties.
At Texas A&M last week, the Panthers lost 27-20. The game ended with the Panthers being stopped on 4th down at the Aggies 7 yard-line. The loss had to be especially painful for Florida International, as they held a two-touchdown lead going to the 4th Quarter.
I note that A&M had success running the ball last week (206 rushing yards) and hope the Terps are able to establish a similar blue-print today.
As the University of Maryland Terrapins entered the 2010 season, their motto was 'Be there for the comeback.'
Down 28-0 today in Morgantown, the Terps have scored 14 points in the 3rd Quarter to get back into this game against #21 West Virginia.
It has been a tough day for Maryland. They currently have 9 penalties for 62 yards. They are 2 for 10 on 3rd down offensively, while West Virginia has converted 9 of 15 such opportunities.
Perhaps most notably the Terps have 21 rushes for exactly zero rushing yards. (Meggett has 27, and Scott has 6 - but the net zero is the result of losses by the QB).
Despite all of that, Jamar Robinson was able to get Maryland back into this game with two long-strikes (60 and 80 yards) to Torrey Smith. A Kenny Tate interception positioned Maryland to score again as the 3rd Quarter ended, but Smith dropped a wide open look in the end-zone.
As the 4th Quarter starts, Robinson has picked up a crucial 4th and 7 with a 12 yard rushing gain.
Regardless of the ending, the Terps get points today for not laying down and just accepting a beating.
When a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) plays a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division 1AA) team, there are not a lot of good alternatives for the FBS/1A team.
If the 1A team wins as expected, people will commentate that this is what should have happened.
If the 1A team loses (see Virginia Tech, and Mississippi), it is apocalypse now.
The only chance for the 1A team to leave the field feeling good, is to dominate the action from beginning to end. In that regard, the University of Maryland can feel good about what they accomplished in their 62-3 demolishing of Morgan State. The Terrapins did everything they wanted to against the Bears, and moved to 2-0 overall with their second win in 5 days.
Also have to keep in-mind that in terms of eventual bowl-eligibility, 1A teams need to have at-least 6 wins in a standard 12 game season. Under current rules, 1 of those 6 wins can come against FCS / 1AA wins.
Some takeaways:
1) O'Brien and Robinson were able to combine for 5 throwing TD's, getting their offensive weapons an opportunity to make plays. This team knows they have some play-makers, but they lost 10 games last year. When you come off a season like 2009, you are realistically (and understandably) dealing with a loss of confidence. Getting multiple players the chance to make plays and put some points on the board, was important.
2) One of the players who stepped-up to make some plays was TE Matt Furstenburg. 3 catches, 48 yards, and a TD. Seeing some production here was particularly nice to see prior to heading to WVU.
3) Another nice development was the Field Goal kicking of Punter Travis Baltz. With PK Nick Ferrera still not ready, Baltz had to handle all of the kicking duties. After nailing both of his Field Goal attempts (including a 47 yarder), the Terps can feel good about Baltz if needed in Morgantown.
4) Morgan State had 56 plays, and gained a total of 85 yards. I do not care who you are playing, if you hold a team to 85 yards; you have accomplished something on the defensive-end.
5) Easy day for MD's top-two RB's Da'Rel Scott, and Davin Meggett. With the game quickly out of hand, their day was able to be ended early. D.J. Adams was the primary benefactor, having 11 carries for 70 yards and 2 TD's.
6) Tough break for 3rd-string QB CJ Brown, who broke his collarbone and will miss two months.
Next week:
The Terrapins will head to Morgantown, to face the Mountaineers of West Virginia. After a brief hiatus, the series is scheduled to resume through the 2013 season. All-time these teams have played 46 previous times, with WVU leading the series 23-21-2. After earning their 4th consecutive win over WVU at the 2004 Gator Bowl; WVU has turned the tables beating MD 4 straight times. The 2006 and 2007 match-ups were particularly uncompetitive as the Terps had no answer for Rich Rodriguez's spread-offense and their rushing attack.
West Virginia is still a Top 25 team, and a formidable foe under their current Head Coach Bill Stewart. Noel Devine is an outstanding College RB, who rushed for nearly 1,500 yards last year as a Junior. Another familiar name is Baltimore's (Dunbar) Tavon Austin who had 9 catches for 85 yards in WVU's OT win over in-state rival Marshall Friday.
If Maryland can pull the upset, the Terps would likely enter the Top 25. With games against Florida International, and Duke the following two-weeks at home; MD would have a tremendous opportunity to start 5-0 with a bye week to prepare for their game at Clemson.
Yesterday in Downtown Baltimore, a divided Stadium cheered equally for the in-state institutions - the University of Maryland and the Naval Academy.
It was great scene, and the atmosphere makes me reconsider my previously stated position of this being a poor game for Maryland to play on an annual-basis.
My opinion on the Navy Football team did not change. I admired them prior to this game for what they have accomplished over the previous 7 years, and I respect what they did yesterday. I knew the Terps were in for a fight, and I anticipated a very tough-game. I knew Navy would have 1/2 the crowd, and would be difficult to defend with their triple-option offense. After coming off a season where Navy played close with Ohio State, beat Notre Dame, beat Missouri; you knew a team returning a lot of experience would be a difficult opponent for anyone.
It showed on the field yesterday. I went into the game anticipating Navy rolling to 300+ yards on the ground. The Midshipman did just that with 412 yards, and 5 different backs gaining at-least 50 yards. Up and down the field they marched, chewing up time on the clock and pushing towards points.
I was most impressed with Navy with their pass defense. I knew that Navy likes to play a defensive style of containment, where they keep the opposing offense in-front of them. I knew Navy would have a hard time stopping the Terrapin rushing game, and thought that could lead to the Terps spreading Navy out and making plays over the top. Jamarr Robinson threw for over 200 yards against Florida State, and I reasoned he could do the same against Navy. The Midshipman held Robinson and the Terps offense to 11 yards passing, which was very surprising to me.
When I previewed this game in August, I received a lot of comments from Navy supporters who thought I was disrespecting their team:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/maryland-vs-navy-rivalscom.html
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/maryland-vs-navy-rivalscom-pt-2.html
My main point in that initial blog above really had little to do with Navy, and more about what I thought was poor analysis from Rivals.com. Rivals ranked MD as having an average recruiting class ranking of 30th over a 6 year period, but ranked the Terps as their 92nd best team overall. They ranked Navy as having an average recruiting ranking of 117th over that 6 year period, but as their 23rd best team in the country.
I never made the point that games are won and loss through recruiting rankings, I just thought this made little rationale sense.
Even though I never made the point that games are won/loss through recruiting rankings, I certainly received a lot of comments from Navy supporters reminding me about results and the scoreboard.
Terrapin fans should view this game in the same prism. MD's defense had plenty of breaks, but they also made the plays they needed to make to win. For all the yardage Navy accumulated, all that matters is that Maryland left Ravens Stadium yesterday with the Win. That was an accomplishment, and something the Terrapins desperately needed. Their confidence is going to grow from this victory, and that is what this team needed the most.
As shown in the Washington Post piece linked below, the University of Maryland is set to name Army's Athletic Director Kevin Anderson as the new Terrapin A.D. shortly:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/terrapins-insider/2010/09/armys_kevin_anderson_to_be_nam.html
Around the web, the news was greeted by many Terps fans with a shrug as Anderson had not appeared on many public short-lists.
My initial honest reaction was that it was a big jump from the Athletic Department of Army to that of Maryland. That said, it took a fair minimal amount of digging to see this is a guy that was previously the Director of Annual Giving for Stanford's Athletic Department, Director of External Operations at Oregon State (with responsibility of overseeing the Football, Men's Basketball, and Baseball programs) and spent time at California as an Executive Associate Athletic Director.
This means he has previously been in leadership positions with three Pac-10 Universities, which should help alleviate any apprehension from Terrapin fans. If there is any residual apprehension from Terp fans, I suggest they review the comments this afternoon from Gary Williams, as quoted in the Baltimore Sun:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/maryland_terps/blog/2010/09/gary_williams_calls_anderson_a_coachs_ad.html
"If you're a coach, you got the feeling he is a coach’s AD," said Williams, who leads Maryland's biggest revenue-producing sport. "He would look for the department to be unified. I always looked at the department as a team," Williams said. He recognizes the need for basketball to be successful."
So there is the bottom-line. Gary Williams is happy, which means everyone else associated with the Terps should be as well. It will be interesting to follow this story, and see what comments Anderson makes about the Football program. I would imagine that he will be spending some-time in assessment period, with the Football team and MD Athletic Program in-general. It should also be noted that Williams was on the search committee responsible for finding a new AD. As were Brenda Frese (Women's Basketball), Sasho Cirovski (Men's Soccer), Len Elmore, and Kevin Plank (Under Armour). Anderson is coming-in to this program with existing buy-in from the stakeholders that matter. It is also good to hear that the incoming University President Dr. Loh was able to give his opinion.
Mr. Steele operates the website http://www.philsteele.com/, and annually produces his College Football Preview Magazine. The 2010 Edition is available everywhere now, and is 300+ pages of insightful information.
Recognized as one of the Nation’s most knowledgeable College Football Writers, Mr. Steele is on the voting committees for the John Mackey, O’Brien Quarterback, Lombardi, and Ted Hendricks Awards.
For the 2nd-consecutive year, Mr. Steele graciously answered a few Terps related questions for Baltimore Sports and Life.
Baltimore Sports and Life: “In the Atlantic Coast Conference Pre-Season Media Poll, Maryland was picked to finish last in the Atlantic Division. You have the Terps as your 13th most improved team, and project them to return to a bowl game (vs. UAB in the Eaglebank Bowl.). What do you think the media of the ACC is missing when evaluating MD?”
Phil Steele: "The media often looks at last year’s record and who is returning at the skill positions on offense when evaluating a team. Going into last season, Maryland had been to 3 straight bowl games but I projected them to finish last which is exactly where they finished. This year while Maryland is picked to finish last by the media, I think their defense will be better than expected and the schedule is more manageable."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “Sophomore Caleb Porzel has recently left the MD program, but it is still a deep RB group with Scott, Meggett, Adams, and Douglas. Thoughts on the RB’s?”
Phil Steele: "In the front of the magazine, I list the top units in the country for each position and I rank the Terp RB’s at #34. Two years ago, Scott became the first Terp since 2002 to top 1,000 yards. Remarkably he was suspended for the 1st half of the bowl game but still finished with 174 yards (12.4!). Last year he broke his wrist and missed 5 games as the top 2 backs combined for just 763 yards. This year, I think with a more stable O-line and Scott’s return to health, I look for a huge increase in RB production."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “When we spoke last year you suggested that with capable RB’s and TE’s, and a limited offensive line, that a conservative offensive philosophy might be the correct strategy to employ. Similarly this year the Terps again have questions on the offensive-line, capable backs and TE’s (Campbell, and Furstenburg), and are now turning QB over full-time to Jamarr Robinson. You rank MD as having the 13th best Special Teams unit in the Country. I would imagine the relative inexperience of Robinson, and the talent of the Special Teams has only increased your belief that MD should play a game of ball-control and field position?”
Phil Steele: "I’m not really concerned with Robinson’s inexperience. I thought he got his feet wet last year and has confidence in the system with his strong arm and good mobility. In the past, Maryland used their QB as more of a running threat and I think this year they will use Robinson more in that capacity and I actually think they open it up a bit this year with the surrounding talent."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “In your MD preview, you quote Coach Friedgen as stating the offensive line was ‘vastly improved.’ Left to right the starting line appears to be Justin Gilbert, Andrew Gonnella, Paul Pinegar, Bennett Fulper, and RJ Dill. Is it too much to expect the offensive-line to be league average?”
Phil Steele: "While I do rate the Terps O-line as my #10 unit in the ACC, that is due more to the great quality of O-line play in the ACC (including 3 of the best in the country) than the Terps’ inadequacies. Last year they lost 5 of their top 7 and had 8 different starting O-lines in the first 9 games. This year while they have just 39 career starts, I expect them to have a more consistent line-up and avoid the injury bug that plagued a couple of lineman a year ago."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “MD fans are excited about the Safety tandem of Kenny Tate, and Antwine Perez, but have some questions at Corner. What do you think about the Secondary overall?”
Phil Steele: "I have Tate and Perez on my preseason All-ACC teams but like you said the questions at corner have me ranking them at only #9 in the conference. They do lose 3 starters from last year and Nolan Carroll was drafted by Miami in the 5th round. However, they are close to last year in terms of experience and they should move up in my pass defense rankings (#98 last year)."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “Maryland is waiting to see if DT Zack Kerr has qualified for this fall, and recently lost DL De’Onte Arnett for the next 4-6 weeks to injury. Still, the Terps Defensive line seems improved over all. The Terps front-four is also aided by a Linebacker unit you rank as the 16th best group in the country. (Though the LB’s have recently lost Pooler to season-ending injury, and Murray has left the program.) Do you expect to see an improved Terrapin pass-rush in Don Brown’s 2nd year as Defensive Coordinator for Maryland?" (It is worth noting that 3 of your Top 13 Offensive lines reside in the ACC Atlantic – FSU, Clemson, BC).
Phil Steele: "This year they return 15 of their 27 sacks from a year ago. While I am a little concerned about the attrition, I do like their front line players. I expect SLB Moten to be more in a pass rusher mold sack wise but they will need some DE’s to emerge if they are going to match last year’s numbers."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “The University of Maryland has recently named a new University President and is in the process of naming a new Athletic Director. The new President (Dr. Loh) is coming from Big 10 Country (Iowa). There is some conjecture from MD fans that if the to be named AD also has some Big 10 leanings, this could ultimately result with the Terps being in the next waive of Big 10 expansion. Due to the combined Washington/Baltimore Media market, do you see MD as a realistic option for the Big 10?”
Phil Steele: "If the expansion talks heat up again, I do see Maryland as option for the exact same reasons you mentioned. However, the talk of the four 16-team super-conferences has died down. As for the Big 10, I think they only expand again if they can convince Notre Dame to join. The Irish though seem to be content in their Independent status which probably leaves the Terps remaining in the ACC for the time being."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “MD has named Offensive Coordinator James Franklin as the heir apparent to Friedgen. Would you expect an incoming Athletic Director, to insist on having the ability to name a replacement of their choice?”
Phil Steele: "New Athletic Directors always want to make their own decisions and put their own stamps on the program. I do think they will interview Franklin first and if satisfied, they will remain status quo. If not, I’m sure he has a set of criteria to meet before offering the job."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “According to the annual recruiting-rankings of Rivals.com, the Maryland classes have been ranked as following for the past-six years:
2010: 36th
2009: 26th
2008: 38th
2007: 35th
2006: 29th
2005: 16th
= Average class ranking of 30th.
Based on the on-field results during this time period, does this average class ranking surprise you either way?”
Phil Steele: "When looking at these rankings, I immediately did some research and found that over the same time period, I had the Terps average class ranking at #34 so there was not much difference there. With these rankings in mind, I think with the exception of last season in which I thought they would struggle with only 9 returning starters, Maryland has played up to its talent level with 3 bowls in four years. If they have the type of season I project this year that would mean four bowl games in five years which would be on par with their recruiting rankings."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “I predicted the Terps to finish 8-4 last-year, and they limped to a 2-10 finish. Based on that, I should be smart enough to again avoid making picks, but nobody has ever accused me of being overly intelligent. I look at the schedule this year, and I see a 7-5 overall record, 4-4 in the ACC, 2-3 in the Atlantic Division.
Navy – W
Morgan State – W
@WVU – L
Florida International – W
Duke – W
Bye
@Clemson – L
@Boston College – L
Wake – W
@Miami – L
@UVA – W
FSU – L
NCST – W
What record do you project for the Terps?”
Phil Steele: "This is a little scary but I have the same predicted record as you have with the exact same scenarios you do for every game. Therefore, I also have the Terps at 7-5."
Baltimore Sports and Life: “You rank MD as having the 57th toughest schedule in the Country, and project Navy, WVU, Clemson, BC, Miami, and FSU as Bowl teams. It seems to me, the real swing games for MD are against Navy, Clemson, BC, UVA, and NCST. Three of those swing games are on the road, and one is at a neutral site. Thoughts on the schedule overall, and these ‘swing’ games?”
Phil Steele: "I think the schedule overall is manageable and to me whether or not the Terps make a bowl game will depend on the Navy, Virginia and NC State games. Right now I have them winning all 3 and getting to the EagleBank Bowl. I think winning on the road at Clemson and Boston College will be tough and right now have them losing those two games. Overall it should be another successful season for Maryland as they make their 7th bowl in the last ten years."
Heading into the Fall, any MD fan would have had to have felt good about the depth at TE for the Terrapins.
Things change.
Lansford Watson was lost for the year to injury. Will Yeatman broke a finger, and missed valuable camp time after being away from the game for some-time. Devonte Campbell was dealing with a concussion, and has now suffered a knee injury that could have him out for a month.
There is still some hope with Matt Furstenburg, who was a 4 star recruit in his own right.
One thing I have wondered, is if there are any further TE injuries, would the coaches consider shifting Drew Gloster back to TE from the DL? Gloster was a PrepStar All American, ranked as the 21st best receiver in the nation on ESPN.com, and 30th wr in the country on Rivals.com.
This is probably extremely unlikely based on the reports of how Gloster has adapted to the DL, and some of the injuries there as well.
The 2010 Football Season has not even begun, and the University of Maryland has already suffered a number of significant losses.
Today it was announced via InsideMDSports.com that TE Lansford Watson would miss the season with an MCL tear in his knee:
http://insidemdsports.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1362:saturday-news-and-notes-te-watson-to-have-surgery&catid=42:football&Itemid=81
Coupled with the concussion that Devonte Campbell is dealing with, and the broken finger suffered by Will Yeatman, and the Terps suddenly need more production from Matt Furstenburg. Earlier this Summer, Patrick Stevens of D1scourse.com, and Peter Volk of Turtle Sports Report both told me they felt that Furstenburg was the best blocking TE out of the trio of himself, Watson, and Campbell.
Here is the profile Matt Bracken of The Baltimore Sun provided on Furstenburg when he signed with the Terps:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2008/02/superlatives_for_the_terps_class_of_2008.html
"Furstenburg graduated from Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington, N.J. in 2007 without any DI football scholarship offers. Instead of taking a DIAA offer or playing lacrosse in college, Furstenburg decided to do a post-graduate year at The Hun School. Before he even played a down, Maryland offered a scholarship in August, and Furstenburg (now a four-star prospect per Scout.com) promptly committed."
Unfortunately Watson has not been the only loss for MD.
The Terps came into this Summer feeling good about their depth at Linebacker. As September nears, Avery Murray has left the program and Ben Pooler suffered an ACL injury ending his year.
In next man-up philosophy, this provides opportunity for David Mackall to emerge as the backup to Alex Wujciak.
Bracken interviewed Mackall's Prep-school Head Coach:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2010/02/superlatives_for_the_terps_class_of_2010.html
"I've never been around Shawne Merriman, but to us, he seems to be a Shawne Merriman type of player," Fork Union coach John Shuman said of Mackall, who graduated from Edmondson last spring and signed with Maryland one year ago. "He led our team in sacks and tackles for loss. ... He's big, fast, physical and just an intense guy. He played every snap and got all our guys ready to compete." Shuman said Michigan, Purdue and Rutgers "tried to jump in" and get Mackall to switch his commitment, but the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder has already enrolled in classes at College Park."
Mackall has always been labeled as a guy with a lot of physical skill, had that extra time at Prep-school, and enrolled early at MD. Still, he was a DE in HS and Prep, and was practicing at OLB in the Spring. You have to wonder how comfortable he will be now shifting to MLB.
There have been a number of other nicks and bruises through-out the roster. The other-injury I have found most disappointing occurred to Red-shirt Freshman DT De'Onte Arnett. Arnett had a cyst removed on his ankle, and will miss at-least the first couple of weeks.
Here are links to Arnett's UMTerps.com and Rivals.com profiles:
http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/arnett_deonte00.html
http://rivals.yahoo.com/maryland/football/recruiting/player-DeOnte-Arnett-72237
At least he will be back at some point.
In July we discussed the departure of RB Caleb Porzel:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/07/dissapointed-in-loss-of-caleb-porzel.html
Despite all of that negative news, there has been some positives in the last few days.
InsideMDSports.com was the first to report the transfer of University of Florida Wide Receiver (Baltimore City College) Adrian Coxson:
http://www.insidemdsports.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1357:coxson-to-transfer-to-maryland&catid=42:football&Itemid=81
The Terps recruited the 2010 receiver hard, and it is good to see those efforts pay off when the player decided to leave the Gators.
There are also reports existing that Coxson's former Gator teammate Strong Safety Jordan Haden might also join the Terps. The MD native left Florida this past week.
Here are a couple of bios for Haden (the brother of the Cleveland Browns 2010 1st round pick Joe Haden):
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/player?id=69126&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fcollege-football%2frecruiting%2fplayer%3fid%3d69126
http://rivals.yahoo.com/florida/football/recruiting/player-Jordan-Haden-69634
http://gatorcountry.com/pagetwo/swampie/2009/06/11/jordan-hayden/
Dr. Wallace Loh was introduced yesterday as the new President of the University of Maryland College Park.
Here is a Baltimore Sun article detailing Dr. Loh's background:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-um-president-loh-20100817,0,3084844.story
His Presidency can effect the State in a lot of ways, but of immediate interest to this sports blog is what impact will he have on Maryland's Athletic Department (particularly the Major Revenue Sports - Football, and Basketball).
One of Dr. Loh's first major decisions will be with ultimately hiring the replacement for departed Athletic Director Debbie Yow.
In conjunction with the new Athletic Director, Dr. Loh will also have to decide on the leadership of the Football program going forward. Coach Friedgen, and Coach Franklin. Friedgen's contract expires on Jan. 2nd, 2012. If Franklin is not named the Head Coach at that time, he can resign and collect a $1M dollar payment from the University.
Coach Friedgen has gone out of his way recently to state he is not yet looking to leave. Everything comes down to results on the field. The team was 2-10 last-year. If the results do not show marked improvement this Fall, it is hard to imagine the University allowing Friedgen to continue. While Franklin receives high-marks as a recruiter, the question will be if the results say Friedgen has to leave; how do you promote his Offensive Coordinator? One answer to that question is the Athletic Department has limited dollars to go around. Paying Friedgen the remainder of his contract, paying Franklin $1M to not coach, and hiring someone else with pedigree might be much more than the program can afford.
With all of the talk this Spring/Summer if Maryland possibly being pursued for Big 10 Expansion, it is interesting that the new President is coming from the University of Iowa, and Big 10 country. Perhaps Dr. Loh will have a desire to see Maryland in that Conference?
I am also sure it is only a matter of time, that we hear rumors of former Ravesn Assistant (and current Iowa Head Coach) Kirk Ferentz being on the 'dream' list of future Maryland Coaches.
There is a Fanhouse article from June, which states Iowa has had the third highest spending on their Football team during the 2008-9 season:
http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/06/29/big-spending-ohio-state-could-change-nickname-to-bucks-eyes/
Will we see some of that type of spending at Maryland?
I am frankly surprised my entry linked below received so much animosity.
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/maryland-vs-navy-rivalscom.html
I thought I was clear with my comments, but looking back perhaps I was not. I was not providing lip-service to Navy, I respect what they have accomplished. I am impressed with 7 consecutive bowl appearances, and am certainly impressed with the 4 point loss at Ohio State last Fall.
As I stated, I do believe it will be a very difficult game for Maryland to win. The triple-option offense will be hard to defend, and the Midshipman figure to have half of the Ravens Stadium crowd.
So, I respect what Navy has accomplished and recognize they will be a difficult opponent. Where exactly did I lose people?
Maybe I should have gone further with my comments to acknowledge that once a player gets to College, their previous recruiting rankings mean nothing. I am fully aware that what matters is how hard the player works, what coaching they receive, and how well they perform. Clearly the results of the Naval Academy over the past 7 years is an indication that Navy regularly gets the max out of the talent they have.
My blog itself had less to do with Navy, and more to do with Rivals.com. I stated that I had a problem with Rivals.com ranking Navy as the 23rd best team in the country, when their own recruiting service had regularly discounted the talent on the Navy roster.
Ranking Navy as the 23rd best team in the country, when you have ranked Navy as having an average class ranking of 117th over the past 6 years are contradictory points.
If you a fan of Navy, and you dispute the class ranking assigned from Rivals, that is a problem with Rivals and not with me.
I would guess where some Navy fans had a problem with me, is where I closed by saying that if Navy enters the game as the favorite - expect the Maryland victory. I am not going to back-down from those comments. I believe that to be true. If Maryland was heading into this game as the favorite, I would be pretty convinced of a Navy win. With Navy going in as the favorite, I like the chances of a Terrapin victory. It is simply human nature of the hunter vs. the hunted. As a Terrapin fan, I am well aware of the Terps proclivity to play better in games as the underdog.
With that out of the way, I will address the comments received in the previous entry.
Comment 1 from Anonymous: "wow you are ignorant."
My response: "Thank-you for reading, if you have a direct issue with what I wrote, let me know. I am glad to discuss. However, try leaving your name and discussing like an Adult."
Comment 2 from Anonymous: "you are ignorant beyond the pale."
My response: "See above."
Comment 3 from Rocky:"haha you are a clown... be realistic and tell me September 6th will be a walk in the park."
My response: "I never said it would be a walk in the park for Maryland. I said Navy would be a very difficult opponent."
Comment 4 from Anonymous: "all you have to do to figure out why rivals ranks Navy's recruits so low is visit the Navy Rivals site. There isn't one. so none of rivals "crack" recruiting "analysts" have any incentive to do profiles on them or give them more than one or two stars (whatever those are worth)."
My response: "The lack of a Navy's Rival site does not explain away the lack of profiles on the signed talent. In theory, the players Navy signs could sign anywhere, including MD right? If they did, their recruiting ranking would not change because they signed with a school that had a Rivals site."
Comment 5 from Anonymous: "u r going to be crying on game day..."
My response: "Navy may well beat MD, and appears to be going into the game as the favorite. Try signing your name and using full sentences next-time you want to respond."
Comment 6 from Anonymous: "And F your recruits who can not compete on the field."
My response: "As I stated above, I probably should have spent more time acknowledging that once the recruits are signed, recruiting rankings mean nothing."
Comment 7 from '82 sir: THIS is why they play the game. You can look at the players all day on paper - they don't play there. The Midshipmen play with their hearts and minds next to their brothers on a field that they refuse to give an inch of... Good luck and a great game to all on the 6th. I am looking forward to an opener that will open eyes. Always proud."
My response: "Thank-you for serving, and for reading Sir. I appreciate what Navy has accomplished, and that games are won on the field."
Comment 8 from Anonymous: "Coach Johnson made exciting strides with the Navy program, and Coach Ken is improving performance with Coach Johnson's recruits. MD recruits stars, Navy recruits team players."
My response: "Navy has every right to be proud of what has been accomplished over the past decade. I disagree with the implied point that MD recruits players who do not care about team performance."
Comment 9 from Anonymous: "Rickie Dobbs was an un-ranked QB coming out of HS, guess the professional evaluators got that one wrong. Go Navy!"
My response: "The bottom-line is that no matter the recruiting ranking, what matters is performance when you arrive. Navy has a track-record of showing they can produce results with the level of talent they are bringing in. That does not mean they are bringing in an equal amount of talent, even if individual players significantly out-produce expectations."
Comment 10 USNA Ancient: "maybe the difference lies not in your stars, but in your performance with those "stars" ... UM has always been an egotistical bunch of whiners and from this "column" not much has appeared to change ... to bad you're incapable of putting your money where your big, fat, ignorant mouth is ... let's see what you have to say on the 7 Sept ... I'm willing to bet the whining and excuses will continue."
My response: "Thank-you for serving.You responded to the blog without signing your name. At-least I was willing to put my name next to my comments. What did you find egotistical from me? I gave Navy the respect they have earned. I also stated it would be a difficult game for Maryland to win. I do think the Terps will win though, and I am glad to put some money where my big, fat, ignorant mouth is against yours."
Comment 11 Anonymous: "The problem with MD is they play fantasy computer recruiting while Navy actually go out and do true good old fashioned talent evaluations.Schools like Maryland let Scout and Rivals tell them not to believe their lying eyes,Ricky Dobbs is too short to play QB and Jabaree Tuani is to short to play DE."
My response: "It is an interesting point, and one I can agree with to an extent."
Comment 12 ct688: "There are a lot of teams in Navy's wake of whom it was said that Navy did not have the talent to be on the same field as their exalted programs, but most people have more inteligence than to say that lately. As Coach Ken says :it's what happens betwee the white lines that counts."
My response: "Navy is going into this game as the favorite, and I said would be a difficult opponent for Maryland. Did I disrespect Navy by stating I think the Terps will win, if Navy continues to be favored?"
Comment 13 Anonymous: "The arguments presented in this article are so ignorant I'm almost convinced the author is attempting to play devil's advocate. As a former player for both coach Johnson and coach Niumat, the lack of respect given to Navy doesn't surprise me. You better believe that Navy is going through every meeting and practice this summer with the mindset that THEY are the underdog. And yes the talent and recruiting class rankings are probably accurate. It's the immeasurable qualities and heart of the Navy players and coaching staff that gives them opportunities to beat "better" teams like Notre Dame and Missouri. In a world today where the value of players is measured in the size of their contracts, Service Academy athletics serve to remind us of what true competition is and what pride and sacrifice to a greater cause can do for a team/organization. I'll cut this author some slack and assume he never played organized sports at any point in his life, otherwise he wouldn't have published this garbage. To be a fan of the game of football is to be a fan of the way the service academies play it. Semper Fi Navy Football and FEBU!!"
My response: "Thank-you for serving, and congrats on playing at the Division 1 level. There was no lack of respect given to Navy from me. By your own admission, you agree with the recruiting rankings. As such, it makes little sense for you to claim I was disrespecting the Naval Academy. Did I disrespect Navy when I said they annually play beyond their physical talent, and are a disciplined and capable team? Did I disrespect Navy when I said they caught the attention of everyone with their 4 point defeat at Ohio State? Did I disrespect Navy when I said they would be a difficult opponent for MD? I'll cut you some slack and assume you typically have better reading comprehension."
Comment 14 Stennis: "I sincerely laugh at the author's assertion that he is a "professional".
My response: "Clearly I was talking about Rivals.com as the professional in-question. I agree with the remainder of your points."
Comment 15 goNavy89: "I am thankful that our country is defended by the likes of the "non-talented" Navy players and their brothers at Army, rather than the more recruited players at Maryland. Navy plays with heart and discipline; they play as a team. If more teams stressed this with their young players I think we would all be better off. Chris Stoner you are a fool."
My response: "I am very appreciative of the service and dedication of the Armed Services of this country. That has absolutely zero-bearing on this actual discussion. I stated in the blog that Navy plays beyond their physical talent, and is a strong and disciplined team. Those comments seem very similar to your own comments. How come when I say it, it makes me a fool? Try signing your name to your comments if you respond again."
Comment 16 from 30 days and counting, sir! "If you took the time to look into the background of each Navy football player you would certainly see that there is an abundant of talent there. Many were “All State” in high school. Many set highs school records in their respective schools. Many were team captains that played football since 5th grade right along side the so called 5 star recruits. The ONLY reason they were not recruited to the end by big schools is strictly because of SIZE. Anybody that thinks that Rivals.com has the ability to evaluate every kid in the country is foolish. They miss tons of kids…especially the small ones. And to use these rankings after these “5 star” recruits get in college as a measuring stick for the team ranking and talent as you are is beyond foolish…it’s ludicrous.With a good game plan and TALENTED, disciplined players, that size difference can be neutralized very effectively as Navy has demonstrated. You are about to see it live on Labor Day."
My response: "What matters is the results that are produced with the talent that walks in the door. Recruiting rankings mean nothing once you arrive. On that we agree. We also agree the results of the Naval Academy over the past decade shows Navy is able to compete with the talent they bring in the door. I also agree with the point that Rivals or any other recruiting service will not evaluate every kid in the country. Certainly players get missed. Your comment reads as if I will be 'shocked' if Navy beats MD on Labor Day. It is hard to understand why you think I will be shocked if Navy wins. I know it will be a difficult game for MD, and said as much."
Comment 17 from Anonymous: "Alabama has a 5 star player that was dominated by two Navy 1 stars in a HS game, due to size."
My response: "Nobody said Navy does not have talent, or does not get the maximum out of the players they have. As I stated in Comment 11, I think there is a point to be made that Navy does old fashioned talent scouting. Ie can this player produce, even though he might not have all the measurables."
Comment 18 from Anonymous: "So, if I understand your argument, you say since Maryland has year after year done less using more, and Navy has done so much more with so much less, this season we should believe it will all turn around just because you want it to? And you get paid for this? Wanna trade?"
My response: "I do not get paid for this, and no you do not have my argument correct. My argument really had little to do with MD vs. Navy on 9/6. The point I made was that one company (Rivals.com) had ranked Navy was the 23rd best team in the country, which was hard to understand since that same company had regularly stated for years Navy was bringing in comparatively little talent. As far as everything turning all-around, you are arguing a point that was not made. I simply said that if Navy goes into the 9/6 game as the favorite, I expect a MD victory. If you want to respond again, sign your name."
Comment 19 from Geoff USNA '92: "Chris, I am also from Maryland and a Navy grad. Grew up a Terps fan before becoming a Mid. I agree with you, it's not a question of talent, collectively, Terps would win when stacked up man for man...I think I've got a decade on you so you are likely too young to remember the '80 US Hockey Team. I watched and what I think that game proved was that it's not all talent...it's teamwork and coaching that builds teamwork and confidence."
My response: "Thank-you for serving, and for your comments Geoff. I am well aware of the '80 US Hockey Team, and think you make a great point of what a team can accomplish by being a true team. I agree it is a great comparison to the Naval Academy. Again, I respect what Navy had achieved over the past decade. I also completely recognize Navy will be a difficult opponent for the Terps 9/6."
Comment 20 Anonymous: "C'mon everybody...one need look no further than the author's last name (Stoner) to know where all of this came from ;)"
My response: "That was 'original.' Feel free to respond with your name, and actual argument of what you disagree with, and we can discuss like adults."
Comment 21 Navy68: "Completely foolish exercise to use the recruit rankings (especially Rivals when it come to Navy) and player stars to gauge the effectiveness of a football team. If Navy needed it, this article would make good locker room bulletin board material."
My response: "Thank-you for serving. Nobody made the point that recruiting rankings alone would gauge the effectiveness of a football team. The point made was that it made little sense for Rivals to run the contradictory points that Navy regularly brings in recruiting classes that average about 117th in the country, while also having Navy in their Top 25 overall. Clearly there is a disconnect between those two points. It is hard to imagine what bulletin board material you think exists. Navy is going to enter this game as the Vegas line favorite. I gave Navy the well-deserved respect they have earned."
Comment 22 Anonymous: "The game is more than 11 individuals exercising their talent. It is about a team exercising the collective efforts of 11 individuals. The intangibles; discipline and composure, have always been an under rated asset of Navy teams."
My response: "Those intangibles were not under rated by me, as I specifically pointed them out."
