Rise of Maryland Football: What to Expect from the 2008 Terrapins

After a disappointing loss to Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl, Maryland decided to start off on the right foot by hiring James Franklin of Kansas State as their assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and QB's coach.

For those of you who sit and think nothing of this hire, please rethink your decision.

James Franklin was the offensive coordinator last year at KSU. It was the first time in KSU history that they had a 3,000 yard passing QB, a 1,500 yard receiving WR, and a 1,000 yard rushing RB all in the same season. Franklin was one of the masterminds behind this record.

Ralph Friedgen has been carrying the head coach and offensive coordinator duties since his arrival at Maryland. Doing both can be a very stressful job, as it proved to be so with head coach of Georgia, Mark Richt.

A couple years ago, Mark Richt was both the head coach and the offensive coordinator for UGA. Going into the late season, UGA was carrying a 6-4 record. Mark Richt was soon relieved of offensive coordinator duties by Mike Bobo.

Afterwards, UGA won 3-strait games over ranked opponents Auburn, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech (Chick-fil-a Bowl).

SCHEDULE

This will make a difference for Maryland and their expedited schedule. They kick off the season playing four non-conference games: Delaware, California, and Eastern Michigan at home and Middle Tennessee State on the road.

The only school I am concerned with here is Cal, but they lost their only threat in DeSean Jackson at the hands of the NFL Draft.

The rest of their schedule is split down the line. With home games against Wake Forest, NCST, and UNC, I see Maryland possibly reaching the 8-win mark this season. The only real challeges they'll face this year is at Clemson and Virginia Tech and home against FSU. Other than that, they will cruise on by this season.

 PLAYERS

With the return of senior QB Jordan Steffy and junior QB Chris Turner, they have the QB position covered. Since the race for the starting position is a draw as of spring training, I see Maryland possibly running a two-handler system. In this case, Jordan Steffy is the quick and agile QB who can get out of the pocket to make a big play or run the option to perfection. Chris Turner is more of a pocket-passer with an accurate arm.

Josh Portis could just as well be thrown in the mix, but will likely get a lot less playing time than his two teammates. Portis picked the worst possible time to cheat on a quiz and become suspended from the team last season. With the injury of Steffy in the Rutgers game, Chris Turner went from the 3rd spot on the depth chart to starter.

Other offensive leaders include 5'11" bulldozer Da'Rel Scott replacing senior tailbacks Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore. Although Scott recieved some playing time last season, his most notable appearance was against Boston College, in which he took a screen pass 57 yards down the field for six, earning him with the 3rd longest pass in school history.

Darrius Heywerd-Bey is another key player for this Terrapin squad. With terrific hands, this former track star can run a 4.1 past defenses with ease. He earned a place on the first team All-ACC and was an honorable mention as an All-American. He led the team in receiving yards(786) and receptions(51) category, all while playing in every game.

As for the defensive side, filling in the gaps of Erin Henderson and Dre Moore will not be easy. Dave Philistin has stepped up however, as he is already on the Nagurski Trophy watch list. Hakeem Sule and Moise Fokou will also be a major threat this year.

As for filling up Dre Moore's gap, Jeremy Navarre and Trey Covington will be there to help out and shut down offenses. Last season they combined for 75 tackles and 7 sakcs.

These are just a few of the many great Terrapins this year. I predict an excellent season for their football program

NEEDS

Similar to their neighboring NFL team, the Ravens, the Terrapins have always had a good defence, but have struggled on the offensive side. They have one of the best WR corps in the nation, along with a 6'6" TE in Gronkowski, that are more than capable of scoring easily. The problem is Friedgen got too focused with the two-handler system between his two running backs and cared little about his passing game.

Now that Steffy and Turner are more improved on the passing side, I believe that more passing plays will be called, earning them more points and more victories. If they can incorporate a better passing offense with a hard-nose defence, Maryland will be one of the top dogs on the ACC list.