(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
In 2008, Maryland football was one of the most unpredictable teams in the country. They had four wins over ranked teams, yet they also lost to Middle Tennessee State and were blown out at Virginia.
At the end of week 12, Maryland had a shot at winning their division. They lost their final two games and ended up tied for third place in the division, with a 4-4 conference record and a 7-5 overall record.
Maryland fans should not expect much more consistency out of the Terps in the 2009 season. The Terrapins will be very young and inexperienced. They lost 30 players to graduation in 2008.
The inexperience will be especially apparent on the offensive line. Maryland lost five of it’s top seven offensive linemen from last season. Only six of their lineman have ever even played in a game, and three of those six are walk-ons.
Maryland is set at center with Phil Costa, who has plenty of starts, although they are at left and right guard. Bruce Campbell won the left tackle position last season. Other than that, the right tackle and both guard positions are question marks.
The defensive line is a concern as well. With nose tackle Dion Armstrong’s decision to leave the team, Maryland’s entire d-line has only seven starts between them.
The defensive line has been a problem area for the Terps in the past. In the past five seasons, Maryland has finished in the bottom half of the ACC in both rushing defense and sacks.
Perhaps that trend will change, however, with new defensive coordinator Don Brown. Brown’s arrival brings higher expectations to a unit that was 10th in the league in total defense last season, giving up 365 yards a game.
Brown was formerly head coach at UMass, where his teams finished among the top 20 nationally in total defense three of his five years there, and led the nation in scoring defense in 2005.
Brown will also coach the cornerbacks, which will hopefully help a secondary that was tenth in the league in both passing defense and interceptions in 2008.
Safety Kenny Tate has been a standout in the secondary throughout camp. Says Ralph Friedgen of Tate, “He’s all over the place. He’s intercepting passes, he’s sacking guys. Every time you look up he’s making a play.”
Tate was converted from wide receiver to safety last year due to a shortage of defensive backs, and stands to make a big leap in his second full year at the position.
The linebacker position is typically a strength for Maryland. They return Alex Wujciak, who was second in the league in tackles per game last season, as well as Adrian Moten.
Talented redshirt freshman Demetrius Hartsfield will be the third starter at linebacker. True freshmen Darin Drakeford and Avery Murray, sophomore Ben Pooler, and Drew Gloster, a converted tight end, will all step into reserve roles.
Another positive for Maryland is that they have an experienced returning quarterback. Senior Chris Turner is the unquestioned starter.
He had a solid season last year, and is the top returning passer in the conference. If he gets injured, backup Jamarr Robinson is unproven, and behind him is freshman Danny O’Brien.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Maryland Terrapins Football articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
0 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete