College Preview: Put-Up Or Shut-Up for Maryland Terps Football in 2010
Finally, it’s here! College football season has returned and this year is guaranteed to be an interesting one. It’s especially thrilling that college football season wastes no time getting to the big games, with numerous ranked matchups in Week 1.
But as a sports fan in the DMV, you have to be excited for the first game of the season between the Navy Midshipmen and Maryland Terrapins. While Navy may be the early favorite in the game (-6), we’re hoping the Terps can come into the season slightly under the radar. After a dismal 2-10 season last year, head coach Ralph Friedgen looks to turn his team around in 2010.
Quarterbacks
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The Terps said goodbye to the their veteran quarterback Chris Tuner after last season, leaving the school as the No. 2 career passer. This season, junior Jamarr Robinson appears to be the starter after playing well in four games at the end of last season and having a pretty solid spring. Robinson not only provides the Terps with the mobility that Turner lacked throughout his career, but he also adds a surprisingly strong arm (6’0, 195). Robinson has played in eight games during his college career, including two starts.
If you feel a little uneasy about Robinson or his potential at the quarterback position, think back to last November when he made his second career start against the Florida State Seminoles. Robinson went 20-for-27 for 213 yards and one touchdown pass, while also adding 58 rushing yards on 12 carries (152.56 eff. Rtg).
Running Backs
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After losing leading rusher Da’Rel Scott last season for five games thanks to a broken wrist, the Terps running game seemed to take a serious slide. So much so that Scott still ended the season as the team’s top rusher with a measly 425 yards.
Scott returns healthy and ready to prove himself in 2010. He’s joined in the backfield by his sidekick Davin Meggett, who finished last season with 338 yards (3.8). The Terps also saw impressive play in the team’s spring game from DJ Adams. The 220-pound redshirt freshman from Norcross, Georgia rushed for 71 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns. Adams also contributed as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, which could eventually lead to a serious threat in combination with a mobile quarterback.
We can expect to see a huge increase in running back production from the Terps this season with a healthy Da’Rel Scott (2010 Doak Walker Watch List) and a comeback for the team’s one-two punch with Meggett. Add in the spark from DJ Adams and it looks to be a pretty fun season for the team’s ground game.
Receivers
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Fortunately for the Terps, the only loss from last season is tight end Tommy Galt (146 yards). The versatile Torrey Smith returns after hauling in 824 yards last year and making huge contributions on special teams. While Smith will continue to be the Terps’ go-to receiver, senior Adrian Cannon showed promise last season as the team’s No. 2 receiver with 468 yards and four touchdowns. The 6’4, 240-pound junior, Lansford Watson, is likely to be the starter at tight end.
Last season the Terps had to put together a receiving crew while trying to replace three of their top-four from the year before. With the return of their top-two this season and more experience under their belt, the receiving corps should show some improvement while Smith continues to build his NFL resume as a junior.
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Offensive Line
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By far the most important and questionable position of the Maryland Terrapins’ 2010 season, the offensive line will be the heartbeat of this team. Last year the team had to replace three full-time starters that included a First-Team ACC center, an NFL Draft-Selection left guard, a two-year starting right tackle, and two backups with a combined eight starts.
The Terps’ struggled all year and Friedgen did all he could to try and stop it, using eight different starting lineups on the offensive front in their first nine games. The team’s numbers dropped to a disgusting 106 rushing-yards-per-game and they allowed 36 sacks (9.2%).
While it will not be easy to replace Phil Costa and Bruce Campbell from last year, Friedgen has given the offensive line a strong vote of confidence. The Terps’ return six lineman who combine for just 39 career starts, but Friedgen has said that the group has vastly improved.
The entire season will depend on this group of guys and we can only hope that Friedgen is right. But then again, this group may be the deciding factor for the coach’s future at Maryland as well.
Defensive Line
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Here’s a stat for ya: Friedgen’s first four defensive lines at MD allowed 2.9, 3.4, 3.5, and 3.3 yards-per-carry. However, in the last five years the defensive line has allowed 4.0, 4.6, 4.1, 3.9, and 3.9.
Last year the Terps struggled on the defensive trench just as they did on the offensive. They were forced to replace six starters on the line that had combined for 42 starts and 12 sacks – they returned just seven combined starts.
This year the Terps will suffer the loss of Travis Ivey in the middle (12 starts, 25 tackles, 1 sack) and defensive ends Jared Harrell and Deege Galt (combined 24 starts, 54 tackles, 6 sacks). However, their 12 returning career starts this year are five more than they returned last season.
You can probably look at the defensive line as a glass half-full, but the truth is that it’s never easy to replace three starters on a four-man front.
Linebackers
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Perhaps you can’t label Maryland as ‘Linebacker U’ just yet, but Friedgen has produced numerous linebackers with tremendous abilities. Think about guys like EJ Henderson, D’Qwell Jackson, Erin Henderson, and now Alex Wujciak.
After earning First-Team All-ACC honors last season with 131 tackles and 8.5 tackles-for-loss, Wujciak returns with his often-overlooked posse. Adrian Moten was the Terps’ No. 2 tackler last season, Demetrius Hartsfield was the No. 5 tackler, and Ben Pooler was the No. 9. Moten will bring all his chips to the table for his senior year and Hartsfield will continue to impress as just a sophomore.
Watch out for this squad. Barring injuries, this Terps’ linebacking crew with added experience could do some serious damage in the ACC.
Defensive Backs
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This unit appears to be an all-or-nothing squad for the Terps in 2010. The team had to replace two starters last season but returned five with starting experience. New defensive coordinator Don Brown brought in a more aggressive style of play but the team dropped to No. 98 in pass defense after Nolan Carroll broke his leg in Week 2.
This season the Terps lose Anthony Wiseman, Jamari McCollough, Nolan Carroll, and Terrell Skinner (combined 35 starts and Carroll was a 5th-round Draft pick). However, the team will boast amazing potential with Cameron Chism at corner, Antwine Perez at strong safety, and Kenny Tate at free safety.
ithout a lot of depth, the Terps will have to pray that the defensive backs unit isn’t hit with any bad injuries. Assuming that they’re not, this unit could impress with sheer athleticism and big-play ability.
Final Thought
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While we originally thought that the Maryland Terps would be in extreme rebuilding mode in 2010, we may be changing our minds a little bit.
The Terps opted to bring back Ralph Friedgen for this season but rumors imply that he’s on a serious hot seat. Although he may not have ALL chips stacked against him, he’s not exactly in an easy spot.
With a tough schedule that includes away games at West Virginia, Clemson, Boston College, and Miami, in combination with limited varsity experience, Freidgen could find himself in a deep hole early on.
But even with his job on the line, it’s apparent that Friedgen really wants to return his alma mater to the times he experienced when he first came to MD as a head coach. And while we can’t speak for every Terp fan, Freidgen is a good coach for this program.
There will be no doubts of the Terps’ entertainment factor this season, guaranteeing they’ll be fun to watch. But we have to see the results on the field and in the win-category in order to make it stick.
Go Terps.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
