2011 NCAA Predictions: Maryland Terrapins Season Preview

Ralph “The Fridge” Friedgen will no longer be at Bentley’s with Scott Van Pelt in College Park, as he was fired by the University of Maryland despite a 9-4 season one year ago. 2009 was really the final straw as his Terps finished with a lowly 2-10 record. 

Throw in a 14-12 record the previous two years, and the program was not exactly heading in the right direction under Friedgen, despite his leading the team to its only ACC and BCS bowl berth back in the 2001 season.

Last year, Maryland finished ranked #23, aided by their 51-20 Military Bowl victory over East Carolina. The Terps went 5-3 in ACC play, and if they can match that in 2011 then a successful season will be in store, but first they need their new coach to lead the program in a better direction. 

Bare but Not Empty

Taking over will be former Connecticut Huskies head coach Randy Edsall, who is coming off a Big East championship and a BCS Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

He got on a plane immediately after the game without speaking to some of his players. This drew some controversy, but he said he just wanted to head over to Maryland right away so he could start recruiting and “sign on the dotted line."

He is a run-oriented coach who loves to ground-and-pound it with many backs. He had the leading rusher in the nation last year in Jordan Todman, and two years before that he had Donald Brown, who did the same thing.

This Terps team may be on a slight decline, but Edsall has just enough talent to at least lead them to a bowl game. Having the best quarterback in the conference is not a bad place to start either.

O'Brien = ACC Player of Year?

Danny O’Brien threw for 2,438 yards and 22 TDs while only throwing 8 INTs. He was the ACC Rookie Of The Year and is a Pre-Season First Team All-ACC choice by a few publications. O’Brien does not have a rocket arm, but makes all the right reads and is precise when making throws down the field.

He loses his top two receivers including his best in Torrey Smith. Smith had over 1,000 yards and caught 12 TD passes from O’Brien. Stepping in for the star will be Ronnie Tyler (5’9”, 185-pounds) and while he lacks the elite speed and talent, he is a solid slot receiver who can get the job done. Tony Logan may be only the fourth or fifth wideout, but he was a Third Team All-American punt returner a year ago.

The offense will rely on the running duo of David Meggett and DJ Adams who combined for over 1,000 yards and 15 TDs. Adams lacks the explosive speed and Meggett cannot shoulder the load on his own in the improving ACC. 

Tate Plays the Star Role

The defense is returning seven starters, but that means very little for the run defense, which has ranked 61st, 105th, and 82nd over the last three years. 

The front seven actually should be much improved, thanks to moving strong safety Kenny Tate to outside linebacker. Tate was second on the team with 100 tackles.

Registering 3.5 sacks and 5 tackles for losses made this stud safety a First Team All-ACC selection whether you have him as a stud safety or an outside linebacker.

Best LB Corps in ACC?

Tate is an athletic freak who packs quite a punch at 6’4"/220 pounds, and he will be accompanied by Demetrius Hartsfield and Darin Drakeford.

These guys are not world-beaters but they are fairly productive, combining for 124 tackles a season ago. Hartsfield started last year and will be expected to take on a much larger role this season.

The linebacker corps can be among the ACC’s best if the front four become almost as good the top dogs (FSU, UNC). They may lack the speed rushers, but they have two of the best bulldozers in the league with AJ Francis and Joe Vellano.

Both are incoming juniors and they both may make All-ACC honors in 2011. UNC, FSU, and Miami have an interior enforcer, but the Terps one-two punch up the gut is arguably the best in the ACC. 

Drama's Forecast

The schedule starts out sizzling right away, as they host the Miami Hurricanes on Labor Day night in College Park. A win could be the perfect springboard for the arrival of Randy Edsall, though Al Golden is attempting to do the same for Miami.

The winner gets a slight edge of becoming an eight or nine-win team, but Maryland needs to win this game if they expect to win more than seven games. They do not have quite as much athletic ability as Miami, though.

After a bye week they host West Virginia (top 25 pre-season pick by most, including yours truly), followed by Temple and Towson.

Going on the road to Georgia Tech will be a doozy since the Yellow Jackets will need to win for bowl eligibility. They get to host Clemson, Boston College and Virginia, all of which are winnable, but mixed in is a road trip to Tallahassee against the extremely lovable Florida State Seminoles.   

Lastly, they close with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Fed Ex Field Stadium, home of Washington Redskins), the Wake Forest Deacon Demons, and the North Carolina State Wolfpack. A good team finds ways to close out by winning the close games.

However, with the addition of a brand new coach and the loss of their top playmakers, it will only make matters worse when they go up against the premier talent in the ACC.  This includes tough non-con’s in the Irish and the Mountaineers. Anything more than eight wins would be considered a magical season!

Predicted Finish: 9-4, 5-3

Predicted Bowl: Belk Bowl 

Predicted order of finish in ACC: Third in Atlantic, Sixth Overall