Terps vs. Rutgers: Five Reasons to Be Concerned

Posted by SuckaFish

Before each game we’ll give Five Reasons to Be Concerned, Five Reasons to Feel Good, and The Absolutely 100% Guaranteed Prediction.* As always, we start with the bad stuff.

1. Cal
The Terps opened the season on the west coast playing a team they beat last year. Granted, the Golden Bears are a better team than they were a year ago, but a 52-13 loss was a horrible way for a young team to get started.

2. James Madison
Maryland needed a late TD to tie the game and then a field goal (one that snuck inside the left post before taking a harsh left turn and barely hit the net) to beat an FBS team 38-35 in overtime.

3. Middle Tennessee State
A revenge game against a team from the Sun Belt Conference that beat the Terps in ’08. Maryland got the early lead but couldn’t hold it. They had the lead and the ball in the final two minutes but couldn’t hold it. They needed one stop from the defense but couldn’t get it. MTSU kicks a field goal on the final play of the game and beats Maryland 32-31.

4. 122 and 2
Maryland’s defense has given up 122 points in three games. In the one game against a BCS conference team they allowed 52. In two games against an FBS team and a team from the Sun Belt Conference they’ve given up 35 and 32. Can the new defense stop anyone?

Maryland’s All-ACC running back Da’Rel Scott fumbled twice in the MTSU game. He spent the fourth quarter of a one-point game on the bench watching Davin Meggett get the carries. Coach Friedgen says he hasn’t lost confidence in Scott. Can Scott regain his own confidence and lead the Terps?

5. No One’s Going to See the Game
For the third time in four games the Terps are not on TV. Seriously, isn’t this 2009? How can the only real college football team in a top ten TV market never be on TV? And the Washington Post reports that no one is going to the games at Byrd either. You know things aren’t going well will local papers are calling an ACC school a mid-major.

* Guarantee not valid in Piscataway or anywhere else

Terps vs. Cal: Five Reasons to Feel Good

Posted by SuckaFish

Before each game we’ll give Five Reasons to Be Concerned, Five Reasons to Feel Good, and The Absolutely 100% Guaranteed Prediction.* We gave you the bad stuff. Now here’s the good stuff.

1. The Running Backs

Maryland is very talented and very deep at RB. Da’Rel Scott finished second in the conference in rushing last season and made the preseason All-ACC team. He was suspended for the first half of the Maryland’s Humanitarian Bowl win over Nevada. In the second half he ran for 174 yards and two TDs.

Davin Meggett had nearly 500 yards last year in a backup role. Morgan Green ran for 72 yards and a touchdown in the Humanitarian Bowl. And we haven’t even mentioned true freshman Caleb Porzel who may be the fastest player on the team.

2. The Wide Receivers

Torrey Smith set the ACC’s single-season record for kickoff return yards last year, including a 99-yard score in the bowl game. Now as a sophomore he’ll be unleashed on offense. And the Terps will easily go seven-deep at WR. Look for junior Emani Lee-Odai and sophomore Ronnie Tyler to have big years.

3. Chris Turner

The senior is entering his third season as the starting QB. He doesn’t make amazing plays. He doesn’t make too many huge mistakes. He doesn’t put up great numbers. But there is one thing he is great at, playing in big games. In his 20 starts he has a record of 5-1 against teams ranked in the Top 25.

4. A Brand New Defense

Maryland has a new defensive coordinator, Don Brown. His scheme is said to be baffling, full of stunts and blitzes. Eric Prisbell has an interesting article about it in The Washington Post. Coach Friedgen says he still can’t figure it out and he’s seen it all summer. Cal could have a very tough time dealing with it considering they have no film and no real way to prepare for this defense.

5. Kenny Tate

On the defense most people talk about LB Alex Wujciak as the star and best pro prospect. But S Kenny Tate has been the talk of camp. Even Coach Friedgen is gushing.

“When we recruited you, you told me you wanted to be an impact player,” Friedgen told Tate. “Right now you are an impact player. Keep playing the way you are playing. You are a force.”

“We’re saying all this, we haven’t played a game yet,” Friedgen acknowledged. “But I’ll tell you what: If he does in the games what he is doing now, he’ll get a lot of honors. We can’t block him.”

* Guarantee not valid in Utah or anywhere else