SB Nation - Dwight Dasher

Maryland's Defense Turning It Around

Ben Broman — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:20:48 -0000

Change!

There were high expectations for Don Brown's defense in College Park this August. The new DC and former UMASS HC was planning to install an aggressive, attacking defense, and early reports indicated that it would be stifling. After suffering through the Chris Cosh defenses, this looked to be a breath of fresh air.

That is, until we actually saw the defense. They gave up 542 yards and 50+ points to Cal, then 417 to lowly JMU. To round out the trio of poor games, they were gashed by Middle Tennessee State for 438 yards. Through all of this, they only managed two turnovers, both of which were Cam Chism interceptions.

Then, something changed. Until the final seven plays, Maryland's defense shut down Rutgers - a team without their starting QB, admittedly, but surely not much worse than JMU, if at all worse. Even with two very long late TD runs, they only gave up 249 yards total.

Again today, Maryland's defense looked solid against C.J. Spiller, whom many onlookers call the most explosive player in the ACC, and the rest of the Clemson offense, which put up 27 points against a solid GT defense. They held them to just 14 points and 274 yards, a very admirable performance. On top that, they forced three turnovers, which is as many as they had the last four games.

While we don't know this for sure, it's highly likely that those first three games were simply adjusting to the new defense. Only so much progress can be made in practice; playing other teams presents a real shock. Shaking out the roster to find the best rotation takes time, too, and that took it's toll in those first games. Against Rutgers, they seemed to find the right rotation and got comfortable with the new look. That improvement continued today. If you're wondering what that improvement looks like, here it is in graph form:

Much was made of Maryland's standing in the NCAA in total defense, which was scary bad (103rd in the nation), and to an extent, there should've been. But, not counting those rough three games, Maryland would be 18th in total defense in the country. That's right: the past two games, Maryland has had a top 20 defense. Rutgers isn't great, but they aren't JMU, and Clemson is a quality opponent; this is real, tangible improvement.

Of course, you can't just strike those games from the record, which is sad for Maryland's defense. But the past two games are revealing that, maybe, just maybe, this win - which was won on the back of the defense - isn't a fluke.

Strangely, Demetrius Hartsfield mirrors this defensive improvement. The freshman linebacker looked out of place against Cal. He missed a few huge tackles against JMU. He was unable to contain Dwight Dasher against MTSU.

Then, against Rutgers, he was second on the team in tackles and looked solid. Today, he led the team in tackles, had two tackles for loss, and made the incredible game-winning sack, fumble forced, and fumble recovery. Expect him to be a force the rest of the year, right along with Maryland's defense.

Maryland-MTSU Report Card and Helmet Stickers

Ben Broman — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:38:04 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

3 months ago: Maryland linebacker Alex Wujciak (33), safety Kenny Tate (12) and cornerback Cameron Chism (22) react after losing 32-31 to Middle Tennessee State on a field goal during the closing seconds of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Browse more photos »

Here they are, folks. Feel free to critique and disagree as you see fit.

QB: B+

Tough to complain about Chris Turner's performance. He was 19-30 with 2 TDs, and his interception wasn't at all his fault. He threw some very nice deep balls to Torrey Smith and was overall very accurate on the day and made good decisions. Good day for him.

RB: C+

I wasn't particularly sure how to grade this. True, Da'Rel Scott had two fumbles that lost Maryland the game (a lot of things lost Maryland the game, actually). But he also had a 9 ypc average and 117 yards. If he isn't benched, I'm pretty certain he has at least one or two more big runs that, if they don't make up for the fumbles, mitigate their effects somewhat. More importantly, I don't think Maryland loses with another big play or two.

That said, he didn't come back in the game, and it was instead Davin Meggett who handled the majority of the carries. I like Meggett a lot, but he simply can't create, especially not when the offensive line is this porous. He was a force in the passing game, but the Terps simply couldn't move the ball on the ground when he was in.

WR: A-

Torrey Smith. Torrey Smith. Torrey Smith. That basically says it all.

Ok, I'll say more. Smith is proving what I've been saying for awhile: he has the ability to be a star. But even I didn't think he'd be this productive. Two TDs (one of which he was wide open for), five catches, and 165 is a day you expect out of your #1 receiver.

Kerry Boykins had his number called twice in the fourth quarter, one of which was a clutch catch on 3rd and 10. This was a coming out party of sorts for him; I expect he'll move up the depth chart this week. Adrian Cannon was surprisingly quiet today; this was the first time he hasn't made an impact this season. Still, Smith and Boykins alone make this performance great.

OL: D+

First the good: Chris Turner had some time to throw on some of the deep ball attempts. Bennett Fulper had a really nice pull block on Scott's 48-yard TD run. I think that's it.

After allowing only one sack last week, they gave up four this week, and if it wasn't for Chris Turner throwing the ball away under pressure a few times, it could've been seven. Likewise, Meggett had nothing to work with on the ground. The line became invisible drives at a time. ACC play will be ugly.

DL: C-

First the good: There were four sacks. According to the stats, Dwight Dasher and D.D. Kyles were held to under 3 yards per carry.

The bad: that's mostly the work of the linebackers, cornerbacks, and statistical office. The line couldn't even get close to Dasher unless there were three players blitzing. As for the running stats: Dasher's stats look worse than they should because he took a couple big sacks. Sacks in the college game subtract from the running yardage; he actually had 72 yards on 16 carries, not 26 on 4. Doesn't look so good now, does it?

LB: B

The biggest concern I had about the linebackers was Dwight Dasher's superior athletic ability. I had nightmares of him running right around Alex Wujciak en route to a 30 yard TD run. Surprisingly, that never happened. Dasher did have a 26 yard run, but that was his only big play on the day and was otherwise contained nicely. Wujciak, Adrian Moten, and Demetrius Hartsfield all looked good yesterday - Hartsfield dropped a sure interception, but made a few nice stops on Dasher. Wujciak racked up the tackles again, piling up 11. And Moten had what is surely his best day yet: 11 tackles and a 15 yard sack.

We've been expecting this kind of day out of the LBs, and finally got it. There is some reason for hope.

DB: B-

In the first game without Nolan Carroll, the DBs were a mix of good and bad. On the one hand, Cameron Chism had two interceptions, 12 tackles, and, outside of one or two bad plays, held his own. Antwine Perez had a breakout game, with five tackles, one of which was a stonewall reminiscent of his UNC stop. Trenton Hughes surprised me with a solid game as the nickel corner.

Of course, Chism did get burned a few times, most noticeably on a 35 yard pass that would set up the game-winning FG. Also, the 12 tackles are a result of getting picked on and allowing so many completions. Kenny Tate didn't have a good game - outside a sack that was mainly Wujciak's doing, he was mostly invisible, looked like he blew a deep coverage assignment, and missed a tackle on a long MTSU TD pass. Anthony Wiseman still doesn't look capable of being a #1 corner, either.

While the bad seems really bad, it's not quite as awful as it seems. For a unit without its #1 corner and starting safety, they did alright. I won't complain about it too much.

Special Teams: C+

Nick Ferrara had his first misses of the season, having one kick blocked and sending another wide. I'm okay with that - he's a freshman, so it's understandable. Travis Baltz continued his string of mediocre games, which for anyone else wouldn't be that bad. Torrey Smith wasn't his usual self on kick returns, either. It wasn't the best of days for the ST unit.

Helmet Stickers:

Torrey Smith, WR - Great day for Smith. Like I said above, he's proven he is a legitimate #1 receiver.
Adrian Moten, OLB - Moten is showing why he was selected captain even though he's a junior. Eleven tackles, a pass breakup, and a sack is a great showing.
Tony Logan, PR - Yeah, I'm giving a helmet sticker for a single punt return. Why? Because it's obvious Logan, not Tate, deserves to be back there. I like Kenny, but he's averaging somewhere around 6 yards out there and has a fumble. In Logan's one return, he had 17 yards. Plus, no one else on special teams did anything worth recognition.
Cameron Chism, CB - Yes, he got beaten deep on key possessions, and yes, he got picked on all day, but Chism did something literally no one else on Maryland's defense has been able to do - force turnovers.

Middle Tennessee State Upsets Maryland Again, 32-31

Ben Broman — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:05:45 -0000

Maryland's players and coaches all said they expected a close, hard-fought game against Middle Tennessee State. Well, they got that and then some.

The Blue Raiders invaded College Park and walked away with a victory on the strength of 3 Dwight Dasher touchdowns, four Maryland turnovers, and a last-second field goal, topping the Terps 32-31.

This is a continuation of a poor start to the season for Maryland, who was destroyed by Cal and snuck by JMU by 3 in overtime. This game wasn't any better for UMD, who was plagued by big mistakes and a rather emotionless second half.

The start of the game was encouraging - MTSU garnered only 46 yards in the first quarter, and Maryland took a 7 point lead off a 48 yard Da'Rel Scott TD scamper into the second quarter. And that's when everything went wrong.

The next two quarters saw only two Maryland touchdowns, but four Maryland turnovers, plus a blocked FG. MTSU, on the other hand, put up 23 points in those quarters, and took a two point lead into the final stanza. Maryland would respond with ten points in the fourth quarter, seven from a 63 yard Torrey Smith touchdown pass and three from the foot of Nick Ferrara on a clutch 43 yard FG.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough: MTSU scored off of a 40 yard TD pass and a send a 20 yard field goal through the uprights as the clock struck zero, marking the second time in as many seasons Middle Tennessee State upset Maryland.

Torrey Smith was the only positive on the day for Maryland on the day, with two huge touchdowns. He was basically the only reliable threat on offense.

More analysis and grades to come today and tomorrow.

Maryland-Middle Tennessee State: All You Need to Know

Ben Broman — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:56:00 -0000

What: Maryland Terrapins (1-1) vs. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (1-1)

Where: College Park, MD

When: 3:30 PM

Where to Watch: You're laptop - again, ESPN360 only

Who to Watch For on Middle Tennessee State: Dwight Dasher, QB - Drew Dudzik gave this defense fits. I shudder to think what the athletic Dasher may do to a notoriously slow defense that has trouble against the spread. While his arm isn't elite, it's good enough, and he's extremely dangerous on the ground.

D.D. Kyles, RB - Replacing normal starting RB Phillip Tanner, Kyles isn't nearly as explosive or tough to bring down, but he gets the job done. The hope is that he's not good enough for Maryland to really take focus off Dasher, the star of the offense.

Alex Suber, CB - He matched up against Darrius Heyward-Bey last year, and mostly did his job outside of one big play. He played well against Memphis last week, and will probably find himself covering Torrey Smith this year; Smith is, along with Da'Rel Scott, Maryland's playmaker, so a solid performance is vital.

Chris McCoy, DE - I don't know that much about MTSU, but McCoy looked pretty good against Memphis and seemed like the type of guy who could give Maryland's line fits, especially because Bruce Campbell is out. And he looks like Brian Orakpo, so there's that too.

Vital Info: This is a revenge game for Maryland, after MTSU shocked the Terps with an upset in Murfreesboro last year. Maryland probably wants to come out and make a statement after two below-average (at least, I hope that's not their average) games, but the Blue Raiders are a solid team that could very well give Maryland trouble. They run an offense not dissimilar to JMU's - a run-focused spread led by a very athletic QB. Maryland historically has trouble against faster teams, and MTSU is one of them.

On the plus side, I'm not quite sure their defensive front four is as good as JMU's was, which may mean more holes for DRS to run through. They stick to a pretty basic 4-3, though they do occasionally switch to 3 down linemen on 3rd down, which would only help Maryland.

Prediction: Maryland 31, Middle Tennessee State 27

Maryland Minute 9.17.09 - Saturday Predictions, Will Yeatman to the Football Team?

Ben Goldstein — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:10:25 -0000

ESPN's Heather Dinich Predicts the Terps Will...

Win this Saturday, 17-14. I get the feeling this could be another tight one, as well but I think the point total will be much higher.

Brace yourself for another near upset. The Terps just lost their best corner, Nolan Carroll, and will be facing dual-threat quarterback Dwight Dasher, who leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 20th nationally in total offense with 292.5 yards per game. He has accounted for 80 percent of the team’s total yards during that span (585 of 735 yards).

Jeff Barker from The Baltimore Sun Agrees

He says MD by 10 and predicts that WR Adrian Cannon will score another TD. What do you guys think?

Will Yeatman Looking Like a Possibility for Football in 2010

This is actually very cool. Yeatman isn't amazing, but he's a very solid tight end. There might be some rust issues, but he's very naturally talented.

For those who don't know, Yeatman transferred from Notre Dame to play lacrosse, but he also started at TE for the Irish. He's now considering playing for the Terps in 2010. It actually kind of sounds like a done deal. - bbroman

N.C. D-Tackle Has Terps Top 3 - IMS

A subscription is needed to read the whole article but from the jump we know this: His name is Darius Kilgo. (Sick last name for a Defensive Tackle.) He's 6' 4, 295. He has schollie offers from South Carolina, Tennessee, and Auburn. I like.

Terps Defense Has Yet to Force a Turnover

Even more depressing? They're the only ACC D to accomplish this feat. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the Terps join the the rest of the conference and force a turnover against Middle Tennessee State, this Saturday.

Fridge Mum on Punt Returner for This Week

Is it Kenny Tate? Tony Logan? Anthony Wiseman? Logan is probably the top choice when healthy but he's not 100% yet. I'd go with Tate just because of his pure explosiveness.

UM still trying to lease Tyser suites

Nope - still not sold out. I wouldn't expect it to be this year, either. - bbroman

An Early Look Ahead to Middle Tennessee State

Ben Broman — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:14:56 -0000

Much like I did against JMU, I started my preliminary MTSU research today. Luckily, though, there was an easier route for me to take this time: the Blue Raiders had a game against Memphis up on ESPN360 - yep, I watched game film.

The most obvious thing about Middle Tennessee State's offense is their uncanny similarity to James Madison's system. Both run spreads and prefer to keep the ball on the ground - the MTSU version is just a little bit better.

Their starting QB is Dwight Dasher, who started his freshman year but took a back seat last year. He's extremely athletic and is perfect for the spread. He's a great runner and an effective passer when he has time. He has a strong arm, but looked prone to make mistakes or throw inaccurately when forced to throw under pressure. Of course, he's also athletic enough to avoid pressure and scramble, and he's difficult to bring down in the open field. I'd definitely rate him above Dudzik, and I was rather impressed with him.

Normally, MTSU starts Phillip Tanner at RB, and normally he's a hard-running back whose tough to bring down. Luckily for Maryland, he'll be out of commission on Saturday, and will be replaced by sophomore D.D. Kyles. Kyles didn't look bad, but he was nowhere near as impressive as Tanner, and it seemed like MTSU altered their offense after Tanner went down.in the 3rd quarter.

The Blue Raiders' offense can definitely be imposing, especially because they run no-huddle the entire game. The JMU game might be a warmup of sorts, but Maryland will need to get pressure with their line and need the secondary to make sure tackles - two things that haven't happened yet this year.

it's also worth mentioning how much better MTSU's offense got with some momentum. Early on, they looked pretty vulnerable, but after two big plays, they were nigh unstoppable. Keeping them from stringing together big plays should be a main focus.

Defensively, they run a normal base 4-3 package, although they switch to 3 down linemen on 3rd down. They were far less impressive defensively than offensively. Memphis' stats might not've looked all that impressive, but they had a lot of opportunities to make plays. There were a lot of open receivers and lot of holes for their running backs - they just couldn't convert. I don't think Da'Rel Scott will get run down by a DE like Memphis' Lance Smith was, and I'm also pretty sure Chris Turner can hit most wide open receivers, unlike Arkelon Hall.

Other than that, they were rather unremarkable defensively. They brought a few interesting blitzes occasionally, but they didn't even seem to be to a Don Brown level (or Don Brown hype level). They did have a few intriguing players on defense, mainly DE Chris McCoy, who looked like a mini-Brian Orakpo and made a few nice stops.

It's tough to judge the lines - which are really the most important things - because I don't know how good Memphis is, but I'll say this - neither line was dominant. They didn't control Memphis' offense, and they didn't lock the Tigers out of the backfield. Of course, they weren't bad either; Dasher had some nice holes to run through, and they did get to Hall a few times.

I wouldn't say I'm confident, but that's only because this is the team that needed overtime to beat JMU. Middle Tennessee State is a quality opponent, better than JMU, but they're still a team Maryland should be able to handle. If they can keep Dasher in check, there shouldn't be any problems. Keeping Dasher in check, though, is no small task.

2009 MidMajorMadness Sun Belt Conference Preview

aGent37 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:00:12 -0000

The Sun Belt has made significant strides over the past few years in terms of its competitiveness over other conferences, especially ones in the BCS. Last season FAU beat Central Michigan, Arkansas State was victorious over Texas A&M and MTSU beat Maryland. Troy also was very competitive against Ohio State and LSU, but was not able to close out.

The conference will get another opportunity this season to show that they can compete at a high level. Sun Belt teams face off against the likes of Nebraska, Alabama, Rutgers, Clemson, Florida and LSU in 09. Tough out of conference schedules define the Sun Belt, but to gain some respect [and pay bills], you must play the best.

The 2009 Sun Belt conference can be summed up in one sentence: The Trojans of Troy and the 8 dwarfs. No team in the league seems to have the capability of challenging Troy for its 4^th straight conference title, but that being said FAU and MTSU will have should have decent seasons and be bowl eligible.

What team will be the biggest surprise in 2009?

The biggest surprise in the conference might be Middle Tennessee State. It is clear that Troy will be at the top and FAU will have a solid season, but the Blue Raiders could be the conference's sleeper team. They enter the 2009 season with plenty of talent, experience and depth. The entire starting offense is returning from last season, which is good news for MTSU. The only question mark is quarterback Dwight Dasher. He needs to play up to his potential

and be consistent if the Blue Raiders are to have a successful season on offense.

The defense also has veteran talent returning in 2009. They return seven starters on defense including lineman, Dwight Smith. Smith recorded 30 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss last season. The line needs to continue to get pressure up front, especially more pressure on the quarterback. Although the secondary might be considered undersized, they possess as much talent as any other team in the league, including fantastic speed and depth. They return four starters from last season including the leader at free safety, Jeremy Kellem. Kellem had 72 tackles, two interceptions and a sack last season. The secondary should be one of the stronger ones in the conference and has the talent to make some game changing plays.

The Blue Raiders should be able to reach .500 and be bowl eligible. If MTSU can steal a game, look for them to make a push to be a top the conference.

What player if lost will impact the team the most?

It is without question that the FAU Owls would be devastated if they lost their veteran senior quarterback, Rusty Smith. Smith is a candidate for Sun Belt Player of the Year and has plenty of weapons surrounding him. A true leader in every sense of the word, Smith has shown to have all the tools to be a great college and possibly even NFL quarterback. He has thrown for over 3,000 yards and more than 20 touchdowns the past two seasons.

With talks about the Owls making a push for the Sun Belt title, they need Smith to stay healthy. Behind him they junior Jeff VanCamp and red shirt freshman Graham Wilbert, neither of which have a ton of experience. Although Wilbert might be the future, if the Owls want to compete this year, Smith must be healthy and productive.

Does a team from the Sun Belt make a BCS game?

Although the Sun Belt teams have made improvements over the past few years on their talent and playing at a higher level of competition, they are still not close to having their names mentioned in the BCS talks. Troy may have a decent chance at a double-digit win season, but you will be hard pressed to see them playing in a BCS game this season. Even though their out of conference schedule is impressive, the weakness of their in conference games will leave their RPI wanting every time... even if they go undefeated.

What Sun Belt team has the opportunity of beating a team from one of the major 6 conferences?

In the past Sun Belt teams have given some of the major conferences a tough time. This season there are a few games that could end up in a Sun Belt teams favor including Troy's trip into SEC country when they play Arkansas in the middle of November. Arkansas is coming off a 5-7 season, lost their starting quarterback and finished last in the SEC in total defense. If Troy can take advantage of the inconsistent play of the defense, the Trojans might be victorious.

We might also see a repeat of last year's performance between Maryland and MTSU. This year the game is at Maryland and the Terrapins showed last year that they are inconsistent. They lose seven starters on defense and a few key players on the offensive line. With the experience returning at MTSU and a solid defense, the Blue Raiders might have the Terrapins number again in 2009.

Poll

Troy 10-2

Florida Atlantic University 7-5

Middle Tennessee State University 6-6

Arkansas State 5-7

North Texas 4-8

UL Lafayette 4-8

FIU 4-8

UL -Monroe 3-9

Western Kentucky 2-10

What to read while thinking of how great you'd be as a debate moderator

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:30:05 -0000

I'd flip out and get way too intense for absolutely no reason. It would be awesome. They'd write about it in the papers.

It's Thursday, the weekend's right around the corner, you're getting drunk and dancing to music at work for seven hours, so it's only right that we kick this thing off with a generic Louisville/Middle Tennessee preview.

Louisville defensive end Earl Heyman remembers last year's game against Middle Tennessee only too well.

The Cardinals won 58-42, but their inability to stop the Blue Raiders from rolling up 555 yards was a troubling sign of things to come as Louisville finished a disappointing 6-6.

"That game was crazy," Heyman said. "They ran up and down the field last year."

Ah, yes the '07 Middle Tennessee game, AKA: "The Day the Music Died...and Louisville Football Started Making me Want to Take a Sledgehammer to my Testicles."

For our part, I thought we handled the whole thing quite well.

MTSU senior quarterback Joe Craddock - who burned Louisville's defense for 97.8% of his season production in 2007 - will apparently be splitting time with the nimble and aptly named Dwight Dasher on Saturday afternoon. The Murfreesboro Post has more on the Blue Raider QB situation as well as a pile of quotes from Rick Stockstill too massive to be handled by any human being in a single sitting. Poe does not approve.

Big ups (ya-huh I can pull it off) to Victor Anderson for landing a spot on the Rivals.com Midseason Freshman All-American Team. Let's just hope he avoids the "Second Running Back Listed on the Rivals.com Midseason Freshman All-American Team Curse." Last year it was O.J.

Thanks to Jerb, I now have images to go with the stories I heard about the '85 Florida State game while growing up.

I had no idea that Gary Montgomery was around (and still bad ass) back in '85. I also didn't have Herb Crook pegged as a kicker.

I haven't checked out USA Today's college basketball preview yet, but if this is true I'll definitely entertain the thought of writing an angry email while knowing full well in the back of my mind that I'll never go through with it.

In the conference preview section, Louisville is picked to finish sixth in the Big East, where Marquette is the projected winner.

That's a bit strange, considering the Golden Eagles have a new coach, replacing Tom Crean. Dick Vitale has Louisville second IN THE NATION and I believe they are Number Three, behind North Carolina and Connecticut, in the Athlon yearbook.

But if you turn to the middle of the USA Today preview and look at their 2009 NCAA Tournament bracket preview, you'll see that Rick Pitino's team is a Number One seed that is projected to lose to North Carolina in the NCAA championship game.

If James Worthy is in charge of the preview section then this whole thing is going to make a lot more sense.

Cardinal Empire takes an in-depth look at Middle Tennessee. Because that's who we play on Saturday. You knew that? OK, just making sure. Where am I?

The subject of which squad Louisville fans should be pulling for in this weekend's Kentucky/Arkansas game has been a fun topic of conversation for the media, but in reality I don't think there's much of a debate. Bobby Petrino could bitch slap me in a room full of models tomorrow and I'd still root for the Hogs to win by 100.

Tom Heiser agrees; at least with the cheering decidedly against UK.

Looking for a completely trifling Louisville football fact that will impress absolutely no one in any plausible social situation? The Cardinals' streak of not being shutout since Sept. 23, 2000 is the 32nd-best in Division I-A.

Note: I haven't let a rhetorical question go un-answered since '89, so if you read the first line of this blurb and said something outloud, we should probably hang out. If your word of approval or disapproval was preceded by an obscenity, then we should definitely hang out.

A blog called Football For Days identifies Hunter Cantwell as one of the five most disappointing players of the college football season so far.

And lastly, if you haven't seen it yet, this Jeff Goodman column has incensed the ordinarily even-keeled and priority appropriate Kentucky basketball fan base.

Make this Thursday the best one of the week.