SB Nation - Davin Meggett

Maryland Football Season Review: RB

Ben Broman — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:27:59 -0000

about 1 month ago: Maryland running back Davin Meggett, center, runs for fourth-quarter yardage as Florida State defensive tackle Everett Dawkins, left, and linebacker Nigel Carr, right, move in to make the tackle during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida State won 29-26.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

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Starting today, we're going to run down the season, unit-by-unit, reviewing Maryland's worst season since the Civil Rights Era. We'll finish off with the reader-voted Terperlatives. Today, we review the running backs.

There were three positions Maryland knew they were loaded at coming into the season: running back, wide receiver, and safety. None turned out as well as they had expected, but it could be argued that, of them all, the running backs were the most disappointing.

Was it the running backs themselves? The terrible offensive line? Something else entirely? We can't quantify how much of what is to blame, but it's safe to say the first two definitely contributed. Da'Rel Scott and Davin Meggett didn't become entirely ineffective on their own, but Bruce Campbell wasn't stripping Scott, either.

Da'Rel Scott

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
2009 - Da'Rel Scott	7	85	425	60.7	5	4	12	101	14.4	8.4	0

Maryland's leading rusher, star player, and darkhorse ACC POY candidate (yes, really), Scott's season was supremely disappointing. Not necessarily because he was bad, but rather because he was hurt.

Scott was on target for a great year coming into the season, and it never really materialized. Despite a few nice games against Cal (most of which didn't matter) and MTSU and an average one against JMU, he failed to impress like he did last year. Those issues were compounded by constant fumbles, which prompted him to get benched for much of the following game. Then, against Clemson, he got hurt, and was out until the Florida State game - that's five games. He looked good against FSU, and okay against Boston College. Still, when reviewing the whole thing, it wasn't a great year for DRS, injury or not.

The question is, as I said above, whether or not that's on him or the line. Certainly, he can't be expected to excel when there's no wholes. At the same time, the fumbles that were ultimately his downfall weren't the line's fault, and you just have to hope that that's not a recurring issue.

He'll be the starter next year, I'm almost certain. He deserves it, and without C.J. Spiller, will be one of the best backs in the conference if the offensive line shows up, provided he holds onto the ball.

Davin Meggett

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
2009 - Davin Meggett	12	99	337	28.1	3.4	6	14	175	14.6	12.5	1

Remember this play? This play set off the legacy, so to speak, of Meggett, who had an outstanding freshman campaign. Just about everyone fell in love with his downhill, no-nonsense style, and I considered him as a possibility to challenge for the starting spot. Regardless of his position on the depth chart, it was clear he deserved a lot of carries.

Well, until he started the season. Despite Scott's absence giving him the starting spot for most of the year, he was quiet and mostly ineffective. Unlike last year, he seemed tentative, not quick and decisive, and the oh-so-commong ten-to-twelve yard runs were few and far between.

Much like Scott, I don't think it was his doing. A solid OL gave him the comfort of being able to be decisive and quick; with a poor offensive line, he had to wait longer for holes to develop, and they just weren't there. Like Turner, his disappointing season wasn't entirely on him; he's just not that elusive, and that doesn't go well with a poor offensive line.

I hope to see a return to the Meggett of old next year, and I think we'll get it. He was a joy to watch last year, but a pain this one. With a full-strength Meggett and Scott, Maryland will be loaded at RB again next year. Again, though, this will all be dependent on OL improvement.

Gary Douglas

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
2009 - Gary Douglas	5	16	81	16.2	5.1	0	6	78	15.6	13	0

This one's tough. Douglas showed some stuff when Scott was injured and Meggett was ineffective; he's shifty and probably the most complete back out of everyone on the roster. He had 81 yards of total offense against Wake Forest, and looked plenty good doing it. He would slowly drift away to Caleb Porzel, who we'll get to later, and eventually get injured against Duke. After the injury, he was done for the year, despite being healthy against VT.

Douglas will be facing an uphill battle to get any playing time from now till when he graduates. D.J. Adams and Porzel are there, and will dominate the playing time in the future. Next year belongs to Scott and Meggett. Douglas, despite his complete game, won't see much PT unless he's surprisingly impressive.

Caleb Porzel

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
2009 - Caleb Portzel	5	30	75	15	2.5	0	3	24	4.8	8	0

Ah, the dreaded Porzel redshirt. Porzel burnt his redshirt, worth its weight in his gold - not saying that much, he barely reaches 150 - on 30 carries and 75 yards. I would've been fine with it had he been used more, but he rarely got carries, and it's tough to call his burnt redshirt anything other than a waste.

Next year, with all the RBs back and the introduction of D.J. Adams, Porzel won't see a lot more time. He's extremely dangerous, though, and it's up to the coaching staff to find ways to get him the ball in a Brian Westbrook sort of way; slot receiver, screens, anything.

Morgan Green

Who? Green, despite below-average performances from everyone else, never saw the field, and the curse of Steve Slaton continues.

The Future

It's bright. Everyone returns, and D.J. Adams makes his debut. If the line is okay, these guys could be very, very good. Multiple back sets should be common, because they have the depth to do it. As I said earlier, Porzel should be a slot receiver and get a lot of screen passes and punt returns. Adams very well could be the goal-line back. I wouldn't mind seeing Meggett and Scott in the backfield at the same time.

The possibility of a triple option attack has been bandied about, but I don't think it's possible, nor would it be particularly effective. That said, a few triple option and spread plays will likely find their way into the playbook if the starter turns out to be Robinson, Brown, or Burns.

Could Yow and Fridge be Talking Buyout...of Franklin?

Dave Tucker — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:23:13 -0000

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Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen is probably listening to a lot of options right now as he discusses the future of the Maryland Football Program with AD Debbie Yow (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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The rumor mills are churning right now as Athletic Director Debbie Yow meets with head football coach Ralph Friedgen about the state of the football program. Football Coach Scoop is reporting that if Fridge wants to keep his job, Franklin has to go. As Ben B. said in a post earlier about this speculation, we're not sure how seriously Terps fans should take this, but maybe they know something we don't. We know the discussion between Dr. Yow and Ralph Friedgen is moving forward and will probably be concluding soon, but aside from that, we haven't heard too much, so take anything else you hear with a grain of salt. No one is really sure when or what the outcome of these meetings will be, but I'd like to put on my speculation hat for a moment and think about what a buyout of James Franklin and not Ralph Friedgen would mean for the Maryland football program. Is that the best solution moving forward?

Buying out just Franklin might seem a little crazy, but most people seem to think that paying Friedgen $4 mil to leave isn't really feasible in this economy. But at the same time, supporters of the football program want changes after the first 10 loss season in school history. Paying $1 mil to buy out Franklin would cost them only 20% of what it would be buyout both Fridge and Franklin ($4 mil to buy out Friedgen and another $1 mil to buy out Franklin). While many people are going to want to start over completely from top to bottom, this still articulates that things needed to change going forward, shows that someone paid for the failures of this season and saves Maryland $4 mil. I'm not sure Franklin ever deserved the "coach in waiting" deal he was awarded and I think others have realized this as well. If the school isn't happy about the Franklin era starting in a few years then they need to rip off that band aid now so they can develop a new plan moving forward. The longer they wait to make that decision, the more it will hurt the program and recruiting. If they still think Franklin is the answer moving forward, then perhaps they sit on their hands and don't do much in terms of assistant coach firings this off-season.

I think one question that has to be asked, if Friedgen is retained, is when does he plan on stepping down? What if the Terps have a successful year next year (8-10 win season)? Will Fridge want to then continue on through 2011 and beyond? He seemed to indicate that he might want to continue coaching longer than he originally thought, partially because he was able to lose 100 lbs this offeason and improve his overall heath. But if Ralph wants to continue coaching (assuming he produces success for the program in 2010 and 2011), he needs to come to a decision and stick to it. Remember, Ralph approached Dr. Yow about the coach in waiting idea, indicating that he thought Franklin should take over the program and that Ralph was likely going to retire in a few years. But Ralph has to know that he can't Brett Farve this decision year to year (and yes, I just made Brett Farve into a verb). Doing so will hurt the program that he is so passionate about building.

I don't think Ralph wants to go out like this. I think he wants to go out on top and he thinks the players he has returning next year and for 2011 can help him do that. What if Maryland buys out Franklin and then the Terps go out and steal Ivin Jasper, Navy's offensive coordinator, who has helped them run the option the past few years, and have him develop an option type offense for Maryland for 2010? Think about it - Robinson has clearly shown his ability to run. We have multiple talented running backs in Scott and Meggett, and we have a wide receiver with talent and speen in Torrey Smith. We could run a wildcat type offense and I think be very successful doing it. We have Robinson, Smith and Meggett for two more seasons and in that time, if we can find a good recruiter, we go after similar, fast guys, to continue that offensive trend into the future. Jasper has shown his ability to run and develop this type of offense while at Navy. And while he is the offensive coordinator at Navy, he's not as high up on the coaching tree there as you might think. There are 6 assistant head coaches in front of him, so while it might not sound like a promotion going from Navy's offensive coordinator to Maryland's offensive coordinator, he'd be getting a big promotion and going to a bigger program. Now I'll complete this whole hypothetical and throw in Ben B's ideal situation and say that Friedgen would then retire after the 2011 season and the Terps hire former Ravens head coach Brian Billick to be their new head coach.

What do you think? If the Terps cleaned their coaching house, sans Friedgen, would you be happy with the program going into 2010? Or do you want Dr. Yow to completely clean house? Or do you think Franklin is the answer and that Ralph should step down and let him take over now?

Post-Year Stream of Consciousness: Random Thoughts on Maryland's Season

Ben Broman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:03:35 -0000

I'm not yet prepared to go down the road of a ton of research and the like to review the year with basketball on it's way, but I am prepared to publish a few, mostly random thoughts on the season that was and the season that will be (that is, next year). This isn't real analysis, just whatever came to my mind. (BTW, this will be the last thing on football for awhile except Fridge). Without further ado:

First ten loss year ever. Worst year since 1967. No analysis needed.
Maryland won two games by a combined six points. Both games were won by 3. In both games, the opposing team's kicker missed two (not one, two) FGs, at least one of which definitely should've been made.
That said, Maryland also lost five games by less than a TD. A few of those games (BC) weren't all that close, but some were a play or two away.
Don Brown's first year was...okay. I don't think the problems Maryland had stemmed from the scheme, but rather the athletes and talent in house. Most of these guys were recruited and raised on Cosh's zone system, and making them go man-to-man and attack doesn't work well.
James Franklin, on the other hand, was extremely unimpressive. I'm reminded of the days when Ralph was his own OC. Offensive line aside, playcalling was so awkward - one-play Wildcats, the Jamarr Package, passing in run situations, ultra-conservative playcalls on 3rd and long - that I have no confidence in his decision-making ability as a future HC.
I love Chris Turner, but this wasn't his year. If Jamarr Robinson was back at QB the entire year, Maryland might pull out an extra win. That's nothing against Turner, but rather the OL. With Robinson, though, Maryland might not win JMU or Clemson, in which Turner was at his best. Regardless, Robinson was better suited to this patchwork OL.

On the topic of QBs, how about next year? I can't wait for the position battle brewing already. Robinson is the most experienced, but his performance this year shouldn't have given him the spot. Clay Belton looks talented and I love his potential. Danny O'Brien is the smartest of them all, but has the least physical tools. C.J. Brown is the opposite - he's fast with a cannon arm, but people have questioned his decision-making. Don't forget about Tyler Smith - who has amazing tape but average stats - and Devin Burns, who's really grown on me in his senior year as a possible starter from day one.
We can't even handicap this race, though, until a coach is decided. If it's Friedgen, the starter will likely be O'Brien or Robinson. If it's Franklin, the starter will probably be Robinson. If it's someone else, well...
The offensive line will be improved, yes, but don't think they'll transform into greatness overnight. Part of the problem was experience, yes, but another part was talent. For a former OL, Fridge has never really attacked OL recruiting, and it's hurt.
Torrey Smith's second half of the year was supremely disappointing, but his first half was wonderful. If he can put together an entire season like that, he'll be an All-American contender.
Don't sleep on Adrian Cannon or Ronnie Tyler, either. Both have shown a ton of potential. Get Tyler to catch the easy ones and don't let Cannon disappear so easily, and Maryland is absolutely loaded at WR. Remember, LaQuan Williams, Kevin Dorsey, and Kerry Boykins will all return, too.
Maryland's still loaded at RB, too. Da'Rel Scott is one of the best in the ACC, and Davin Meggett will be better with him healthy. Porzel should see time as a slot receiver once in a blue moon and get a few carries a game. Gary Douglas, unfortunately, will probably be relegated to backup status. D.J. Adams should be the goal line back. That's five guys that were three stars or better.
Does this seem overly positive? Maybe, but Maryland's stacked at WR and RB next year. Find a decent QB and an OL that isn't blown over by the wind, and next season could be very fun, especially if they land an "offensive genius" like Mike Leach.
On the other side, I'm not sure how much the DL will improve. The talent will be the same, except they'll be even less experienced, if that's possible. They lose both starting DEs in Jared Harrell and Deege Galt; you won't find me singing their praises a lot, but who's behind them are questionable. Derek Drummond was average this year. DeOnte Arnett is talented but unproven. Carl Russell couldn't get on the field. Justin Anderson and Masengo Kabongo saw most of their time at DT. I'm not enthralled with the ends unless freshman David Mackall can make as early an impact as some people think.
The DTs are slotted to be a bit better, but not a ton. A.J. Francis thankfully returns and looks to be pretty good, but the other slot is open and gaping. Travis Ivey wasn't amazing, but he was consistently solid. There's no one definitely slotted to take that spot over. Much like last year, the entire DL will probably be a position battle.
Alex Wujciak will probably be All-ACC, though I'm not sure he deserves it. Tackles are an overrated stat when the guy's behind a terrible DL, and Wujciak racked them up with ease. He's good, don't get me wrong, but he's not as outstanding as a lot of people assume. His athleticism isn't top-level and he's vulnerable in coverage and in the open field. Still, he's the best Maryland has against the run up the middle.
I'm very excited about Demetrius Hartsfield. Cinquante Neuf has the potential to be very, very good. He's athletic, physical, and is ahead of where Adrian Moten and Wujciak were their freshman years.
Cameron Chism is a legit #1 corner in the ACC (he has the talent and the playmaking ability), but who's the #2? This year, it was Anthony Wiseman, and that didn't turn out too well. My money's on the big, physical Travis Hawkins, who will probably be better than Chism eventually.
This year wasn't quite what we expected from the safeties. The seniors were okay, but Antwine Perez and Kenny Tate - the starters next year - were inconsistent. The pair is definitely talented, I won't argue that, but both have made questionable decisions and are inconsistent. If they can patch that up, they'll be among the best in the country. If not, teams will beat Maryland deep on a consistent basis.
Is Nick Ferrara really the MVP? If not for Torrey Smith's decline, I would've said no, but he just might be. Great year from the freshman. He'll be a stud in the coming years.
Some quick thoughts on the likely coaching search: Billick, Leach, London, Strong, Golden, Gill, Foster, Nuimatalolo. In that order.

Five Good Minutes: Testudo Times

Brian @ BCI — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:42:32 -0000

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First, a programming note: posting will slow over the next five days for the holiday. We wish everyone safe travels this week and hope you all have a great holiday!

To preview this weekend's regular season finale between the Eagles and the Terrapins, we welcome the SBNation Maryland blog Testudo Times for Five Good Minutes.

In exchange, we also answered some questions for Testudo Times and they will be posted later today. Welcome!

BC Interruption: Eagles fans are very familiar with Chris Turner (having faced him in 2007 and 2008) but know virtually nothing about Jamarr Robinson. What can you tell us about him, and what current college or pro QB does he most resemble?

Testudo TImes: James Franklin, poor decision maker though he may be, made a lot of sense when he said that Jamarr Robinson should've been playing well before Chris Turner's injury. Turner is the superior QB, but with this wet paper bag OL, he was entirely ineffective. Robinson has literally all the physical tools to succeed: he's quick on his feet, can make guys miss, and has a great arm - he's been inches away from long TDs on more than half of his deep balls. The problem with his is mentally; he has trouble with decision making sometimes, and tends to get nervous easily, leading to overthrows and underthrows. When he has a clear purpose - like in a two-minute drill - he's tough to beat. He deals well with a thing like making two reads and taking off if the they aren't there, but he's not a pro-style, pocket passer.

Everything about him, from that hint of swagger and confidence when he's comfortable, to his athletic ability, to his slightly big windup, reminds me of Jacory Harris, especially the freshman version of Harris. Robinson needs more experience to fully match up with Harris and does't have Harris' talent, but that's a good comparison.

BCI: How did Da'Rel Scott perform last weekend after being out for five weeks with a broken wrist? Was Davin Meggett a suitable replacement for Scott, or did the Terrapins rushing game suffer in Scott's absence? Do you expect the Terps rushing attack of Scott + Meggett to have success against a BC defense that is very tough against the run?

TT: Scott was surprisingly great, actually. It's not very surprising he was so good against FSU's almost non-existent run defense, though; Davin Meggett's average went up in that game, too, no doubt partially due to FSU's weak front 7.

Maryland's running game most definitely suffered in those five weeks, but not particularly because of Scott's absence - believe it or not, there's a group of sensible Maryland fans that think Meggett is better than Scott, and they might be right. The problem has been the offensive line.

They'll continue to mix the two, like they did last year, and you might even see some Caleb Porzel and Gary Douglas as change-of-pace backs.

BCI: Maryland almost pulled out the win in Tallahassee last weekend. How were they able to hang with Florida State? Do you expect the Terps to be motivated to play in an otherwise meaningless regular season finale?

TT: Even I was surprised by how well Maryland played against FSU. A combination of three interceptions and FSU's poor defense kept Maryland in it; Jamarr Robinson had a career day off quick passes and Maryland's running game easily ran over the Noles. Really, though, that's not a surprise - FSU hasn't had a great defensive performance all year, and their freshman QB was due for mistakes. Maryland made the most of them, and almost won thanks to them. In reality, though, Maryland's defense was pretty bad, and that was the killer.

Maryland's motivation depends on how much the players like Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin. Neither have been able to motivate or connect to the players at all this year, so I'm not sure why it would change now. The players that really like Fridge or Frank might try to save their jobs with a convincing end of season win, but I don't think too many do. They'll fight because it's what their supposed to do, but I'm not expecting to see any emotion.

BCI: What do you think will happen to Maryland football in the offseason? Will the program buy out Fridge? Will James Franklin take over, or will the school conduct an external coaching search? Handicap the coaching search for us.

TT: If Maryland buys out Fridge, the only sensible thing to do would be buying Franklin out with him. The problem is that Franklin has a very long, very expensive contract, and if Maryland's anything less than certain that he'll do well, it would be ridiculous to put him in charge because the buyout would be gigantic. Right now, it's about $1mil; it would be $10mil if we tried to fire him after a year or two of being HC.

That being said, there are a couple of names that Maryland fans are extremely interested in, mostly Brian Billick and Mike Leach. Billick lives in the area, and Ravens owner (and still Billick friend) Steve Bisciotti is a Maryland donor. If he wants to get back to coaching, this would be a logical place to start, and he could build an absolute monster of a team with players just from the area by name-dropping Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Randy Moss, etc - all people he coached. There have been rumors of his interest, and his possible hire have Maryland fans dreaming of Pete Carroll-level teams. That said, they're nothing more than rumors.

Leach wants out of Texas Tech bad and would probably be option 1A if Billick isn't available, but his price tag might be too much. Other possibilities are Mike London (Richmond's HC), Charlie Strong (Florida's DC), Turner Gill (Buffalo's HC), and Ken Nuimatalolo (Navy's HC). Not to be too out there, but there's a reason all are minorities - few places are as racially aware as the DC/Baltimore corridor, and firing a black coach "before giving him a chance" wouldn't go over well. Billick and Leach could fix that up quick because they're charismatic, but otherwise, Maryland will probably need a minority coach to avoid a controversy.

BCI: While the rest of the ACC faces in-state rivals this weekend, Maryland draws ... BC. Do you like the conference annually force feeding a late November game between the Eagles and Terps? If Maryland could schedule any program it wants to wrap up the regular season, who would it be and why?

TT: Maryland has no football rival. We don't like UVA, but they have Tech. I hate Duke basketball, but have no emotion for their football program. West Virginia would probably be the most sensible one, but they have Pitt. We just don't have a rival. We could start up a rivalry with you guys, but Maryland and BC are kind of like the in-laws of the conference - the "real family" just keeps to themselves, so we just huddle together and commiserate. Unless there's a fight, on the field, I just can't dislike Boston College, because they feel like Maryland's biggest ally in the deal.

I'd just like a bye week, please.

BCI: Last one ... prediction time. Who you got in this one? What's the final score?

TT: Boston College 31-20. Maryland goes through the motions, except for Jamarr Robinson, who's fighting for his job next year. Robinson will run for a score and pass for another, but no one else gets involved much.

BCI: Thanks for joining us!

For more information on the Maryland Terrapins, be sure to check out Testudo Times.

Maryland-Florida State Report Card and Helmet Stickers

Ben Broman — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:42:32 -0000

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QB: B

Jamarr Robinson wasn't amazing yesterday, but if 20-27 (19-23 before that final drive) isn't good enough, I don't really know what be. Franklin/Friedgen called a lot of quick plays - bubble screens, hitches, slants - and most of them worked. They were easy throws - not gimmes, but they weren't difficult - and Robinson connected. He even hit most of his intermediate stuff, too. Not to mention that he nearly had a TD to Torrey Smith; that ball was thrown perfectly, and Smith just went the wrong direction. Oh, and he had 60 yards on the ground.

Pretty nice second game for Robinson.

RB: A

Maybe this grade is a little inflated because I missed them for so long, but this is what we expected from the running backs at the beginning of the year. Da'Rel Scott was awesome in his first game back from injury, and something definitely changed with Davin Meggett. Maybe it's the presence of Scott, but he looked completely different than he has this entire year - more decisive with the ball and more open to contact. The two combined for nearly a 150 yards on 4.6 yards per carry - this from a team that had refused to run the ball against almost every team they've played since Scott's injury.

WR: B-

Torrey Smith led the group again with seven catches for 74 yards, but could've done much better if he had hauled in the touchdown pass that went right through his hands. LaQuan Williams reintroduced himself to the stat column with two nice catches for 29 yards. Adrian Cannon showed his skill with that bubble screen - he can make just about anyone miss with that simple stepback juke. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet day for the group - Ronnie Tyler fell down on a quick slant once, but he wouldn't have been able to get to the first anyway.

Cannon's TD and Smith's consistent numbers keep this from a C, but Torrey's missed TD hurts, and most of the yards and receptions came from the scheme.

OL: B

To be honest, I'm a little torn here, because Maryland still had to gameplan around the line for large periods of the game, but they really did what they were expected to do for the most part. It wasn't a perfect game - twice they completely ruined screen plays, and FSU getting into the backfield wasn't unseen - but they only allowed one sack (for just one yard), usually gave Robinson enough time to make his reads, and opened enough of a hole to allow Scott and Meggett to put up more than 4.5 yards per carry without any huge runs bringing the stats up. After what we had been experiencing with this group, I was pleasantly surprised.

DL: D

Terrible showing from this group yesterday. FSU gashed them for 198 yards on the ground, including two longs runs, didn't have a sack, and rarely got to Manuel to make him force even more mistakes than he did, at least not without a couple of linebackers flanking them on a blitz.

If you want specific plays, well, Deege Galt missed his contain on the option TD run (not quick enough to match Manuel), so whoever the corner or safety was (didn't see, might've been Wiseman or Skinner) had to pick either the QB or the RB, and chose to go after the QB. Manuel pitched it and Pryor had no one in front him. On the Bert Reed TD run, Derek Drummond bit hard on the fake and never had a chance to get back in his lane and at least stretch out the play.

LB: C

Alex Wujciak's INT and ensuing return saves the day for this unit. Outside of that giant, gamechanging play, the linebackers were largely quiet. Wujciak had just 6 tackles and didn't do anything to stop the field day that FSU was having on the ground. Hartsfield still looks a little rusty compared to what he was before the injury. I actually forgot Adrian Moten and Ben Pooler were on the field at times.

Oh, actually, props to Darrin Drakeford for making the most of his playing time. Huge hit and a forced fumble in one of his three plays on defense. Why don't we use him more? We already burnt his redshirt.

DB: B-

Terrell Skinner's pick and Cam Chism should've-been-game-sealing interception were more than you can usually count on. Antwine Perez had a coming out performance in place of Kenny Tate; I think I know why he was a 5 star who saw a little bit of playing time at USC as a freshman. Actually, Chism has blossomed into a legitimate #1 corner, or is at least close. Happy with that performance.

Manuel's 17-27 performance wasn't great, but it wasn't all that bad. Anthony Wiseman is partially responsible for that - every time he's on the field it seems like he gets picked on now. Skinner gave too much cushion on his guy more than once, too, and that led to a TD. Everyone was pretty bad on the first and last scoring drives for Florida State.

Special Teams: C

The good: two Nick Ferrara field goals and a mostly stellar day punting.

The bad: a quiet KO return performance from Torrey Smith and a long Greg Reid punt return that started Florida State's game-winning drive.

The bad is worse than the good is good.

Coaching: C-

Torn here, too. On the one hand, I was pleasantly surprised by the playcalling most of the day, and Friedgen even showed some balls when he went for it on 4th once or twice. In fact, for most of the day, this was a B+ performance, especially on the offense. Then came the end of the game. Actually, first off, FSU didn't have trouble moving the ball through the course of the game, partially due to Brown's more conservative than usual playcalling. That final drive was absolutely horrendous, though; Maryland went to a prevent defense the entire time, and Manuel ate it up.

Then there was conservative playcalling on Maryland's second to last possession and some weird choices on their final one (five yard comeback with 30 seconds left?). There were some questionable time management choices, too, and whether or not Ferrara should've punted it out of the endzone is debatable.

Pretty respectable coaching job until crunch time. This team will just about always lose close games, and that definitely reflects back on the staff, both in game-time and practice.

Helmet Stickers:

Jamarr Robinson, QB - Props to JRob for the great day and first passing TD in a Terps uniform.
Alex Wujciak, LB - Broke the all-time Maryland record for interception return yardage.
Da'Rel Scott, RB - No one on special teams deserves it, and Scott was great.
Davin Meggett, RB - Even better than Scott, he looked like Meggett from the end of last year. Two TDs, too.

Maryland Can't Hold Fourth Quarter Lead, Falls to FSU 29-26

Ben Broman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:15:21 -0000

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about 1 month ago: Florida State running back Jermaine Thomas scores a touchdown as Maryland defensive back Cameron Chism tries to make the tackle during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

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Maryland had a fourth quarter lead and nearly pulled off their first win ever in Doak Campbell Stadium, but they were unable to squash a fourth-quarter comeback as E.J. Manuel led a last minute TD drive and FSU topped the Terps, 29-26.

Plenty of good things happened for Maryland. Da'Rel Scott looked great in his first game back, Davin Meggett scored two TDs and looked like the Meggett of old, and Jamarr Robinson threw his first passing TD in his career. In the end, Maryland's defense, which made a few big plays, was the killer, as they gave up two 40+ yard runs, more than 350 yards of total offense, and couldn't come up with a stop on FSU's final game-winning drive.

On the good side, the offense was actually pretty effective. There were plenty of missed opportunities, but considering the recent performances, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm sure most of it had to do with FSU's porous, slightly better than NCSt-level defense, but I was still encouraged. The offensive line had its usual moments of mediocrity and occasional terribleness, but they also had a few times when they gave Scott and Meggett holes and Robinson time. Robinson was actually very impressive and efficient - he connected on his short throws, was 19-23 (not counting the doomed final possession), and threw his first TD of his career.

On top of that, Scott was great, and Meggett was even better. I was very impressed with both of them, and this was what we thought Maryland's running backs would be like when the season started.

Also, to be fair, Maryland's defense did make three interceptions. Those were nice.

On the bad side, the defense was absolutely horrendous outside of that. FSU put up more than 375 yards, and I wasn't even sure Maryland's defense was on the field during that final drive. They had great field position, granted, but it was still completely unacceptable. Most of the game was like that - outside of the three interceptions, FSU punted just twice.

You know the drill: some more thoughts tonight, some good, some bad, and grades tomorrow morning.

I'll leave you with this: this loss will be extremely hard for most fans, donors, and probably administration to swallow. I'd be surprised if this didn't cause some repercussions, especially with the buyout talks possibly already begun.

The Preview: Maryland Terrapins @ Florida State Seminoles

FSUncensored — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:04:10 -0000

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Time: Noon
TV: Raycom Sports - Tim Brant (pbp), Doc Walker (color) and Mike Hogewood (sidelines) will call the action. The game can also be seen on ESPN Gameplan or ESPN360.com.
Line: FSU -18.5
Forecast: Rain? No Rain? Looks like heavy rain in the afternoon but it should hold off for the first half.

The Maryland Terrapins are coming off a 36-9 home loss to Virginia Tech. They sit at 1-8 on the year against D1 teams. Their coach, Ralf Friedgen on that loss:

"I thought we improved in our offensive line play. Andrew Gonnella played probably his best game and I thought Terrell Skinner played a fantastic game. He had 13 tackles and really played well. We defended the run well, but what we didn't do was defend the big plays and the passing game. We have to make some more plays in our offense. There are some plays out there that we need to make and we didn't make them. On Monday night I showed about eight plays to the offense where we are very, very close to just sustaining the block, breaking the tackle or making the catch to make a difference."

Maryland Offense v. FSU Defense

As you can see (click to enlarge), Maryland's offense isn't very good. 83rd in the country and significantly worse than North Carolina (the next best offense FSU has played). But they are better than USF, and like USF, they are starting a young running quarterback for the first time.

And Florida State's defense...

As you can see (click to enlarge), FSU's defense is 90th in the country. Maryland put 31 points on NC State's 85th ranked defense on the road, and dropped 32 on Wake's 46th ranked unit, also on the road. But that was with their quarterback. Let's see what they are currently working with.

Here's Maryland's offensive depth chart:

WR-X 7 Adrian Cannon 6-2 204 Jr.-2V
LT 74 Bruce Campbell 6-7 310 Jr.-2V
LG 71 Paul Pinegar 6-4 290 Jr.-2V
C 72 Phil Costa 6-3 300 Sr.-2V
RG 77 Andrew Gonnella 6-6 305 So.-SQ or 78 Justin Lewis 6-4 320 Fr.-RS
RT 76 R.J. Dill 6-7 320 Fr.-RS
TE-Y 34 Devonte Campbell 6-2 250 Fr.-RS
QB 11 Jamarr Robinson 6-0 190 So.-SQ
TB 8 Davin Meggett 5-8 215 So.-1V & 23 Da'Rel Scott 5-11 200 Jr.-2V
FB 38 Cory Jackson 6-1 245 Sr.-3V
WR-Z 82 Torrey Smith 6-1 200 So.-1V
WR-F 24 Ronnie Tyler 5-11 190 So.-1V
TE-F 80 Lansford Watson 6-4 260 So.-1V

And FSU's Defensive Depth Chart:

LE 95 Kevin McNeil 6-2, 257, SR
DT 93 Everett Dawkins 6-2, 258, FR & 72 Budd Thacker 6-2, 276, SR
NT 90 Moses McCray 6-2, 298, SO & 99 Jacobbi McDaniel 6-0, 267, FR
RE 98 Markus White 6-4, 261, JR & 49 Brandon Jenkins 6-2, 240, FR
SLB 36 Dekoda Watson 6-2, 226, SR
MLB 29 Kendall Smith 6-1, 224, JR
WLB 13 Nigel Bradham 6-2, 235, SO
Backup LB 12 Nigel Carr 6-3, 230, SO
CB 15 Ochuko Jenije 5-10, 188, JR
FS 20 Jamie Robinson 6-2, 188, SR
RV 22 Korey Mangum 6-0, 202, SR & 10 Nick Moody 6-2, 228, FR
CB 21 Patrick Robinson 5-11, 194, SR
Nickel Corner: 5 Greg Reid 5-9, 175, FR

Phillip, a friend of Tomahawk Nation, will be helping us out with the Maryland team.

Jamarr Robinson is the new quarterback. He runs a 4.66 in the forty yard dash so he'll give your defense all types of problems scrambling but at this point he's just not a good passer. In six quarters he is 17-43 for 130 yards, no TD's and no pick, though he has thrown a couple balls that could have been picks and a couple that could have been TD's if the receiver makes a play. Robinson won't throw over 200 yards against FSU in all probability no matter what the circumstance. Robinson is mobile, but not so mobile he's a game changer. He can't read coverages and hes pretty inaccurate.

But in the rain with FSU's defense over-pursuing like crazy, this running back playing QB could give FSU some trouble. I'd actually rather face Turner. I talked to the Va Tech guys and they said Robinson is extremely erratic. FSU is facing a less talented B.J. Daniels. Maryland has always run some option and they rep the option in practice so I think FSU is in for a heavy does of option. It would fit this kid's skill-set well.

Tough to evaluate this running back group cause of the bad O-Line. Da'Rel Scott, a first team all ACC guy should return from injury after missing the last five games. Hes our best runner. Hes averaging over 5 yards a carry when nobody else is over 4. He was fumbling the ball before he got hurt, so that could be an issue. The backups who played the last couple weeks were banged up themselves. They are not bad players they just don't have big holes to run through. Also with Jamar Robinson playing you can crowd the box, thus the RB's only got 7 carries against VT, the QB did most of the running (25 carries for 127 yards). Without a healthy Scott this group is pretty average. If they played with a good line they would get decent yardage, but they don't and aren't good enough to make things happen on their own. Scott put up big numbers earlier in the season, but in fairness to the other rb's, Scott played against a couple weaker defenses, (James Madison and MTSU) when he put up his numbers. Our fullback, Cory Jackson, might be the best blocking fullback in the ACC, but without an O-Line that only gets you so far.

Remember Dave Megget of the Giants? That's his son. A similarly fashioned scat back. Scott is not a receiving threat but Megget has good hands. If Maryland wants to use a fullback, that's fine by me. FSU will play 8 men in the box like they did last year early on.

This wide receiver group is talented. Torrey Smith, Adrian Cannon, and Ronnie Tyler the top 3 guys are all good. If Turner is the QB this group could cause your secondary problems. This group is probably in the top third of the ACC. If we had a good O-Line or a run game to balance the pass, UMD could put up big passing numbers with these guys. Torrey Smith is a sophomore but probably has a future in the NFL. He broke the ACC KO return yards as a freshman and broke that record this year and has put up very solid receiving numbers. Smith has soft hands, good cutting ability, and low 4.4 speed. Adrian Cannon is a good possession WR. He runs around a 4.6 so not a deep threat that can stretch the field vertically, but hes got a thick body and very strong hands. Hes good after the catch, okay elusiveness and is strong and will break a lot of tackles by db's. Tyler is the slot, short at 5'9, hes an explosive athlete that is a good college receiver.

I agree with Phillip here. FSU CB Patrick Robinson, one of the best corners in the nation and a likely first round choice should be able to limit Smith. Jenijie should be okay against the other their #2. Maryland doesn't have a tight end who catches a lot of balls, so that is a plus.

I would say the worst O-Line in the ACC by quite a bit. We struggle to pass block and we struggle to run block. Its not clear which we are worst at. Occasionally they will have a good series or two, but this O-Line has yet to really put together an entire game, so FSU doesn't have much to worry about. The O-Line started out young and inexperienced and has been exacerbated by injuries. Bruce Campbell the best O-Lineman is playing pretty hurt. Due to injuries 9 different guys have gotten starts this year on the line and another has played significantly. Your D-Line will have its best game.

This is true. Maryland's offensive line is highly questionable. Campbell is actually a tremendous talent at left tackle, but as Phillip said, he's been injured. Last year Maryland was one of a few teams to not double team Everette Brown and Brown absolutely abused the Terps. They have struggled with quick rush ends so far this year and as Phillip said, FSU might have a good day. I don't think he understands just how poor FSU's defense is, however, so don't get too excited, 'Nole fans.

Maryland runs a pro-style offense. It's West coast based. They typically man block, not zone block (FSU zone blocks). If I was running Maryland's offense, I would probably use 3 wide receivers and two running backs, mixing in a lot of option looks for the young quarterback who is basically a running back under center. The rain probably plays to Maryland's advantage if they elect to run some of the zone-read plays we've come accustomed to seeing teams run against Florida State, often with great success. It's one thing to overrun a play. It's another to overrun a play in the rain and be unable to recover in time. I expect FSU to run more of the cover-2 stuff they ran against Wake Forest. This should help because it allows FSU to keep all 11 eyes on the "quarterback". It also will force the quarterback to work with his receivers. FSU did not do this well against USF, and pair dearly for it via two bombs and multiple scrambles. Playing an excess of man coverage in this game is a poor choice. Maryland has some good skill guys and if FSU lets them play street ball, this could be interesting. Against Zone, receivers must sit down in the voids, and the quarterback must recognize where these voids will be and throw the ball to the spot. I do not think Maryland's guy under center can do that consistently. FSU must make him do things at which he is not comfortable, and not allow him to hit the high-risk, high-reward stuff. A good cover-2 or cover-3 zone can help with this. In addition, FSU should refrain from excessive blitzing. If there is any offensive line that FSU's defensive line can get pressure against, it is this group. Maryland won't consistently beat a conservative FSU defense, but they could beat an aggressive FSU defense. They have a veteran center who can make the calls and FSU's schemes aren't fooling anyone. It's best to be very conservative, contain Robinson, and let him make mistakes. I worry about this because it is defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews' last game. Will the players be too hyped up to play good assignment football? I don't know.

Working off a 68 play projection (about average), I expect Maryland to put up about 5.5 yards per play. That's 375 yards. 24 points seems reasonable. I'll go with that. Can FSU top that? Continue reading to see.

Maryland Defense @ Florida State Offense

The Terps defense is not as bad as their offense.

From their media guide:

They've actually been sort of solid on defense for most of the conference season (Cal housed them 52-13), though they struggled aginst the Hokies last week. They are allowing an average of 113 rushing yards per game (second in league play). LBs Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten have been the top playmakers on a defense which has just four starters back from last year. Wujciak, a second-team All-ACC selection last year, has a team-high 113 tackles, including 11 vs. Virginia Tech last week. Moten has 58 tackles (second on the team), including team highs in tackles-for-loss (8.5) and sacks (6.0). Freshman LB Demetrius Hartsfield, was the third-leading tackler until he broke his hand and missed two games. He was back in action last week. First-year defensive coordinator Don Brown has a veteran secondary, though there have been injuries at that position. Senior Nolan Carroll, the team’s No. 1 cornerback, was lost for the season vs. JMU with a broken tibia. Senior SS Jamari McCollough missed two games with a foot injury and played sparingly the following two weeks. Top safety reserve Kenny Tate sprained an ankle last week and will miss the rest of the season. CB Anthony Wiseman has a team-high eight PBUs and CB Cameron Chism has a team-best three interceptions. Seniors Travis Ivey, Jared Harrell and Deege Galt are veterans on the defensive line. The Terps are tied for second in the ACC in sacks (2.5 per game).

As you can see (click to enlarge), Maryland's defense is 69th. NC State is the worst defense FSU has faced this year. But Maryland is on par with BYU, and definitely worse than Wake Forest.

As for Florida State's offense? Click to go full-screen and you'll see FSU sits at 5th in the country. This is an elite unit.

Maryland has faced the #9 rated NC State attack. Without Ponder, I believe FSU's offense is probably top 25 but definitely not top 5. These ratings reflect performance to date. They can't account for the future impact of injuries. They also played Va Tech, who like NCST, also put 35+ on them. #27 rated Wake Forest put 30+ on these guys. But I don't remember any of those teams playing in a downpour.

Maryland Depth Chart

DE 57 Jared Harrell 6-5 265 Sr.-1V or 44 Derek Drummond 6-4 250 So.-1V
NT 96 A.J. Francis 6-5 315 Fr.-RS
DT 90 Travis Ivey 6-4 325 Sr.-2V
Anchor (DE) 56 Deege Galt 6-4 264 Sr.-SQ
SAM 54 Adrian Moten 6-2 230 Jr.-2V
MIKE 33 Alex Wujciak 6-3 255 Jr.-1V
WILL 42 Ben Pooler 6-3 235 So.-SQ or 59 Demetrius Hartsfield 6-2 230 Fr.-RS
CB 6 Anthony Wiseman 5-10 185 Sr.-3V (Starter lost for year)
FS 1 Terrell Skinner 6-3 214 Sr.-3V (Starter lost for year)
SS 4 Jamari McCollough 5-11 200 Sr.-1V
CB 22 Cameron Chism 6-0 185 So.-1V

FSU Depth Chart

WR 80 Jarmon Fortson 6-3, 223, SO & 9 Richard Goodman 6-0, 190, SR
LT 67 Andrew Datko 6-6, 283, SO
LG 57 Brandon Davis 6-2, 281, JR (Replacing AA Rodney Hudson)
C 60 Ryan McMahon 6-3, 282, JR
RG 79 David Spurlock 6-5, 285, SO
RT 77 Zebrie Sanders 6-5, 288, SO
TE 88 Beau Reliford 6-7, 241, SO (Starter Caz Piurowski lost for year)
QB 3 EJ Manuel 6-4, 223, FR (Starter Christian Ponder lost for year)
FB 24 Lonnie Pryor 6-1, 195, FR
TB 38 Jermaine Thomas 6-1, 190, SO & 23 Chris Thompson 5-8, 173, FR
WR 86 Rod Owens 6-0, 183, SR & 83 Bert Reed 5-11, 165, SO & Taiwan Easterling

And FSU's Injury Report:

Out
76 OT Garrett Faircloth (hip)
70 OT Antwane Greenlee (knee)
51 LB Aaron Gresham (knee) (For career)
44 LB Maurice Harris (neck; out for the season)
62 OG Rodney Hudson (knee)
97 DT Demonte McAllister (knee)
94 DT Justin Mincey (knee)
81 TE Caz Piurowski (knee; out for the season)
7 QB Christian Ponder (shoulder; out for the season)
74 OT John Prior (knee)
27 CB Xavier Rhodes (thumb)
11 LB Vince Williams (back)

Questionable
9 WR Richard Goodman (groin)
Mister Alexander is also banged up but FSU didn't list him.

Let's see what Phillip has to say about Maryland's defense.

Probably the worst in the ACC. The DT's are so-so, maybe the 7 or 8th best group in the ACC as far as DT's go. The DE's are awful. The rush end position (Harrell and Drummond) has yet to record a sack this season after 10 games. This group generates no initial pass rush. The strongside DE (Deege Galt) is a 100% effort type player and got a couple sacks by continuing to work and getting a sack after the play broke down, but this group is really awful. Our DE's are by far the worst in the ACC from what I have seen at generating pass rush. The DT's don't help with pass rush. They use a three man rotation of guys weighing 330, 325, 310 (Ivery, Kerr, Francis) so they are okay agianst the run, teams have not really gash us by running right at us, but they contribute nothing to a pass rush. Therefore you have four guys totally not capable of getting any pass rush. The D-Line is serviceable against the run, but you want to be more than serviceable when that is the strength of the unit.

I think he's pessimistic here. These guys actually do a decent job stopping the run. They are massive inside and have good but not great size on the outside. He is right though about their pass rush ability. Maryland's pass rush from the front-4 is just not there. In addition, FSU's offensive line is excellent in pass protection. I do have some concerns about Davis working together with the other guys picking up the blitz. Speaking of blitz...

LB: A solid, but not great unit. At MLB, 255 Alex Wujciak is big and strong and good in run defense. Hes not very agile or fast so you can pass on him, though he has improed his awareness there a little. Still, his pass coverage is the type thing that Jimbo will take advantage of. With Ponder you would have burned us like crazy passing over the middle with him cause Ponder is accurate. Wujciak is not fast or agile, buts aware and he took an inaccurate pass by Russell Wilson to the hosue on a 70 yard interception return the other week. Still hes probably one of the slowest MLB in the ACC if not the slowest. He leads the ACC in tackles and is fourth in the nation. Its hard to run against him cause he can off blocks well even if you get a O-Lineman to him cause of his size and strength. Running up the middle against us is maybe do-able, but with so many other weaknesses, teams don't even really bother to try. Adrian Moten one of the OLB's is very verstaile. Hes solid in pass coverage, blitzing, and against the run, but is not great at any of them. He leads the team with 6 sacks. I see him in the NFL eventually, not necessarily as a high pick, simply cause at the least he would make a good backup because hes no real weakness. Hes also a vocal leader of the D. The third LB is Demetrius Hartsfield a RS freshman. Hes got solid quickness and average straight line speed, and like a lot of freshman is inconsistent. At times he shows good instincts and an aggressive instinct that makes him effective. Other times he looks lost. As the season went on he got a little bit more consistent, his worst games as far as missed assignments were his first. FSU will be his second game back from injury after missing three games.

Moten is undersized and doesn't do a great job of getting off blocks. Otherwise, I agree with this. FSU has a very good run game that has been steadily improving since Rick Trickett took over the running back coaching duties. The backs now understand what hole to run through, an important part of being a running back.

The DB's are average to below average which is a surprise as many fans expected them to be good. We lost our top corner, Nolan Carroll, in the second game of the season. That hurt a lot. Sophomore Cameron Chism may have NFL talent but hes still learning the ropes. He's very good when the ball is in the air, has three picks, and is excellent in run help. That said he gives up some big plays and is susceptible to double moves and the like at this stage in his career (hes a true soph. who only played special teams last year). Wiseman the other corner is one of the worst starting cb's in the ACC. A three year starter who never has gotten an interception, hes a bad tackler, who is really bad when the ball is in the air. Hes is very suspectible to the long ball. Against the short ball, like slants, hes okay and will get some pass breakups, but hes such a bad tackler thats hes still not great there becaue those missed tackles turn into 40 yard players. The third and fourth corners, Richad Taylor and Trenton Hughes are about what you expect from backup corners. I think they are both slightly better than Wiseman, but there is inertia with returning starters and they are not that much better anyways. At S, we just lost Kenny Tate for the season at SS. With McCollough, who will be the strong safety agianst FSU, you got a saavy player capable in pass coverage, but not great in run help. At free safety you have Terrell Skinner, who had had a better junior year than senior year so far, except for the fact hes had his best two games of the season the past couple weeks so he may be coming on.

I have nothing to add to that. A huge thanks to Phillip for his help!

I watched a bit of Maryland this week. They blitz a lot. I feel bad for this defense. They get no pass rush, so they are forced to blitz. But their secondary has really struggled due to losing two starters and just generally not having a ton of talent. They are hurting either way.

So, how to attack Maryland's defense? We know that their front can't rush the passer but is very big. And we know that their best linebacker is a liability in coverage. They love to blitz. And we also know that they are incredibly thin on the secondary. So, how would you attack this?

I would spread them out and pass on early downs. This puts pressure on already thin secondary. It will tire out their big defensive tackles who certainly don't want to rush the passer. It will stress their excellent linebacker who is sort of a stiff. There is no reason to run right at Maryland, especially not without Rodney Hudson. FSU needs to run at the edges and attack the undersized outside linebackers or defensive backs. By throwing on 1st down, FSU can keep Maryland off balance. The bubble-screen game could play big in this contest. Anything to simplify the reads for freshman QB E.J. Manuel. Most teams don't blitz much on 1st down, making it an ideal down to throw on because of the added time in the pocket. Also, many teams are reluctant to blitz the spread because the blitz comes from a greater distance than against a traditional formation, thus taking longer to get there, being more readily identifiable, and affording the offense more time to react.

But undoubtedly Maryland will have some success with the blitz. I doubt Manuel stays clean in this game. But I do think he can hit a big play or two, interspersed with some less than desirable plays. I don't think FSU can run quite like they did against Wake Forest. FSU must pick up the blitz. And if Maryland goes a little more conservative, then Manuel needs to be in sync with the receivers.

Assuming FSU gets 68 plays, I think they can average about 6.75 per snap. That comes out to 460 yards. I like FSU to score 40 points. And to be clear, I definitely think rain is a disadvantage for the 'Noles here.

FSU 40, Maryland 24 Maryland is the worst team FSU has faced to date, and though I expect Manuel to look rough at times, I will still project the big win.

Chance of Victory: 88% (the exact percentage I predicted before the season).

Maryland-Virginia Tech Gameday Guide

Ben Broman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:45:12 -0000

by Gerry Broome - AP

about 1 month ago: Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams (34) gets a a block from Ed Wang (77) as East Carolina's Nick Johnson, left, looks for the tackle during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Greenville, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. Virginia Tech won 16-3. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

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What: Maryland takes on Virginia Tech in Jamarr Robinson's starting debut

When: 1 pm.

Where: Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium, College Park, Maryland

In a Nutshell:

Maryland Offense vs. Virginia Tech Defense: Tech's passing defense is notoriously solid - 8th in the country, as a matter of fact. It's a good thing that Jamarr Robinson, who's never had more than a half of real PT (and that half came last week), is making his debut as a starting QB against them, right? Yeah, the passing game will be tough to watch. Thus, it makes sense that Maryland would run the ball, especially because VT's running defense is good but not great (69th). In fact, that's how teams have stayed close to the Hokies in the past few games - stuffing the ball in the middle of the line. The problem there is that the defense probably won't be able to slow Tech's offense, so they'll be in a hole all game. It's both common sense and a notrious reputation of Maryland's coaches to abandon the run quickly, so we'll have to see how committed Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin are to keeping the ball on the ground.
Virginia Tech Defense vs. Maryland Offense: Ryan Williams has led the Hokies to the 21st ranked rushing attack in the country, and I was surprised to see it that low. Every time I see VT, it seems that they really do well on the ground. Alex Wujciak, the best run defender on the team, will have his hands full with Williams, but it's games like these that make you really appreciate Wujciak. Tech doesn't turn away from the run very often (they're 103rd, but not for lack of execution - it's for lack of passing the ball a lot), but if they're forced to, they can do some damage. Tyrod Taylor is 32nd in the nation in passing efficiency, and he can make plays with his feet if Maryland's able to collapse the pocket. The problem here is that the only way to effectively stop Williams is loading up the box, and then Taylor can make the easy throw. Don Brown has to cook up something special for this one.

Keys:

Pound the Rock: Give the ball to Davin Meggett, Gary Douglas, and Caleb Porzel. All. Game. Long. The offensive line will have to show up for this one, but if Maryland can make a dent in the middle of the Tech DL, they'll have a shot.
Prevent Williams, Contain Taylor: I'm not a DC, but if the way I look at stopping Tech's offense is to keep Ryan Williams in check as much as possible while giving Tyrod Taylor some open receivers, but preventing the big play. Taylor's not perfect, and if he has to throw too much, he's liable to make a mistake.
Special Teams and Defense: Maryland's offense isn't good enough to straight up stand up to VT. We'll need at least 14 points from the defense or special teams to stay close in this one.

Players to Watch:

Caleb Porzel, RB, Maryland - Ok, so I call it every single game, but I'm seeing a big run for Porzel today. Gotta happen eventually.
Whoever Lines Up at Guard - Does this make sense? Maryland needs to attack the middle of the line like the last few teams did. They don't have the pedigree to do it, but you never know who might have a good day.
Jason Worilds, DE, Virginia Tech - Worilds' stats have been lackluster compared to what most expected out of him, but he's still really talented. It's another marquee matchup for Bruce Campbell.
Kam Chancellor, S, Virginia Tech - He's a risk-taker - he might come up with a big play, or he might take a chance and give up a big play.
Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech - It's definitely obvious, but it's also right: if Williams is contained, Maryland has a chance.
Dyrell Roberts, WR, Virginia Tech - Tech's version of Torrey Smith, Roberts is a playmaker both at WR and on the kickoff return team.
Alex Wujciak, LB, Maryland - The team's (ACC's?) premier run defender, Wujciak is due for a 15 tackle day. He'll have to have a solid one to keep Maryland in it.
Kenny Tate, S, Maryland - Maryland's version of Chancellor, we'll need another big play from Tate today, and not a poor angle on Williams.

NCAA10 Sim: Hokies 42, Terps 35

Hokie20 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:44 -0000

Tyrod Taylor led a game-winning drive in the final minute and a half to help Virginia Tech fend off Maryland in a high-scoring affair in College Park, 42-35.

Maryland marched down the field on the legs of Davin Meggett starting with just under four minutes to play. Meggett carried the Terps on his back carrying the ball on the five final plays of a 14-play touchdown drive with fewer than two minutes to play.

Maryland tied the game at 35, but left too much time on the clock for Taylor and the Hokies. Taylor went 6-for-7 passing on the game-winning drive including a 25 yard dump-off pass to Ryan Williams. With no timeouts remaining, the Hokies worked their way into the Maryland red zone to kick a field goal. However, Tech went for the score and Taylor hit Jarrett Boykin for an 8-yard strike to put the Hokies up for good.

Taylor and Maryland counterpart Chris Turner passed for big numbers and several touchdowns. Turner shined early in the first quarter with two touchdowns longer than 20 yards. The Hokies looked like they would struggle staying with the Terps until Dyrell Roberts returned a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown to spark the Hokies.

Ryan Williams did not have a good day due to Taylor throwing the ball consistently. Williams amassed only 82 yards and one touchdown.

VT 13 7 8 14 -42

UMD 14 7 7 7 -35

Scoring Summary

1^st Quarter

VT:TD 3:40 J. Boykin, 1 Yd pass from T. Taylor (M. Waldron Kick)

UMD:TD 2:00 R. Tyler, 22 Yd pass from C. Turner (N. Ferrara Kick)

UMD:TD 0:37 T. Smith, 26 Yd pass from C. Turner (N. Ferrara Kick)

VT:TD 0:09 D. Roberts, returned kickoff 102 Yds (Missed Kick)

2^nd Quarter

VT:TD 2:32 D. Roberts, 5 Yd pass from T. Taylor (M. Waldron Kick)

UMD:TD 2:05 T. Smith, returned kickoff 102 Yds (N. Ferrara Kick)

3^rd Quarter

UMD:TD 2:51 D. Scott, 2 Yd run (N. Ferrara Kick)

VT:TD 2:54 R. Williams, 1 Yd run (2-Pt)

4^th Quarter

VT:TD 3:22 G. Boone, 10 Yd pass from T. Taylor (M. Waldron Kick)

UMD:TD 1:30 D. Meggett, 1 Yd run (N. Ferrara Kick)

VT:TD 3:40 J. Boykin, 7 Yd pass from T. Taylor (M. Waldron Kick)

Significant Stats

First downs VT: 18 UMD: 20

Total Offense VT:385 UMD: 427

Turnovers VT: 0 UMD: 1 FUM,

Virginia Tech Top Player Stats

Passing: T. Taylor 24-36 for 296 yds, 4 TD

Rushing: R. Williams 19-for-82 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: J. Boykin 6-for-75 yds, 2 TD

Defense: C. Grimm 10 TAK

Maryland Top Player Stats

Passing: C. Turner 18-34 for 314 yds, 2 TD

Rushing: D. Scott 26-for-88 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: T. Smith 5-for-106 yds, 1 TD

Defense: T. Skinner 7 TAK, 1 DEFL

We're Only Mostly Dead

Akula Wolf — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:54:32 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

"Why can't I move? Why am I up against this wall?" (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

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Russell Wilson insists that there is no friction between the offense and defense, and Jarvis Williams is reminding everybody that the team isn't dead yet because bowl eligibility is still technically possible. But if the Pack cannot find a way to slow Maryland's anemic offense, which is the second-worst unit they're going to see in conference play this year, all of this maybe-there's-a-chance business ends. Maryland represents the last should-win opportunity on the Pack's schedule; that failure here effectively ends the season is nothing if not appropriate.

In terms of completion percentage, yards per attempt, TD-INT ratio, and quarterback rating, Chris Turner is the same as he ever was, and thus so too is the Maryland passing game. Capable if not consistent, Turner generally completes a good percentage of his throws for modest yardage per attempt. In the place of departed receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Danny Oquendo are Torrey Smith and Adrian Cannon, both of whom have been good for about 4 grabs per game. Smith ranks 5th in the ACC in receiving yards, 9th in receptions, 8th in yards per catch, and he leads the Terps with 4 TD receptions. He's the guy to watch.

The offense's production has dropped from 5.5 yards per play in 2008 to 4.8 in '09, and with production through the air remaining similar in both years, that leaves the running game. Running back Da'Rel Scott, who piled up 1133 yards on just 209 carries in 2008, went down with an injury at the start of conference play and hasn't seen any action since October 3rd (he won't play against NC State). The Terps weren't as effective running the ball as they were last season even with Scott, and their problems have only worsened in his absence. They've also been without freshman RB Gary Douglas, who could be back to provide some help this week. Davin Meggett was left to pick up most of the slack, though Maryland hasn't been giving him feature back-level touches. Meggett should bet most of the work, but keep an eye out for Caleb Porzel, a 5-8, 170 pound freshman that has big time speed.

Maryland	Yds/Play	OppYds/Play	Net Yds/Play	Yds/Rush	Yds/PassAtt	OppYds/Rush	OppYds/PassAtt
2008 Overall	5.5	5.2	+0.3	4.3	6.7	3.9	6.6
2009 Overall	4.8	5.6	-0.8	2.8	6.8	3.8	7.7
2008 vs. ACC	4.9	5.1	-0.2	3.4	6.3	4.2	6.3
2009 vs. ACC	4.4	5.0	-0.6	2.3	6.6	2.4	7.5