SB Nation User Blog: bbroman

New DC: Don Brown

bbroman — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:53:29 -0000

I don't know about anyone else, but this kind of came out of left field for me.

Three weeks after pulling out of the running for the head coaching vacancy at Yale, Don Brown pulled out of his position as UMass coach to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Maryland.

In five years as UMass head coach, Brown reached the national championship game in 2005, made another playoff appearance in 2007 and finished his tenure with a 43-19 overall record.

UMass athletic director John McCutcheon released a statement earlier today.

"We want to thank Don Brown for his contributions to the University of Massachusetts and the athletic department as the head coach of the Minutemen," McCutcheon said. "He has prepared us for great success in the future. We wish him good luck in his new endeavors. A national search for his successor is already underway."

Brown also released a statement.

"I am extremely proud of my time at UMass. "During the five-year period we experienced tremendous success as a football family. I am proud of the fact that our senior class was the winningest in the history of UMass football," Brown said.

Big shock, especially after the defense did so well against Nevada. I was expecting Seamo to get at least an elongated interview process.

There is a catch here: the school is yet to officially recognize the hiring. There's been no comment from Maryland about this yet, so maybe there's a misunderstanding somewhere. You'd expect the school to announce something like this pretty early.

This is definitely a strange hire, at least from my perspective. It seems almost...Cosh-ian, at least in terms of me thinking "Who?". Had the hire come a few years ago, I would feel better. In 2006 and 2005, his teams allowed only 13.3 ppg. But last year, he gave up 26.8 ppg, and his team only finished 7-5. Yes, the stats did seem to increase once it was his own players playing, so it's not a good indication if he does end up taking over Cosh position recruiting. He's never had any major (read: 1A) coaching experience, at any level in an organization. He's coached at Northeastern and Plymouth State in addition to his time at UMass, but never any FBS experience.

To be fair, he did lead the Minutemen to a 43-19 record in his time there, which isn't shabby. In fact, it was the best stretch in program history. Oh, and in 2006, he won a ton of awards, including four coach of the year honors. He runs a 4-3 defense (no LEO, perhaps?!) and is known for being somewhat of a defensive mastermind. I'm going to do some more snooping around before I come to a decision and have a bigger post.

Tahj Holden's Thoughts on the Loss

bbroman — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:24:01 -0000

Tahj Holden's Thoughts on the Loss

Tahj Holden has a blog now, and he's posted his thoughts on the loss. Oddly calming, actually. His game analysis isn't great, but his analysis of the bigger picture restores my faith in humanity.

So, Portis is Transferring

bbroman — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:06:08 -0000

This is something else that really isn't that surprising to me, and isn't that big of a deal.

Maryland backup quarterback Josh Portis will transfer to California (Pa.) for the spring semester, Portis said late Wednesday night.

"It just wasn't the right situation," Portis said. "I learned a lot, got a good education. I learned about perseverance and it made me a better person. I wish Maryland the best. I hope they do well next year. It was a fun school to be at as far as socially, but it didn't work out for me. It didn't pan out for me so I have to move on."

This doesn't have a huge impact on the team. I like to think, as I did in the early preview, that Portis would get some playing time next year, maybe a 2-QB set or two, but I have trouble believing it would actually happen.

It's always sad to see someone go, but I'm not at all upset for Josh. He's right - this wasn't the right situation for him. He has one year left of eligibility here, and he wasn't going to play. Hopefully he can go to Cal, start right away, maybe get a tryout with an NFL team. I'm glad to see him get a chance, because I always liked him.

As for the impact on the Terps - well, not much. If Chris Turner goes down, then Jamaar Robinson will have to come in, but he did very well in spring practice this year (about the same as Portis) and he knows the system. Plus, Turner's pretty durable - I'm not sure if he's actually been hurt yet.

The bigger impact will come if Fridge wants to have 3 QBs dressed every game. If so, then one of CJ Brown or Danny O'Brien will have to burn a redshirt, which really would be a waste. (If one does, the early money is on Brown).

Anyway, it's something to get your mind off of Morgan State. Ugh.

Maryland-Morgan St. GameThread

bbroman — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:36:48 -0000

Next Game

Morgan St. Bears
@ Maryland Terrapins

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2009, 8:00 PM EST
Comcast Center

Complete Coverage >

Team Leaders

Stat	Player	AVG
Scoring	Reggie Holmes	13.5
Rebounds	Kevin Thompson	6.5
Assists	Jermaine Bolden	4.3
FG%	John Long	100.0
FT%	Desmond Thomas	100.0
3PT%	Jermaine Bolden	50.0
Blocks	Rodney Stokes	1.3
Steals	Rogers Barnes	2.0

Morgan State isn't exactly a glamorous opponent, but they are the last opponent before ACC basketball begins. This is the final game of the pre-season, if you will. This is the last chance to really break out anything new for Gary Williams.

Morgan State may not be the most indimidating team, but they do have strengths. For instance, they have outrebounded opponents by a whopping 70 boards this year. Maryland's frontcourt, which is notoriously weak, may have trouble competing.

Even with that, I expect a relatively easy win for the Terps. My prediction is 77-60. Then the Terps get ready for Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Darrius Heyward-Bey Declares for NFL Draft

bbroman — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:13:46 -0000

Not a surprise at all, really. (h/t Terrapins Insider)

"After the bowl game, I sat down with my mom, my aunt and Coach [Ralph] Friedgen to explore my options and felt like the time is right to take my game to the next level," Heyward-Bey said in a statement released by the school. "It was a very difficult decision. I love the University of Maryland and everything people have done for me the last four years. Not only the coaches, but also the players and support staff. It was a great experience. I want to thank the student body, the fans and Coach Friedgen for their support and allowing me this opportunity. I look forward to always being a Terp."

Hey-Bey was a great Terp and a joy to watch at times. He will certainly be missed from College Park.

A lot of people think he was underutilized this year, and I tend to agree with them. His absence will hurt the team, though less than Hakeem Nicks' absence will hurt North Carolina. Hey-Bey made his prescence felt by drawing defenders, not so much as great stats. This is not an indicment of him in any way, simply a statement.

As for his draft position, I'm expecting a late first pick at best, if his combine is good. It would've been a top 10 pick had this year not been so low in terms of production. Thanks for the great three years, DHB. We'll miss you.

Hawkins Opening Commitment, Terps Leading for Nunez?

bbroman — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:49:31 -0000

Travis Hawkins, Maryland's highly touted CB recruit, made an appearance the other day at the Under Armor High School All-American Game, and did pretty well. Many Terp fans who saw the game were probably drooling at the prospect of getting him in College Park. But they might not.

A few weeks ago, a rumor started up that Hawkins was looking around, maybe taking an extra visit or two, possibly opening up his commitment. The rumor was quickly squashed, with those knowledgable in the matter stating he was perfectly happy at Maryland.

The rumor, as many often do, has risen from the grave. Jeff Ermann, a consistently reliable reporter who runs Terp Center, has an article on the front page titled: Hawkins Re-Opening His Commitment? Though it's a pay link to a site I'm not subscribed to, all signs do seem to point to that. This rumor seems to imply that he'll take a few vists while still technically committed to Maryland. If true, odds are his "commitment" is pretty useless. I have a feeling Penn State might be the "other school" in this situation.

Remember, this is a rumor, completely unconfirmed. Hopefully, it's not true. Just know that it is a possibility.

On a more positive note, Maryland appears to be in the lead for New Jersey DE/LB Bernardo Nunez, per Allen Wallace at Scout:

Bernardo Nunez, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound three-star defensive end/outside linebacker from Hoboken, N.J., is getting close to making a final decision.

"Maryland is number one right now," Nunez says. "I’ve been there a lot and I feet really comfortable with all the coaches and players already. There’s probably about an 80-90 percent chance I’ll go there."

Great news; Nunez is a very promising prospect.

Another, quasi-related note - Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina's top receiver, just declared for the draft today. It could work two different ways on Hey-Bey - 1) there's another talented receiver in the field, so the draft looks a little worse, or 2) "If he can go, I can probably go, too". I don't think it'll have any real impact on DHB's decision (I think he's gone no matter what), but it's something to keep in the back of your mind.

Terps Football Next Year: Offensive Backfield

bbroman — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:27:59 -0000

In what can only be described as an absurdly early look at UMD football next year, Testudo Times will take a look at what the 2009 football season might look like for the Terps. And we start in the backfield.

Quarterback is a rather locked down position for Maryland, with two-year starter Chris Turner entering his senior year. Behind him will be fellow senior Josh Portis, and behind him is redshirt sophomore Jamaar Robinson. This'll be the first year in - what, six? - that we don't have to worry about Jordan Steffy possibly being inserted into the lineup at a random moment. I've said it before: He was a great Terp, and he's extremely likable, but he's a mediocre QB.

There's some rumors that Portis may end up transferring to a DIA or DII school (James Madison is one name that's popped up), especially because his playing time dropped significantly in the latter stages of the season. I don't think so, though - I see him staying at Maryland for his final year. I have no reasoning for this - just a hunch. I can also see him getting quite a bit more playing time; he's obviously talented enough to help the offense.

Check out the rest after the jump.

Running back is the team's strongest position, and will be for awhile. All-ACC running back Da'Rel Scott will return for his junior year, fully healthy (finally). The #2 back will be a battle between sophomore Davin Meggett, who was absolutely outstanding as a true freshman this year, and junior Morgan Green, who's supposedly starting to impress coaches in practices. Don't forget about redshirt freshman Gary Douglas, though - he's pretty talented, I could see him playing in at least one package. Expect to see a lot of run plays with the running backs as skilled as they are.

Maryland does also have a few talented running backs on their way in, namely Caleb Porzel and DJ Adams, but with the depth at the position, one would expect they'd have to redshirted.

Fullback is yet another strength for Maryland. Three-year starter Corey Jackson will return for his senior season, and he's one of the better fullbacks in the ACC. He's a great lead blocker, and he's a good enough runner and receiver out of the backfield to not be a liability. Haroon Brown and Taylor Watson are also there behind him, and both are servicable backups.

The backfield is shaping up to be the strength of the team next year. Three strong RBs, a senior QB, a great FB - the backfield is strong enough for a great year. Is the rest of the team?

Maryland-Charlotte GameThread

bbroman — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:46:56 -0000

Next Game

Charlotte 49ers
@ Maryland Terrapins

Saturday, Jan 3, 2009, 4:00 PM EST
Comcast Center

Complete Coverage >

Team Leaders

Stat	Player	AVG
Scoring	Lamont Mack	12.2
Rebounds	Charlie Coley	6.7
Assists	Dijuan Harris	5.9
FG%	Phil Jones	60.0
FT%	Ian Andersen	90.0
3PT%	Dijuan Harris	50.0
Blocks	Phil Jones	2.1
Steals	Charlie Coley	2.0

Posts have been low the past week after my computer broke down, and thanks to Dell's absolutely great customer service (sarcasm), not much progress has been made up to this point. I have found a replacement, though, so expect posting to resume at a relatively high rate.

The past few weeks for Maryland have been pretty good, so I'm fully expecting a letdown here. It's just something that seems to happen. Charlotte's not great, but they're not terrible, meaning this is the perfect game for Maryland to lose.

I see this as a game similar to Vermont. Maryland hasn't been truly challenged in awhile, and if Charlotte comes out aggressive enough, I could see some big problems early on. Fortunately, this team is better than they were last year (obviously); I think they can bounce back from a poor start to win it, but not by a lot.

My guess is Terps 77, Charlotte 65. The game is closer than the score.

Weekly Top 5

bbroman — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:26:47 -0000

Merry Christmas, one and all! (Or Happy Hannukah. Or Season's Greetings. Or whatever.)

1. Maryland Picks Up VA DB Committ >> Recruiting Report

Maryland went into Virginia for its most recent verbal commitment.

Falmouth, Va., defensive back Dexter McDougle, 5 feet 11, 180 pounds, pledged to the Terps on Saturday, according to Rivals.com.

Toldja.

2. How Dean Muhtadi Saved the Cal Game >> Washington Times

For the moment, Muhtadi was as quiet as everyone else, his headphones snugly delivering one of his preferred intense tunes. As the song grew louder, Muhtadi became more agitated. Finally, the defensive lineman began screaming, pounding his locker - anything to generate an inkling of excitement an hour before a game against a ranked team.

"I don't know if it was because of the loss to Middle Tennessee or if guys didn't believe we could win that game," Muhtadi said of the moments before the Terps' 35-27 upset of the Golden Bears. "I didn't like what I was seeing, and I had my headphones on, and I was all amped and ready to go and just went crazy."

Maybe I'm weird, but I don't think I would've joined him. I think I would've reported him for psychiatric testing. I mean, he's just standing there screaming.

3. Caleb Porzel Wins Crab Bowl MVP >> Terp Center

What people aren’t so familiar with is Porzel’s power. Sure, he doesn’t look like a between-the-tackles back and his game is built around speed, but today the future Maryland running back put in a workman-like effort. He rushed 15 times for 56 yards--many coming up the middle--and scored three times to lead the Washington, D.C., team to a 32-21 win in the inaugural Maryland Crab Bowl.

Power? He's like 5-8, 180. He either has the strongest strength index in the world or this is an exaggeration. And I still can't wait for him to suit up for Maryland.

4. How to Handle a Blowout (The Good Kind) >> Terrapins Insider

Heck, American just lost by double-digits to George Washington, so perhaps Maryland will find themselves in such a situation as soon as Monday night.

Point being, it's hard for individual players, much less an entire team, to maintain focus for a full 40 minutes when the opponent is so clearly inferior its almost laughable.

To be honest, I don't think Maryland will ever have this problem, unfortunately.

5. Impressions on the Year >> Tracking the Terps

On the offense: There's no doubt that Maryland scared rival defensive coordinators with its veteran offensive line and the speed of receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey and running back Da'Rel Scott.

It's a shame we never used him them (DHB, that is).

Season Ending Terperlatives

bbroman — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:51:49 -0000

It was quite a year for Maryland football. It was about as up-and-down as you could get, but then again, that's Ralph Friedgen for you. The year saw a loss to Middle Tennessee State (who ended up 5-7 in the Sun Belt), then a win against a California who had just blown out a Pac-10 opponent by 63 points (who ended up 8-4); it saw an incredible second half against Clemson in Death Valley, followed by one of the most embarrassing losses I can remember – a shutout against UVA – followed by a bounce-back shutout win against Wake Forest; it saw a 3 point win over North Carolina State on homecoming, a loss against Virginia Tech in which the defense gave up over 200 rushing yards; an emotional win over North Carolina in which the defense was impeccable, then an incredibly embarrassing loss to Florida State in prime time in a must-win game, and a disappointing loss to Boston College to round out the season. But this is Ralph Friedgen. His teams do this year in and year out. I'm not saying it's good or bad – just an observation.

For as many weird games there were, the players were just as memorable. The team relied on Chris Turner every game – some days he was great, some days he was terrible. The team leaned on Da'Rel Scott, maybe too much – he ended up getting hurt mid-way through the year. The defense was just about as inconsistent as possible. Darrius Heyward-Bey, despite having a huge amount of natural talent, was seemingly ignored. James Franklin did not bring about the awesome offensive changes we were all expecting.

But I still loved every minute of it (well, maybe not every minute). After a few votes via comment and few votes via email, here's the Terperlatives:

Offensive MVP

Voter's Choice: Da'Rel Scott

My Choice: Chris Turner

This was one of the harder choices for me to make. Da'Rel Scott certainly had times where I wouldn't dream of putting anyone else in this position, but I had trouble naming him MVP: it's most valuable, not best. And though I like Da'Rel, I can't help but think that every game hinged more on Chris Turner's performance than Da'Rel Scott's. For as many games as he lost, he won back more. The offensive MVP goes to Chris Turner.

Defensive MVP

Voter's Choice: Moise Fokou

My Choice: Terrell Skinner

This one was almost harder than Offensive MVP, mainly because no player stood out on the defense. Moise Fokou made a few big plays, and might've been the most consistent player. Then there's Alex Wujciak, who had the second most tackles in the ACC. Then there's Dave Philistin, a senior leader at linebacker. I ended up choosing Terrell Skinner, though. The secondary (especially after the injury to Kevin Barnes) was pretty weak. Skinner, though, rarely missed an assignment, and kept the passing game from running over Maryland's defense every week. Most other players did their job admirably, but none as well as Skinner did.

Special Teams MVP

Voter's Choice: Travis Baltz

My Choice: Travis Baltz

This one was an easy choice – there were only two candidates, really. Baltz was the first option, and Torrey Smith the second. Torrey Smith did a lot to deserve consideration, but Baltz was phenomenal all year long. He actually earned a lot of consideration for overall MVP. I shudder to think of what would've happened to the team if Baltz wasn't there to bail them out of the field position war every single possession.

Overall MVP

Voter's Choice: Offensive Line

My Choice: Chris Turner

The voter's choice was confusing here, seeing how abysmal the offensive line was at times this year (see: Florida State). But I guess my choice is equally confusing, seeing how bad Turner could be at times, too. I suppose my line of thinking is the same as the one for Offensive MVP: no player had a bigger impact on whether Maryland won or lost a game.

Best Freshman

Voter's Choice: Davin Meggett

My Choice: Davin Meggett

Really, this choice was pretty easy. Torrey Smith came in second, but Meggett was simply phenomenal when given the chance to be. I look forward to the next three years of Maryland football if Davin Meggett is a part of it. He reminds me a lot of Ray Rice – small, tough, doesn't go down easy. He did wonders as a freshman – I can't wait to see him as a sophomore, junior, and senior.

Best Coach

Voter's Choice: Lee Hull

My Choice: Lee Hull

I have no idea how much Lee Hull actually had to do with the performance of the wide receivers this year. I assume it's a decent amount, seeing as how he's the wide receiver coach, though he is a first year coach. Bo position stood out more this year than wide receiver. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Danny Oquendo, the emergence of Torrey Smith and Ronnie Tyler – there were some serious players at WR, and it's a shame they weren't utilized more.

Senior Who'll Be Most Missed:

Voter's Choice: Kevin Barnes

My Choice: Edwin Williams

Kevin Barnes' departure is huge, don't get me wrong. But I have trouble picking him as the senior most missed when the team's already missed him for half a year. No, instead, I'm picking Edwin Williams. He's a team leader, and the anchor of (and only consistent player on) an offensive line that was inconsistent at best and bad at worst. Someone's going to have to step up to fill his size 14 shoes.

Biggest Disappointment

Voter's Choice: James Franklin

My Choice: James Franklin

I think everyone had big expectations for the new offense that was supposed to be installed by former Marylander James Franklin. Franklin was coming in as the offensive coordinator after serving there at Kansas State and leading them to relatively good offensive statistics. No one could really grasp why KSU fans were happy at his departure, but I think we found out – he's not exactly an offensive genius. It's not like he's on a Cosh level of bad play calling, but he's certainly not what anyone expected. His playcalls were often head-scratchers, especially relative to when he took chances on big plays.

Best Incoming Freshman

Voter's Choice: Travis Hawkins

My Choice: Caleb Porzel

A lot of people say think Travis Hawkins is the next big thing, and I agree to an extent – he should be starting for Maryland next year at CB. But Maryland's class is absolutely loaded this year, and I could've gone any one way of several. DJ Adams? DeOnte Arnett? Hawkins? Even Darrin Drakeford? All were possibilities. But I can't stop thinking about Caleb Porzel. Besides having an awesome name (doesn't it just sound cool?) he's absolutely blown away my expectations. I was expecting a 3 star, undersized running back. What Maryland's getting is something else entirely – he scored three TDs in the Crab Bowl, while Tavon Austin, a similar, more coveted back, only had one TD from scrimmage (he also had a KR TD). Running back is loaded the next few years.

Injury Which Hurt the Team Most

Voter's Choice: Kevin Barnes

My Choice: Kevin Barnes

The injury to Barnes was a big one, as he was really the only All-ACC caliber player on Maryland's defense. I think Nolan Carroll filled in valiantly, but Barnes is very talented and would've been a huge boon to stopping the passing game late in the year.

Voter's Choice

Voter's Choice: Danny Oquendo

My Choice: Torrey Smith

Regular readers know how much I like Torrey Smith. Besides being from my hometown, he plays football the way it's supposed to be played. He hustles on every play. He was one of the best kick returners in the nation, and was able to consistently give Maryland great field position. He fought to get open, and was fearless on punts – both blocking and tackling. I expect him to take over the punt return job next year, and I'm excited to see what he can do with it.

There you have it – those are the best players of the year. Let me know what you think in the comments or with a fanpost.