According to the Washington Post, DJ Adams will play Saturday:

"Maryland running back D.J. Adams, who last season set a school freshman record with 11 rushing touchdowns, will be available to play in Saturday’s game against West Virginia after sitting out the season-opening victory over Miami because of a violation of team rules.

"While Adams is not listed on Maryland’s two-deep depth chart at running back, Coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday that the coaching staff has incorporated some things in the game plan tailored to Adams’ strengths."

Here's the link to the full posting: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/terrapins-insider/post/maryland-running-back-dj-adams-back-in-good-graces-after-one-game-suspension/2011/09/13/gIQAFfLBQK_blog.html.

Fox 5 reported that the helmets look very similar to Baltimore's roller derby team's. I must say, they have a point. I don't see any problem with that, though. But it's only fair to give the girls props for cool helmets. And, as we've been saying, the more press, the better.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/offbeat/do-the-maryland-terps-new-football-helmets-look-like-those-worn-by-the-charm-city-roller-girls-090711?obref=obinsite

Because he was in it for his players. Because he would get teary eyed and choked up after even a mid-season game, just because the team overcame some adversity. Maybe the fans had been down on them. Maybe they had a terrible first half and came roaring back to win. Maybe it was a huge upset of a #1 team at Comcast. For the players who really bought in to Gary's system, and more so to his philosophy, Gary showed an incredible amount of devotion, loyalty, and love. That's why an unheralded team of just-decent recruits ended up with rings on their fingers in 2002. That's why 2010's seniors were able to hang a banner. And that's why I love Gary.

Why do you love Gary?

Congrats to Hudson Taylor, both for his actions and for the courage it takes to be an advocate in the culture of competitive sports (wrestling in particular). He's been named a winner of the 2011 Straight for Equality in Sports award from Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

excerpt from http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=1362: 

Hudson, a heterosexual athlete and a committed GLBT advocate, is determined to eliminate homophobia in sports. After wearing a gay rights sticker on his wrestling headgear during competitions, The Advocate named Hudson one of the “Top 150 Reasons to Have Gay Pride in 2010.” He was also featured on ESPN as a leading GLBT ally.

In December 2010 Hudson founded Athlete Ally, a resource to encourage athletes, coaches, parents, fans and other members of the sports community to respect all individuals involved in sports, regardless of perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Schedule's out. We open with Miami on Labor Day, then get the following weekend off before hosting WVU. The Notre Dame game does not come with the season ticket package. It's on umterps at http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/021411aab.html.

Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps!

SI is running an article about Phil Knight's contributions to the University of Oregon's football program. Check out the pics of the facilities. They're sick. The recruiting advantage they provide must be incredible.

Here's the story.

Here are the facility pics.

Here are pics of all the UO uniforms over the years.


It sure would be nice to have an advantage like that. If only we had a CEO of a major sports apparel company as an alum and football booster...

Some thoughts that have been accumulating in my head over the past few days: 

1. On Ralph: After a long, agonizing season last year when I couldn't decide what Ralph's fate should be, I finally came to the decision that he should be fired. There were way too many indefensible actions on his part, such as burning redshirts unnecessarily, poorly managing the clock, and inadequately using players. I thought, though, that things were much improved this year. Sure there were play calls and other things that I disagreed with, but they were hardly indefensible. I believe that Ralph deserved another year to prove that 2009 was an aberration.

But with Franklin leaving, and likely taking a good chunk of the coaching staff with him, Ralph would be in a "starting over" position. Now is not the time for that. Even the most ardent Ralph supporters know that he's not going to be our coach in the long term. As sad and unfair to Ralph as that is, now is the time to make a big change.

The buyout vs retirement thing will be ugly in the short term. I understand both sides and am comfortable however it plays out. But Maryland needs to quickly - before next season ends - make amends and figure out some way to honor Ralph's tenure as HC. Even the most ardent Ralph haters must recognize that Ralph is gone because we're comparing him to himself. He raised the bar. If, 11 years ago, we knew we could hire someone who'd win 60% of his games and take Maryland to a bowl game in 7 out of 10 years, we'd be absolutely thrilled. Now, that's not good enough. Thank you, Ralph, for bringing Maryland football back to the point where that's our sentiment.

2. Why I'm Excited About Leach: Quite simply, this would be a great hire because it comes with expectations. If we hire Leach, we should expect to become immediate and consistent ACC contenders, immediate and consistent strong recruiters, and immediately and consistently fun to watch. Unlike with Ralph, there should not be questions about what success would look like. (Except for the few dopes that think that anything less than a national championship is a failure.) A big name, proven coach is the best kind of hire for us right now.

3. The Lawsuits: If we hire Leach, it should be contingent upon him dropping his lawsuits against TT and ESPN. I believe that he would win the suits. However, it's hard to imagine any real good coming from that. He doesn't need the money. And the chances of something incriminating coming out during the proceedings is too much of a risk and would only serve as a distraction and bring negative attention to Maryland. Best to just move on and put that all in the past. (Plus, we really don't want ESPN as an enemy.)

Let's go Terps.

umterps.com has a press release today showing that the FIU game will kickoff at noon. And we are big time, baby! Another week on national tv, as it will be on ESPNU.

Here's the link, in case you are interested: http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/091310aad.html

It sure would be nice to beat west virginia. I can not stand them.


Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps! Let's go Terps!

Does anyone else find it funny that we'd lose the top seed tiebreaker to Duke because we lost to a good team (Wake) and they lost to a bad team (NC State)?

In the end, I honestly don't care that much (hey, we get the banner), and there's probably no perfect way to break a tie outside of head-to-head, but I do find it a bit ironic the way it ends up working.

Josh Barr is stating, on the Washington Post Recruiting Insider, that Brandon Coleman is announcing today at 2, and that he favors Rutgers. Not sure if there's new information out there. I had thought that he was waiting until tomorrow. And most of what I've read (from TT links) seems to indicate that Maryland was pulling ahead. Anyone out there know anything else about his timeline or preferences? I'd sure love to get him.