Yardbarker: Maryland Terrapins

Chris Turner is injured

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:21:23 -0500

From third and 19 from own his own 33, Maryland quarterback Chris Turner was hit on an inside rush and limped off the field with help with 4:33 left before halftime. Turner headed into the Maryland locker room. Backup quarterback Jamarr Robinson entered on Maryland's next possession and fumbled the first snap. The Terps recovered the fumble. But Robinson didn't attempt a pass on his first series, which ended with a blocked Maryland field goal. For those fans who wanted to se...

Long time between defensive TDs

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:26:21 -0500

Maryland just tied the game at 14 when linebacker Alex Wujciak, the Terps leading tackler, stepped in front of tight end George Bryan to pick off a Russell Wilson pass. He returned it 70 yards for Maryland’s first defensive touchdown since linebacker Erin Henderson got one in 2006. Maryland 14, N.C. State 14, first quarter Terps turnovers: one

NC State Football: We're Only Mostly Dead

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:36:14 -0500

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 Heward-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

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Maryland Football: When It Rains, It Pours

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:15:14 -0500

It was a familiar story for Maryland's football team but against an unfamiliar foe. Maryland played Duke for the first time in four seasons but had the bad luck of playing a solid Blue Devils team and not the team that went 2-33 during the years that the Terps were not on the schedule. Just another great function of John Swofford's expansion disaster that finds two ACC rivals who have played every year since 1972 play once in five years.

The game was played in a deluge and you would have assumed going into that game that would benefit Maryland since Duke is very reliant on their passing game. Unfortunately Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis as fairly effective in the rain completing 30 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns. Conversly Maryland QB Chris Turner, who also struggled in bad weather against Virginia, threw for just 182 yards 67 of which came on one screen pass to Davin Meggett. Outside of that one play Turner completed 15 of 22 passes for a paltry 115 yards. In his last two games Turner has completed just 52% of his passes for 340 yards with 3 interceptions and just one touchdown. Teams have been keying on Torrey Smith and either Turner cannot get the ball to the other receivers or they have failed to get open. Most of Turner's passes to wideouts were either quick screens or dump off passes than netted little yardage. Besides Smith the other wide receivers had 77 yards on 9 receptions for a terrible 8.5 yards per catch. In the same conditions Duke had two receivers go for over 100 yards. With Smith being taken out of the last two games it has highlighted how feeble Maryland's passing game is without his big play ability. I think it is time that the staff start turning over more playing time to the younger quarterbacks on the squad so that this 2-6 squad can start building for next season.

The staff turned to frosh Caleb Pozel in an attempt to jump start the running game but on a sloppy field that negated some of Porzel's speed he failed to improve the ground attack. Pozel managed only 28 yards on 15 carries. Davin Meggett was slightly more effective in his limited action but neither back had a run of longer than nine yards. The running game will remain a big problem the rest of the season. It would be nice to see James Franklin try to play more two tight end sets to help the running attack but he just doesn't have the imagination for that. Even though Da'Rel Scott has not played in the last three games he still leads the team in rushing.

The defense had a good day even though Lewis passed for over 370 yards they made him work for every completion and he did turn the ball over twice. Duke attacked Maryland's linebackers in coverage repeatedly and had some success isolating Alex Wujciak and Ben Pooler in space. Pooler had an up and down day with a great stat sheet line of 13 tackles, a sack and forced fumble but a number of blown coverages and missed assignments. The sophomore linebacker has battled knee injuries in his early career but has shown some impressive ability in his first real action this season. Pooler has filled in well for the injured Demetrius Hartsfield and the duo could form the nucleus of a very athletic and impressive linebacking corps once Wujciak and Adrian Moten depart.

Cameron Chism picked off Lewis for his third interception of the season. As with most young players his progression won't be a straight line and he will struggle at times but he has been performing well in place of the injured Nolan Carroll. Safety Antwine Perez had a scary moment after a helmet collision in the game but is reportedly okay. Freshman Eric Franklin, who was rumored to be getting a shot to play earlier in the year, now appears to be his replacement if Perez cannot fill his normal backup safety role. With N.C. State's QB Russell Wilson up next Maryland will need all the DB's they can find.

Maryland had a chance to win the game late but an interception by Turner and a fumbled punt return by Tony Logan sealed Maryland's fate. It was the kind of ugly loss that you expect from a bad team. Make no mistake Terp fans, this is a bad team. There should be little time or energy expended on "what if" scenarios. Bad teams find ways to lose close games and this Maryland squad has done that in spades. Poor and inconsistent play from the offensive line, quarterback and running back position has doomed the offense. The defense has been more reliable but only by a slight margin. The staff seems unable to fix what is ailing the offense and the repeated shifting of the offensive line speaks to desperation more than anything. The last two weeks in a sloppy environment the opponent did a better job executing than Maryland, mostly because of superior quarterback play but also because the offensive coordinators had a better sense of playing to their strength than James Franklin has shown.

It is possible that Maryland might not win another game but I expect they might pull of another victory against either Florida State or N.C. State, a combined 1-6 in the ACC. Regardless it makes for a very, very long off season in College Park.

I watched the Maryland basketball scrimmage on Saturday and have a few thoughts on that which I'll post soon. Then we'll get into some previews of the upcoming men's basketball team and the lay of the land in the ACC.

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Another rainy day for Terps

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:09:19 -0500

Will the Terps turnovers ever end? Will their losses stop accumulating? Will it ever stopped raining? Actually, it did stop raining as soon as the Terps busses departed from Duke. No joke. The sun even briefly came out. Here are some notes and analysis. Some of this will appear in my updated game story but I wanted to get it to you now. *Maryland can't run. The Terps rushed for 67 yards. Seeking a spark, the Terps started true freshman Caleb Porzel at tailback. Porzel finished...

Terps hanging in -- by a yard

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:11:13 -0500

The Terps are hanging in by about a yard. Leading 17-13, Duke drove to the Maryland 2, where quarterback Thaddeus Lewis fumbled and the ball was recovered by defensive tackle Travis Ivey. That kept the Terps in the game. The Terps had made it 17-13 when Davin Meggett took a screen pass, made a cut and outran the defense for a 67-yard touchdown – Maryland’s longest play from scrimmage this season. The Terps have turned the ball over zero times. That's right. By the way, safety...

Safety Antwine Perez is injured

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:14:16 -0500

Maryland safety Antwine Perez lay on the field after a head-first tackle with 49 seconds to go in the first quarter. Head coach Ralph Friedgen came out to midfield to see his player. Perez was immobilized and taken out on a stretcher. Duke began the game with 12 straight pass plays. Harder to pass now that the rain has intensified, but it's what the Blue Devils do. Maryland, which started Caleb Porzel at running back, forced the only turnover so far -- a Duke fumble. Duke 7, M...

Torrey Smith's take on the QB

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:30:40 -0500

Here is Torrey Smith's take on Maryland quarterback Chris Turner. “From the outside looking in – with the media and fans – it might look like he’s doing a terrible job,” the wide receiver said. “More than likely it’s a lot of stuff that isn’t him,” Smith said. “Chris is a guy, when he’s confident and protected, he’s one of the best quarterbacks out there.”

Another fumble for Terps

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:11:33 -0500

Davin Meggett fumbled (again) on Maryland's first series. That's the bad news for the Terps. The good news is that Maryland is running the ball better early in the game. The Terps' running game has been dormant most of the season. Maryland has 52 rushing yards. Will the rain be a factor? Probably. But the weather didn't cause Meggett's fumble -- a hard tackle did. By the way, linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield is playing with his broken hand encased in a black, cl...

LB Hartsfield may play with broken hand

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:19:38 -0500

Maryland is looking at playing linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield on Saturday with a broken hand. Hartsfield would have the hand encased in a club-like wrap or cast. Hartsfield suffered the injury last week at Wake Forest. "If he starts favoring it and can't tackle, then I’ll get another guy in there," coach Friedgen said today. "I am a little concerned about it. He's basically playing with one hand." Also: Defensive tackle Joe Vellano (stress fracture) has b...

Fridge: "I'm proud of them."

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:30:45 -0500

Maryland did not enjoy much success in the season's first half, but coach Friedgen says he admires his team's work ethic. The Terps may be, young, weakened by injuries and winners of only two of six games, but Fridge says they are practicing with the same enthusiasm as before. "I haven’t changed how I feel about these guys. They came out and practiced hard last night," he said. "If anything, I’m proud of them. We’ve got some guys that are nicked up and I’m trying ...

Postgame Report Card: Wake Forest 42, Maryland 32

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:11:00 -0500

Maryland's short reign atop the Atlantic Division is over with the loss to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The Deacs had the type of team that could beat Maryland, a strong passing team against a weakened secondary, and they exploited this advantage over and over again.It is hard to place blame in correct places. Wake Forest is just a better team, could the secondary have really stopped Riley Skinner? Could the Terps running game be effective with the "running back by committee?"...

Torrey Smith does it again

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:20:38 -0500

With Maryland down 7-0, Torrey Smith took the ensuing kickoff 85 yards, setting up Maryland on the Wake 15. The Terps scored in five plays on a 1-yard Davin Meggett run to tie the game. Smith is just having a wondrous season. Relying on the run, Wake Forest drove 67 yards in five plays to take a 7-0 lead on its first possession. Josh Adams took a handoff, bounced outside and took off down the sidelines, evading Demetrius Hartsfield to score from 48 yards out. Other notes: *Terp...

Pregame: Maryland at Wake Forest

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Maryland got a nice win last week, upsetting Clemson 24-21 and (somehow) sitting atop the Atlantic Division with a 1-0 conference record, but still has a long way to go for bowl contention at a 2-3 overall record. But, as Chris Turner said, win through the ACC and they can go to the Orange Bowl; at least they took the first step. But Maryland hits the road for the first time in a month as they head down to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest.The Maryland Terrapins (2-3, 1-0 ACC) take on the ...

Postgame Report Card: Rutgers 34, Maryland 13

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:08:00 -0500

No one word of the game can describe what happened in this game. Maryland went up against a team that is about there equal, perhaps a bit better or worse, in a rainstorm in College Park. Instead of having a competitive game, Maryland turned the ball over constantly, could not move the ball, and looked like they completely gave up during the middle of the fourth quarter. Say what you want about Maryland, normally they do not give up in games, most will fight until it is done. But not today. An...

Maryland's ravaged defense

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 08:32:39 -0500

A Sunday morning reflection: Maryland's defense has now surrendered 119 points in three games -- nearly 40 per contest. I think that would have been the toughest part of the young season to predict since there were high hopes for the defense of new coordinator Don Brown. So what's happening? It may sound odd since it surrendered 32 points, but the defense did get more pressure yesterday during the 32-21 loss to Middle Tennessee. Some of the blitz packages began to pay off. Th...

Postgame Report Card: Maryland 38, James Madison 35 (OT)

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:03:00 -0500

The word of the game is......whew. Maryland fans are used to excitement at every turn, and today's game sure brought that. JMU had many opportunities to win the game, but numerous penalties spared Maryland from getting upset. Maryland improves to 1-1 and will prepare for Middle Tennessee State next week.This is one of those games where some fans ask whether Maryland won it or JMU lost it, and really it is close. Maryland had some great moments, especially on offense, but had JMU not commi...

Maryland Athletics Contributions to Black History

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:43:41 -0500

In honor of Black History Month, ECB takes a look back at the contributions that University of Maryland Athletics have made to black history.

Erin Henderson to Leave Early for NFL Draft

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:46:51 -0500

Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson, a Butkus award semi-finalist, announced yesterday that he's throwing his hat into the ring of the NFL Draft. The move was definitely not expected - the possibility was lurking throughout the season and his exit was probably hastened by threat of injury and the idea that he has nothing left to prove.

Erin Henderson Enters the NFL Draft

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:23:48 -0500

A good decision? Definitely. But where does he project?