Sept. 21, 1999

Purchase Tickets Now
Game Facts and Coverage
Terp Notes
Quoting Vanderlinden
Maryland-Georgia Tech Tentative Depth Charts
Lists, Leaders and Rankings
History, Fans and Media Information

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - If dumping the water cooler on a coach's head is the modern indicator of a big win, last week's Maryland blowout of West Virginia qualifies. In his biggest victory since taking charge of the Maryland football program two-plus seasons ago, Ron Vanderlinden watched his Terrapins dominate the perennial power Mountaineers in all phases of the 33-0 shutout.

Further evidence of the game's significance is Maryland's presence in national polls for the first time since 1995. The Terrapins received 31 votes in the AP writers poll and 12 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

The Terrapins handed West Virginia its most humbling defeat since a 41-7 loss to Florida in the 1994 Sugar Bowl, and the Mountaineers' worst shutout loss since a 33-0 drubbing by Penn State in 1976.

More important, Maryland improved to 3-0 for just the fourth time since 1980 and shut out a Big East Conference opponent for the second time in three games. Allowing just 10 points in its first three games, the Maryland defensive unit has risen to the No. 2 position in NCAA Div. I charts among top scoring defenses posting shutouts in two of three games for the first time since 1980. Were it not for a pair of fumbles inside its own 25-yard line against Western Carolina, Maryland would likely be unscored upon in three straight outings for the first time since a Randy White-led Jerry Claiborne defense of 1974.

The Terrapin offense continued its newfound exuberance. Since struggling to post a pair of field goals in its opening game at Temple, Maryland has exploded for 84 points in two games with a balanced attack led by redshirt freshman quarterback Calvin McCall (Miami, Fla.) and junior tailback LaMont Jordan (Forestville, Md.). Jordan continues climbing the Terps' all-time rushing charts while McCall has aptly engineered an improved passing game in just three college starts.

McCall, Jordan, the defense and the Terps' 3-0 start will be challenged after an off-week, however, as Maryland travels to Georgia Tech to face the No. 10/12 Yellow Jackets in an ESPN nationally-televised bout on Thursday, Sept. 30. Maryland opens ACC league play with its first of nine straight games against ACC opposition. Kickoff is 8 p.m.

Game Facts and Coverage

Maryland at Georgia Tech
Date: September 30, 1999
Kickoff: 8 p.m., ET
Site: Bobby Dodd Stadium (46,000 / Natural Grass)

Radio: WTEM (980-AM) in Washington, D.C. and WBAL (1090-AM) in Baltimore are flagship stations for the Maryland/Learfield Radio Network. Pregame show 40 minutes prior to kickoff. (Johnny Holliday, play-by-play, Ken Broo, color, Tim Strachan, sideline)

Television: Live national telecast on ESPN. (Mike Tirico, play-by-play, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, color analysis)

umterps.com: Maryland sports news on the World Wide Web, updated daily. Live in-game statistics and play-by-play for all home games.

Terp Fanphone: Daily voice updates on Terrapin sports news and results for all 25 Maryland sports. Call 301-314-TERP.

TERRAPIN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Performance awards following the West Virginia game:

Jamie Wu offensive line
Delbert Cowsette defensive line
Lewis Sanders defensive back
LaMont Jordan offensive back
Brian Kopka special teams
Daryl Whitmer off. scout team
Landon Jones def. scout team

Opening the ACC
Since owning a share of the ACC title and winning the national championship in the ACC's inaugural season of 1953, Maryland has participated in 46 Atlantic Coast Conference football campaigns. The Georgia Tech game marks the beginning of Maryland's 47th ACC college football season.

The Terps won ACC titles in 1953 and 1955, but not again until Jerry Claiborne resurrected the Terps for consecutive crowns in 1974, '75 and '76. Bobby Ross guided Maryland to ACC championships in 1983, '84 and '85.

The Terrapins are 158-128-4 all-time in the ACC, but have not finished in the league's upper tier since a fourth- place finish in 1990.

Records
Maryland is 3-0 following its stunning 33-0 win over West Virginia. The Terps open their ACC schedule next week at Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the ACC following a 41-10 win over Central Florida. The Yellow Jackets opened their ACC schedule a week ago with a 41-35 loss at top-ranked Florida State.

Rankings
Georgia Tech is one of three Terp opponents are ranked in this week's national college football polls: Florida State (#1 AP, #1 ESPN/USA Today), Georgia Tech (#10, #12) and NC State (#25, #24). Maryland, Clemson and Virginia received votes in both polls. Complete polls are listed on page 8.

For the first time since 1995, Maryland received votes in a national coaches or media poll. The Terps received 31 votes in the AP writers poll and 12 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. By votes, the Terps rank 31st and 37th, respectively.

Terrapin coach Ron Vanderlinden is one of 62 voting members of the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll.

Terp Coach Ron Vanderlinden
Terrapin head coach Ron Vanderlinden (Albion College '78) is in his third season in College Park after helping rebuild struggling programs at Colorado (1983-91) and Northwestern (1992-96). He is 8-17 as a college head coach, inheriting a depleted roster after being named the Terps' field boss in December of 1996.

Vanderlinden, 43, arrived in College Park after a five-year stint as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Gary Barnett at Northwestern where he helped guide the Wildcats to a pair of Big Ten championships and a 1996 Rose Bowl appearance. As defensive line coach in nine seasons under Bill McCartney at CU, he helped guide the Buffaloes to the 1990 national championship, three Big Eight titles, and six bowl games.

Counting nine years at Michigan, Vanderlinden has coaching experience in nine major bowl games.

Vanderlinden's teams at Maryland have been characterized by vast improvements made to the rushing game and the overall defense. In 1998, Maryland was the sixth-most improved rushing team in America, and among the top 15 most improved teams in the country in total, scoring and pass defense.

Vanderlinden is 0-2 against George O'Leary and Georgia Tech.

Ga. Tech Coach George O'Leary
Yellow Jacket coach George O'Leary (New Hampshire '68) is 30-22 in his fifth season as head coach. O'Leary returned to Tech for his second tour of duty with the Ramblin' Wreck in January of 1994 following a two-year stint with the NFL San Diego Chargers. He was defensive line coach at Syracuse for seven years before joining Bobby Ross' staff at Georgia Tech as defensive coordinator from 1987-91. He followed Ross to the NFL in 1992 before returning to Tech as head coach.

O'Leary is 3-1 lifetime against Maryland.

Injury Report Maryland's only significant injury against West Virginia was a broken nose suffered by left guard Todd Wike (Lebanon, Pa.). Wike, who continues to wear an oversided padding to protect a broken bone in his right hand, is not affected for the Georgia Tech game. Checking previous injuries, inside linebacker Reggie Lewis (Chicago, Ill.) is still week-to-week with a knee injury suffered against Western Carolina. Strong safety Tony Jackson remains out for several weeks with a broken left ankle. Sophomore cornerback Tony Okanlawon (Forestville, Md.) played against West Virginia but continues to nurse a nagging hamstring injury. Junior tailback Mukala Sikyala (Lanham, Md.) is back at full strength after an ankle sprain, but did not see action against West Virginia.

Next Games
Maryland enjoys a week off before beginning ACC play at Georgia Tech, on ESPN, on Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. Maryland is at Wake Forest on Oct. 9. Georgia Tech, meanwhile, enjoys the same bye week before hosting the Terrapins. The Yellow Jackets host North Carolina on Oct. 9

Gameday at Byrd / Promotions
The Clemson game on Oct. 16 is the first of three straight October home dates. It is the highlight of the university's Family Weekend. Baby Terrapin bean bags will be given to the first 5,000 fans in attendance.

Subsequent October home dates include North Carolina on Oct. 23 and Duke, for homecoming, on Oct. 30.

Ticket Information
Individual game tickets may be purchased locally at any Ticketmaster outlet or by visiting the Maryland ticket office at Cole Field House. Tickets also may be purchased online by visiting www.Ticketmaster.com.

Call 800-462-TERP for questions, or to order by phone.

Maryland Sports Rank 24th During the 1998-99 athletic year, Maryland sports teams finished in the top 25 in national all-sports competition for the Sears Directors' Cup. It marked the second straight year that the Terps have boasted a top 25 ranking in standings released by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

Maryland's highest finish was 19th, two years ago. The Terps have risen steadily in their climb among the nation's elite, finishing 57th during the program's first year under the guidance of Deborah Yow in 1994-95. The Terps finished 36th and 32nd before their breakthrough year in '97-98.

Only six schools among the top 25 Sears Cup institutions averaged fewer operating dollars per sport than the Terps.

Maryland's broad-based athletics program comprised 24 sports for the 1998-99 ranking. A 25th, women's golf, has been added for fall 1999.

Vanderlinden Press Luncheons
All weekly press luncheons are conducted at noon at the Tyser Tower press box, level II. Coach Vanderlinden is available weekly with select Terrapin players.

MARYLAND (3-0, 0-0 ACC)

S2   at Temple               W 6-0
S11  Western Carolina        W 51-10
S18  West Virginia (ESPN2)   W 33-0
S25  idle
S30  *at Georgia Tech (ESPN) 8:00 p.m.
O9   *at Wake Forest         TBA
O16  *Clemson                TBA
O23  *North Carolina         TBA
O30  *Duke                   TBA
N6   *at NC State            TBA
N13  *at Florida State       TBA
N20  *Virginia               TBA

* ACC game

GEORGIA TECH (2-1, 0-1 ACC)

S4   at Navy                 W 49-14
S11  *at Florida State       L 35-41
S18  Central Florida         W 41-10
S25  idle
S30  *Maryland (ESPN)        8:00 p.m.
O9   *North Carolina         TBA
O16  *at Duke                TBA
O30  *NC State               TBA
N6   *at Virginia            TBA
N13  *Clemson                TBA
N20  *at Wake Forest         TBA
N27  *Georgia (ABC)          1:00 p.m.

* ACC game

1999 ACC STANDINGS

                ACC   Overall
Teams           W  L  W  L  Streak
Florida State   2  0  3  0  W3
Clemson         1  0  1  1  W1
Virginia        2  1  2  1  W1
Maryland        0  0  3  0  W3
Duke            0  0  0  2  L2
NC State        0  1  3  1  L1
Georgia Tech    0  1  2  1  W1
North Carolina  0  1  1  1  W1
Wake Forest     0  1  1  1  L1

Thursday, Sept. 23
Clemson at Virginia Tech (ESPN), 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 25
. NC State at Wake Forest (JP Sports), Noon
. Florida State at North Carolina (ABC), 3:30 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Duke, 7 p.m.
Virginia at Brigham Young (ESPN), 9 p.m.

Thursday, September 30
. Maryland at Georgia Tech (ESPN), 8 p.m.

Saturday, October 2
. North Carolina at Clemson, TBA
. Florida State vs. Duke (at Jacksonville, Fla.), TBA Virginia Tech at Virginia, TBA
Rutgers at Wake Forest, TBA

. ACC games

SERIES HISTORY vs. GEORGIA TECH

Terps seek first-ever road victory at Georgia Tech.

Series Record: Georgia Tech leads 8-3
Series at Maryland: Maryland leads 3-2
Series at Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech leads 5-0
Neutral: Georgia Tech leads 1-0
First Meeting: 1988, Maryland 13-9
Last Terrapin Win at Maryland: 1996 (13-10)
Last Terrapin Win at Georgia Tech: None
Last Yellow Jacket Win at Maryland: 1992 (28-26)
Last Yellow Jacket Win at Georgia Tech: 1997 (37-18)
Current Series Streak: Georgia Tech has won 2
Maryland's Largest Victory Margin: 35 (42-7, 1994)
Georgia Tech's Largest Victory Margin: 38 (38-0, 1993)

HOW THEY FARED AND WHO'S NEXT

MARYLAND (3-0, 0-0 ACC)
Last Week: defeated West Virginia, 33-0
This Week: idle

Sept. 2 at Temple (0-3, 0-0 Big East)
Last Week: lost to Akron, 25-15
This Week: at Marshall

Sept. 11 Western Carolina (1-1, 0-0 So. Conf.)
Last Week: vs. The Citadel (postponed)
This Week: at East Tennessee State

Sept. 18 West Virginia (1-2, 0-0 Big East)
Last Week: lost to Maryland, 33-0
This Week: at Syracuse

Sept. 30 at Georgia Tech (2-1, 0-1 ACC)
Last Week: defeated Central Florida, 41-10
This Week: idle

Oct. 9 at Wake Forest (1-1, 0-1 ACC)
Last Week: lost to Virginia, 35-7
This Week: vs. NC State

Oct. 16 Clemson (1-1, 1-0 ACC)
Last Week: idle
This Week: at Virginia Tech (Sept. 23)

Oct. 23 North Carolina (1-1, 0-1 ACC)
Last Week: idle
This Week: vs. Florida State

Oct. 30 Duke (0-2, 0-0 ACC)
Last Week: lost to Northwestern, 15-12 (OT)
This Week: vs. Vanderbilt

Nov. 6 at NC State (3-1, 0-1 ACC)
Last Week: lost to Florida State, 42-11
This Week: at Wake Forest

Nov. 13 at Florida State (3-0, 2-0 ACC)
Last Week: defeated NC State, 42-11
This Week: at North Carolina

Nov. 20 Virginia (2-1, 2-1 ACC)
Last Week: defeated Wake Forest, 35-7
This Week: at Brigham Young

Statistical Comparisons

TEAM COMPARISONS

UM         Category        GT
265.3   Rushing Offense    257.7
171.7   Passing Offense    236.3
437.0   Total Offense      494.0
30.0    Scoring Offense    41.7

77.0    Rushing Defense    155.3
84.6    Passing Defense    216.0
240.7   Total Defense      371.3
3.3     Scoring Defense    21.7

10-39   Third Down Conv.   18-35
0-3     Fourth Down Conv.  2-4

5-29    Sacks By           6-47
1-5     Sacks Allowed 

27-182  Penalties          24-237
6-3     Fumbles            7-1

29:50   Time of Poss.      29:11

MARYLAND STATISTICAL LEADERS

Rushing         G  Att. Net  Avg. TD YPG
LaMont Jordan   3  61   363  6.0  4  121.0
Calvin McCall   3  26   148  5.7  1  49.3
Bruce Perry     2  15   140  9.3  0  70.0

Passing         G   A-C-I   Pct. Yds.  TD YPG
Calvin McCall   3  59-31-0 .525  430   3  143.3

Receiving          G  Rec. Yards Avg.  TD YPG
Jermaine Arrington 3   6   122   20.3  0  40.7
LaMont Jordan      3   6    42    7.0  0  14.0
Guilian Gary       3   5    38    7.6  0  12.7
Jason Hatala       3   3    89   28.7  1  29.7
Omar Cheeseboro    3   3    34   11.3  0  11.3
Matt Kalapinski    3   3    26    8.7  1  8.7

GEORGIA TECH STATISTICAL LEADERS

Rushing         G  Att. Net  Avg. TD YPG
Sean Gregory    3   27  189  7.0  3  63.0
Joe Hamilton    3   41  157  3.8  4  52.3
Phillip Rogers  2   26  129  5.0  3  64.8

Passing         G   A-C-I  Pct. Yds. TD YPG
Joe Hamilton    3  60-46-0 .767 687  7  229.0

Receiving       G  Rec. Yards Avg. TD  YPG
Kelly Campbell  3  13   184   14.2  2  61.3
Dez White       3   9   211   23.4  1  70.3
Kerry Watkins   3   9   134   14.9  2  44.7
Sean Gregory    3   4    25    6.3  0   8.3

1998 / Game Eight vs. Georgia Tech

(23) Ga. Tech 31, Maryland 14

BALTIMORE (AP) - Dez White returned a kickoff 100 yards and Joe Burns' 44-yard touchdown run sparked a third-quarter surge that carried No. 23 Georgia Tech past Maryland, 31-14, in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.

Georgia Tech (6-2, 5-1 ACC) managed only 95 yards, missed two field goal tries and didn't score on offense during a 14-14 first half. But the Yellow Jackets amassed 149 yards in the third quarter and outscored Maryland, 17-0, to pull away.

Burns, a freshman, finished with 179 yards on 20 carries. Quarterback Joe Hamilton, who suffered a hip pointer injury in the Florida State game a week earlier, finished 11-for-26 for 118 yards after going 6-for-16 for 58 yards before halftime.

Maryland (2-6, 0-5) lost its fourth straight. The Terrapins led 14-7 after the first quarter, but never scored again.

Freshman quarterback Randall Jones scored on a 40-yard run but was 4-for-15 for 27 yards.

"Our biggest nemesis is getting things going with our passing game," Maryland coach Ron Vanderlinden said. "We run the ball well enough to win, but we have to find a passing attack."

Georgia Tech wasted little time taking control in the pivotal third quarter. After Maryland missed a field goal, the Yellow Jackets covered 71 yards in five plays in a drive capped by Burns' touchdown run off an option pitch.

A Maryland fumble was quickly converted into a 39-yard field goal by Brad Chambers, and Georgia Tech made it 31-14 when Hamilton capped a 65-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ed Wilder.

October 31, 1998
(23) Georgia Tech 31, Maryland 14

             1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Georgia Tech  7   7  17   0  31
Maryland     14   0   0   0  14

First Quarter
UM-Timmins 32 fumble return (Kopka kick), 13:14
GT-White 100 kickoff return (Chambers kick), 12:56
UM-Jones 40 run (Kopka kick), 2:14
Second Quarter
GT-Caldwell 19 fumble return (Chambers kick), 9:24
Third Quarter
GT-Burns 44 run (Chambers kick), 8:25
GT-Chambers 38 FG, 6:15
GT-Wilder 12 pass from Hamilton (Chambers kick), 0:07

                    GT       UM
First Downs         17       15
Rushes-Yards        39-194   52-198
Passing             118      59
Comp-Att-Int        11-26-0  8-22-0
Return Yards        288      57
Punts-Avg.          5-38     9-34
Fumbles-Lost        3-1      2-2
Penalties-Yards     5-45     7-45
Time of Possession  26:15    33:45

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-Georgia Tech, Burns 20-179, Rogers 11-25, Wilder 2-5, Hamilton 6-(-15). Maryland, Jordan 20-99, R. Jones 16-55, Kalapinski 6-31, Westley 3-9, Whitmer 1-3, Hatala 1-3, Riley 3-2, Mastrole 2-(- 4).
PASSING-Georgia Tech, Hamilton 11-26-0-118. Maryland, Jones 4-15-0-27, Mastrole 4-7-0-32.
RECEIVING-Georgia Tech, White 3-41, Wilder 2-26, Burns 2-24, Campbell 2-14, Sheridan 2-13. Maryland, Cruz 2-17, Jordan 2-12, Hatala 2-11, Waerig 1-10, Arrington 1-9.
TACKLES-Georgia Tech, Bostic 8-3-11, Cameron 3-6-9, Miller 3-4-7. Maryland, Barton 10-5-15, Ogle 6-6-12, Thompson, 5-4- 9.
A-25,183.

1999 / Game Three vs. West Virginia

Maryland 33, West Virginia 0

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - LaMont Jordan ran for a career-high 164 yards and unbeaten Maryland shut down West Virginia's high-powered offense in a 33-0 rout that enabled the Terrapins to match their victory total of 1998.

Calvin McCall threw two touchdown passes for Maryland (3-0), which last opened a season with three straight wins in 1995. It was the Terrapins' most significant victory under coach Ron Vanderlinden, who watched Maryland shutout a Big East opponent for the second time in three games.

West Virginia's Marc Bulger threw four interceptions and was held without a touchdown pass for the first time in 17 games dating to 1997. It was the Mountaineers' worst shutout loss since a 33-0 drubbing by Penn State in 1976 and their most lopsided defeat since a 41-7 loss to Florida in the 1993 Sugar Bowl.

Bulger, who was lifted midway through the fourth quarter, went 17-for-30 for 152 yards. The four interceptions tied a career high, and he also lost a fumble that Maryland returned for a score. Jordan, who surpassed the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in eight games, carried 22 times, caught two passes and scored Maryland's first touchdown.

Maryland went up 19-0 late in the third quarter when McCall, 11-for-19 for 178 yards, ended an 83-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Eric James. Lewis Sanders then took a stray pitchout by Bulger 28 yards into the end zone on the final play of the period.

McCall followed Bulger's fourth interception with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Matt Kalapinski for a 33-0 lead.

Each team had a turnover in the scoreless first quarter, but Maryland finally made something happen early in the second period. After West Virginia failed to convert a fake punt, Jermaine Arrington made a juggling catch on a long pass for a 62-yard gain to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Jordan.

September 18, 1999
Maryland 33, West Virginia 0

              1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
West Virginia  0   0   0   0   0
Maryland       0  13  13   7  33

Second Quarter
UM-Jordan 7 run (Kopka kick), 10:23
UM-Kopka 31 FG, 2:54
UM-Kopka 27 FG, 0:00
Third Quarter
UM-James 1 pass from McCall (run failed), 1:04
UM-Sanders 28 fumble return (Kopka kick), 0:00
Fourth Quarter
UM- Kalapinski 8 pass from McCall (Kopka kick), 9:08

                    WVU      UM
First downs         16       15
Rushes-Yards        31-90    48-249
Passing             159      178
Comp-Att-Int        18-33-4  11-19-0
Return Yards        77       119
Sacked-Yards Lost   1-8      0-0
Punts               6-39.8   5-29.0
Fumbles-Lost        1-1      1-1
Penalties-Yards     8-36     9-42
Time of Possession  28:57    31:03

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-West Virginia, Rego 20-83, A. Green 2-12, Lewis 2-2, Abraham 1-1, Wilson 4-0, Bulger 2-(-8). Maryland, Jordan 22-164, Perry 7-47, Kalapinski 4-15, Killian 2-12, McCall 8-11, DeFreitas 1-5, Riley 1-3, Westley 2-(-3), Rogers 1-(- 5).
PASSING-West Virginia, Bulger 17-30-152-4, Lewis 1-2-7-0, Fazzolari 0-1-0-0. Maryland, McCall 11-19-178-0.
RECEIVING-West Virginia, Brown 9-57, Osegueda 3-44, Ivy 2-19, Becht 1-19, Berton 1-7. Maryland, Arrington 2-69, James 2-29, Gary 2-22, Jordan 2-15, Riley 1-26, Perry 1-9, Kalapinski 1-8.
TACKLES-West Virginia, Kayden 6-2-8, McIntyre 6-2-8, Davis 4-2-6, Porter 1-5-6. Maryland, Thompson 4-5-9, Moore 2-6-8, Cowsette 2-6-8, Forte 4-3-7, Boggs 3-4-7.
MISSED FIELD GOALS-West Virginia, Taylor 44.
A-33,159.