Football's Bowl Hopes Rest in 2000 Finale at Byrd
11/13/2000 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 13, 2000
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
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The University of Maryland football team returns home to Byrd Stadium this weekend to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in its final regular season game of the 2000 season. Maryland is coming off of a tough 13-10 loss at North Carolina, but still has its eyes set on bowl eligibility as it can finish with six wins with a win over Tech. With a win, the Terrapins will not only keep their bowl hopes alive, but they will also finish with their best record and conference record since 1995 and finish with a 5-1 record at Byrd Stadium, their best in 17 years.
Maryland takes on Georgia Tech in this critical game with a 5-5 record (3-4, ACC), while Georgia Tech is 7-2 (5-2 ACC) and is coming off of an impressive 35-0 Thursday night thumping of Virginia.
The game will be televised by JP Sports and will be broadcast locally by WTEM (980 AM) and WBAL (1090 AM).
The Terrapins will look to continue its streak of impressive defensive performances that began four games ago. In the narrow loss to the Tar Heels, Maryland held UNC to 42 yards passing and 283 yards of total offense. Both totals are season bests for the Terp defense and the 42 yards passing was the lowest total by a Maryland opponent since the 1997 Terps held Ohio University to 10 yards in that year's season opener.
Senior LaMont Jordan continued his tendency toward big late-season rushing efforts as he ran for 101 yards on 27 carries, his third-straight 100-plus yard performance. The 101-yard effort marked the 18th time in his career that he has surpassed the century mark, a total that surpasses Charlie Wysocki's (1978-81) all-time Maryland record of 18, and also gave him enough yards to move into the number three spot on the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time rushing list.
The Jordan Watch
LaMont Jordan, a unanimous preseason first team All-American in preview magazines nationwide, rushed for a school-record 1,632 yards as a junior and against West Virginia this season officially became the leading rusher in school history. He trails only TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson among active NCAA career rushing leaders.
-- Although he will not gain the 477 yards needed to become the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time rushing leader, Jordan can still make headway in the conference's record books. Currently third, Jordan can - with either an extraordinary effort against Georgia Tech or a 12th game in the 2000 season - realistically get as high as second as he needs 270 to surpass UNC's Amos Lawrence (`77-80) in the two slot. He is also nearing the NCAA's all-time Top 50.
Terp Coach Ron Vanderlinden
Terrapin head coach Ron Vanderlinden (Albion College `78) is in his fourth season at Maryland, guiding the re-shaping efforts from a run-and-shoot offense to a power run game and more balanced, physical attack. After helping rebuild struggling programs at Colorado (1983-91) and Northwestern (1992-96), Vanderlinden is 15-28 as a college head coach. He was named the Terps' field boss in December of 1996.
Vanderlinden, 44, arrived in College Park after a five-year stint as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Gary Barnett at Northwestern where the Wildcats won a pair of Big Ten championships and made a 1996 Rose Bowl appearance. As defensive line coach in nine seasons under Bill McCartney at CU, the Buffaloes won the 1990 national championship, three Big Eight titles, and six bowl games.
Counting two years at Michigan, Vanderlinden has coaching experience in 10 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. Last season, the Terps completed a "worst-to-first" ascent among ACC rushing leaders, climbing to a league-best 231.4 yards per game after ranking ninth in 1997.
Georgia Tech's George O'Leary
George O'Leary (New Hampshire, `68) is in his sixth year as head coach of the Georgia Tech football team. He was named the school's 10th head coach on November 28, 1994, three weeks after being elevated from defensive coordinator to interim head coach (he replaced Bill Lewis with three games left in the `94 season).
O'Leary currently has a career record of 43-27 (30-18 in the ACC).
O'Leary's coaching career began in the high school ranks as he was a prep coach from 1968 until 1979 in New York state. His first collegiate job was at Syracuse as he served as the Orangemen's defensive line coach (1980-84) and later their assistant head coach (1985-86). He left `Cuse in 1987 and began a seven-year relationship with former Terp coach Bobby Ross that started at Tech (1987-91) and ended in San Diego with the Chargers (1992-93).
A 1968 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, O'Leary was a three-year letterwinner at fullback for the Wildcats. He went on to earn his master's degree in education from NYU in 1972.
What's Ahead
This weekend's game is the last of the 2000 regular season for Maryland. With a win it can hope for its first bowl bid since 1990.
The Yellow Jackets play their annual in-state rivalry game with Georgia on November 25 before heading to a bowl game.
Gameday at Byrd / Promotions
Nationwide Insurance is the game sponsor for the Georgia Tech game. The final home game of 2000 is Baltimore Boys Scout Day and baseball caps will be given away to the first 5,000 fans to enter the stadium.
Byrd Turns 50!
Byrd Stadium celebrates its 50th birthday as home of the Maryland Terrapins in 2000. Constructed in 1950 at a cost of $1 million, Byrd Stadium first opened on Sept. 30, 1950 when Maryland defeated in-state rival Navy 35-21 in the dedication game before a school-record crowd of 43,386 fans.
Byrd has since undergone a series of major facelifts, three of which occurred in the 1990s and resulted in its present form.
Situated at the foot of the campus' North Hill, the stadium is named for Dr. H.C. "Curley" Byrd, a multi-sport athlete as an undergraduate who later became head football coach and eventually served as university president. Beginning its 51st season, Maryland has posted an all-time record of 154-98-1 (.609) in games at Byrd Stadium.
Ticket Information
Individual game tickets for home games 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 at www.Ticketmaster.com.
Call 800-462-TERP for questions, or to order by phone.
