Terps Return To Byrd For Back-To-Back Home Dates
9/18/2000 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2000
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland returns to Byrd Stadium this week to face NCAA I-A Independent foe Middle Tennessee in what is the first meeting ever between the two schools. The Terrapins hope for a return to the win column after last weekend's loss at West Virginia. Middle Tennessee, meanwhile, got its first win of the season by defeating Murray State. The Blue Raiders are 0-2 on the road this year though, falling at No. 21 Illinois and No. 8 Florida.
For Maryland, 1-1, a second-half rally put the Terps in position to win in Morgantown last Saturday, but a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line was ruled short of the goal line with 6:38 remaining. The Mountaineers then mounted a five-minute, 99-yard scoring drive which sealed Maryland's first loss of the 2000 season.
LaMont Jordan (Forestville, Md.) encountered another tough day while eluding tacklers in his own backfield, but did manage to become Maryland's career rushing leader midway through the third quarter. The 5-11, 220-pound senior bulled his way to 38 yards on 18 carries against WVU, ending the day with 3,327 career yards to break the previous mark of 3,317 by Charlie Wysocki (1978-81).
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 last Saturday officially became the leading rusher in school history. He trails only TCU's Ladainian Tomlinson among active NCAA career rushing leaders entering games of Sept. 16.
-- After leading the country in rushing over last year's final six games, he is 1,276 yards from becoming the ACC's all-time rushing leader.
-- A season of just 100 yards better than last season will result in a top 10 finish among the NCAA's all-time rushing leaders.
Records
Maryland is 1-1 after its 30-17 loss at West Virginia. Middle Tennessee bested Murray State 44-28 to move to 1-2 on the season.
Rankings
Two Terp opponents are ranked in this week's national college football polls: Florida State (#2 AP, #2 ESPN/USA Today) and Clemson (#11, #11). Georgia Tech and West Virginia received votes in both polls. NC State received ESPN/USA Today votes. Maryland received votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll for consecutive weeks on Sept. 3 and 10.
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 11-24 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.
MTSU Coach Andy McCollum
Andy McCollum (Austin Peay `81) is in his second year as coach of the Blue Raiders, with a head coaching mark of 4-10. McCollum guided the Blue Raiders into their first I-A season in 1999, going 3-8 in his first year as a college head coach.
A former Middle Tennessee assistant under Boots Donnelly, McCollum has had previous coaching stints at UTEP, Baylor and Tennessee before taking the helm as the Blue Raiders' 13th head coach.
Next Games
The Terps return to Byrd Stadium for a Thursday night ACC opener with Florida State on Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. The FSU game will be televised live on ESPN.
Middle Tennessee is idle next week before hosting Louisiana Tech (Oct. 7) and Louisiana-Monroe (Oct. 14) in back-to-back home games.
Gameday at Byrd / Promotions
The Terps celebrate the 50th birthday of Byrd Stadium this week when Middle Tennessee visits College Park.
Maryland welcomes a national television audience when defending national champion Florida State invades Byrd Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 28.
Homecoming is slated for the Wake Forest game on Oct. 21. It also is the Terps' annual Letterwinners' Day as past athletes from all sports are welcomed into the stadium and onto the field.
Against NC State on Nov. 4, the University of Maryland campus community hosts Family Weekend with the Terps' football game scheduled as its centerpiece.
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 152-97-1 (.610) in games at Byrd Stadium.
Ticket Information
Tickets for both the Middle Tennessee and Florida State games are still available. 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.
