Aug. 27, 2001

Maryland vs. UNC Release in PDF Format
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The Game
- The University of Maryland football team opens its 109th season of college football and year one of the Ralph Friedgen era as it takes on North Carolina this Saturday at Byrd Stadium in what will serve as both teams' Atlantic Coast Conference opener as well. Kickoff for the game is set for 12:10 p.m. and the game will be televised on a split-national basis on ABC and broadcast on the Terrapin Radio Network (pre-game starts at 11:20 a.m.).
- The Terrapins open the season with a conference opponent for the first time since 1994 (a 49-16 loss at Duke). The September 1st opener is also the earliest ACC game in school history.
- Maryland is 65-41-2 (.613) all-time in season openers and 51-26-1 (.662) all-time in season openers at home.
- Saturday's game is UNC's second of the young season as the Tar Heels opened at Oklahoma (a 41-27 loss) in the Hispanic College Fund Classic on August 25. The Maryland game is UNC's second of three straight road games to open the 2001 campaign, marking the first time since 1893 that the Tar Heels have opened a season with three-in-a-row on the road.
- This week's game marks the first of a three-game homestand for the Terps to open the season. It is also one of seven home games, the most Maryland has played in the modern era. The three home games to open the season is also a first for the Terps in the modern era.

Series Notes
- Saturday's game will mark the 64th meeting between the Terrapins and Tar Heels with UNC leading the all-time series 35-27-1. The meeting is the earliest ever between the two teams (the next earliest game was a 59-42 win by the then 14th-ranked Tar Heels on September 11, 1993).
- This year's season opener for the Terps will mark the first meeting between two of the four newest head coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Maryland's Ralph Friedgen and North Carolina's John Bunting are both coaching at their alma maters, as is Virginia's Al Groh. Wake Forest's Jim Grobe is the fourth coach in his first year at an ACC school.
- The Maryland/North Carolina series is one that can best be defined by spurts by one team or the other. The series began with Maryland winning four of seven, but from there it went UNC 9-0-1 from 1927-50, Maryland 8-3 from 1951-62, UNC 6-2 from `63-72, Maryland 9-3 from `73-85, UNC 11-4 since 1986.
- North Carolina holds an 8-2 edge in the last 10 meetings between the two teams, but the Terps last win was one of the most impressive in the series' 81-year history. At College Park in 1999, Maryland beat UNC 45-7 in a game that the Heels were never in. The Terps scored 24 unanswered points in the first quarter and then went on to post a 45-0 lead heading into the fourth when the Tar Heels finally got on the board with 8:25 left. The 38-point margin of victory matched the largest spread in the history of the series.
- Last season, the Tar Heels won 13-10 in Chapel Hill in a game where both offenses struggled. The Terps held North Carolina to four first downs through more than three quarters, but could not hold the 10-7 advantage it had staked itself with 14:14 remaining in the game. Ronald Curry scored the game-winner on a 25-yard run with 7:24 left. For more on the Maryland/UNC series, see page 6 of this release.

Three-For-One
- With the hiring of Ralph Friedgen and Friedgen's ensuing hires of offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe and defensive coordinator Gary Blackney, the Terrapins got the equivalent of three head coaches atop one coaching staff. Though Friedgen is in his first stint as a head coach, Taaffe was most recently the head coach of the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes while Blackney spent 10 successful years (1991-2000) as Bowling Green's head coach .
-Taaffe and Blackney have been able to maintain success virtually everywhere they have been. While in Montreal, Taaffe guided the Alouettes to a combined 25-14 record (two seasons) and an appearance in the 2000 Grey Cup. In 1999 and 2000, he was named the CFL's Coach of the Year, making him the only the second coach to earn such an honor in back-to-back seasons (Marv Levy the first in 1974) and the first ever to do so in his first two campaigns. In addition, he is the winningest coach in The Citadel's history.
- Blackney found success in his own right as Bowling Green's head coach. In 10 successful seasons, Blackney won 60 games (third most in school history), was the only coach in school history to win a bowl game (his Falcons won the 1991 California Raisin Bowl and the 1992 Las Vegas Bowl) and was the only coach to win more than 10 games in back-to-back seasons (11 in 1991, 10 in 1992).
- Though they are new to Maryland, the trio comprises one of the most experienced triumvirates in college football. With their 82 years of combined, full-time experience at the college and/or pro levels, Friedgen, Taaffe and Blackney are the fifth-most experienced trio in Division I-A. Below is a list of the company they keep:

	Rank	School	Years	Staff (Pos./Yrs. of Experience)
	1	Penn State	101	J. Paterno (HC/52), F. Ganter (OC/28), T. Bradley (DC/21)
	2	Florida State	89	B. Bowden (HC/41), J. Bowden (OC/14), M. Andrews (DC/34)
	3	Mississippi State	86	J. Sherrill (HC/31), S. Woods (OC/13), J.L. Dunn (DC/29)
	4	Air Force	83	F. DeBerry (HC/33), C. Petersen (OC/13), R. Bell (DC/39)
	5	Maryland	82	R. Friedgen (HC/28), C. Taaffe (OC/23), G. Blackney (DC/31)

On This Date
- The Terrapins have played just two games in their history on September 1 (both wins). Both games were season openers. The ledger:

	Year	Result          	Opponent	Site
	1990	W, 20-13        	Virginia Tech	College Park, Md.
	1986	W, 10-7         	Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh, Pa.

Coaching Connections
- Ralph Friedgen is not the only new member of the Terrapin coaching staff with ties to College Park, though this is his fourth stint at Maryland (player from 1965-68, graduate assistant from 1969-72, offensive coordinator/offensive line coach from 1982-86 and the present stint).
- Inside linebackers coach Rod Sharpless played linebacker at Maryland from 1972-74, was an outside linebackers coach from 1977-80 and a wide receivers coach for the Terps in `90 and `91. Defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo was a graduate assistant for the Terrapins in 1984 and defensive line coach in `86-87.
- Sollazzo is also one of several coaches with a connection to another institution -- The Citadel. Sollazzo played for (1974-76) and helped coach (1989-98) the Bulldogs, while Friedgen coached there from 1973-79, Charlie Taaffe was a head coach there from 1987-96 and outside linebackers coach served there from 1987-99.

Maryland Coaches in Year One
- In the modern era of college football at Maryland (i.e. since 1950), there have been 11 different head coaches to take over the reigns of the Terrapin program. By and large, those coaches have not had success in that inaugural campaign, but many have gone on to great heights as their careers in College Park progressed. Below is a look at the 10 coaches since 1950 who preceded Ralph Friedgen:

	Coach	1st Year (ACC)	Overall	Tenure Highlghts/Notes
	Tommy Mont (`56-58)	2-7-1 (2-2-1)	11-18-1	Beat No. 14 UNC in `57, had tall task of replacing Jim Tatum
	Tom Nugent (`59-65)	5-5 (4-2)	36-34	Went 7-3 and beat No. 7 Syracuse in `61
	Lou Saban (`66)	4-6 (3-3)	Same	Returned to coaching pro football after one year
	Bob Ward (`67-68)	0-9 (0-6)	2-17	Last Terrapin alum to serve as head coach
	Roy Lester (`69-71)	3-7 (3-3)	7-25	3-3 ACC record tied for 3rd in the conference
	Jerry Claiborne (`72-81)	5-5 (3-2-1)	77-37-3	Three ACC titles, 11-1 in `76, 2nd most wins in Terp history
	Bobby Ross (`82-86)	8-4 (5-1)	39-19-1	Three ACC titles, 24-5-1 all-time in ACC, 42-40 win at Miami in `84
	Joe Krivak (`87-91)	4-7 (3-3)	20-34-2	Beat two ranked teams in `90, 1990 Independence Bowl
	Mark Duffner (`92-96)	3-8 (2-6)	20-35	6-5 season in 1995, finished tied for fifth in ACC
	R Vanderlinden (`97-00)	2-9 (1-7)	15-29	Beat UNC 45-7 to move to 5-2 in `99 (finished 5-6)

Local Ties
- Maryland has one player who calls the state of North Carolina home as true freshman Russell Bonham (OT) played at Carver High School in Winston-Salem. In addition, Terrapin inside linebackers coach Rod Sharpless is a native of Jacksonville, N.C.
- North Carolina boasts three players from the state of Maryland. Junior Zach Hilton is from Silver Spring (Good Counsel), sophomore CB Derrick Johnson is from Upper Marlboro (Eleanor Roosevelt) and freshman OL Arthur Smith is from Rockville (Georgetown Prep). Tar Heel defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jon Tenuta coached and was on the same staff as Ralph Friedgen at Maryland in 1983. Tenuta served as a graduate assistant that season.

Homeboys
- On national signing day, 2001, Ralph Friedgen said that in addition to landing some of the top recruits nationally, one of his goals was to make sure that all of the best players in the state of Maryland stayed in state and became Terps.
- Over the course of the past five years, the Maryland-D.C.-Northern Virginia recruiting area has been tapped more successfully in each ensuing year. In 1993, just 23 players on the Maryland roster hailed from either Maryland, D.C. or Northern Virginia, with six of those serving as opening game starters. Since that time, however, numbers in both categories have risen steadily. Below is a look at the trend:

	Md./D.C./No. Va.	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
	Players on the Roster	23	34	39	46	49
	Opening-Game Starters	6	5	7	12	11*     *projected

Ray Guy Candidate Brooks Barnard
- Junior All-America candidate Brooks Barnard has been nominated for the 2001 Ray Guy Award which recognizes the nation's top Division I-A punter. Barnard finished fourth nationally a year ago in punting average with a school-record 44.7-yard mark and is the second-leading punter among the nation's returnees, trailing only Minnesota's Preston Gruening who led the nation with a 45.2-yard average a year ago.
- Barnard's 44.7-yard average bested the previous mark of 43.8, set by Scott Milanovich in 1993. For his efforts, he was named an honorable mention All-ACC selection as well as an honorable mention All-American by the Football News.
- In 2000, Barnard had a total of 13 punts that traveled further than 50 yards and had eight punts downed inside the 20.
- In last year's opener versus Temple, Barnard had a game for the ages as he posted a school-record 53.8 yards per punt (on six attempts) and just missed the school record by booming one 85 yards. In that game, four of Barnrad's punts traveled over 50 yards and were it not for two "pooch" punts (28 and 41 yards) he would have shattered the ACC single-game mark for average of 54.8 yards.

King of the Hill
- Over the course of the past three years, one thing that has been consistent at Maryland has been a quarterback controversy to start the season. In 2001, there is anything but controversy.
- After using a total of six different quarterbacks since the start of 1998, the Terps now have a solid, sure-fire starter going into the season in senior Shaun Hill. The Parsons, Kan., native has been far-and-away the Terrapins' offensive leader in the offseason, picking up the new system in the spring and separating himself from those behind him on the depth chart in fall workouts.
- Hill, who opened 2000 as the starter before spraining his shoulder, passed for 778 yards in his first year as a Terp while completing 58 percent of his passes (73-of-126). He passed for six TDs and four interceptions on the year and led Maryland to its biggest win of `00, a come-from-behind win over NC State.

Filling Big Shoes
- Entering 2001, many will have their eyes in the Maryland backfield with the interest of seeing who will replace departed star LaMont Jordan. Jordan, a second-round selection of the NFL's New York Jets, finished his Terrapin career in 2000 as the team's all-time leading rusher with 4,147 yards and as the school's leader in all-purpose yards with 4,960.
- Against UNC, Terp fans can expect to see at least three tailbacks sharing the load, with all three having very different makeups.
- Sophomore Bruce Perry redshirted a year ago after spelling LaMont Jordan as a true freshman in 1999. In that season, the elusive Perry (5-9, 190) rushed 30 times for 195 yards (6.5 avg.). Perry seems to have the early stronghold of the starting job after running harder in recent weeks and displaying strong receiving skills.
- Senior Marc Riley is a short-yardage specialist with good size (6-3, 225) but limited experience (20 career carries). Riley's strength comes in his work ethic, consistency and intelligence which have all paid dividends in learning the new offensive system.
- The third player to watch should see more playing time as the year progresses and certainly in years to come. Freshman Jason Crawford -- a player who initially signed with North Carolina out of high school -- is big (6-2, 215) and athletic and simply needs seasoning with the offense and at the collegiate level.

Fowler Anchors O-Line
- Senior honors candidate Melvin Fowler heads up an offensive line that will be a position to watch as the year progresses and in the future. Fowler, who was recently added to the "watch list" for the Lombardi Award (recognizes the top interior lineman in Division I-A), has started 33 consecutive games at center and is the lone senior listed on the two-deep heading into the season opener.
- Of the 10 players listed on the depth chart for the UNC game, only three (Fowler and juniors Todd Wike and Matt Crawford) are not underclassmen. All told, the breakdown includes one senior, two juniors, three sophomores and three redshirt freshmen (Kyle Schmitt backs up at two spots).
- Despite their youth, the line is not without experience as four starters (Fowler, Wike, Bryant, Crawford) return from a year ago.
- The 21 sacks allowed by the Terrapins in 2000 were the second fewest in the ACC a year ago. The 21 sacks was an average of just 1.9 per game and one sack for every 16.8 pass attempts.

Henderson Worth Watching
- Junior E.J. Henderson begins his third season as a Terrapin as a player the new coaches have raved about. The team leader in tackles in 2000 with 109 (despite missing a game-and-a-half due to injury), Henderson has been flying all over the place since the start of spring.
- Henderson finished seventh in the ACC in tackles a year ago and is third among those returning in 2001. A viable All-American candidate, Henderson averaged 13.8 tackles per game (55 total) in the four games after his injury last year including 18 in the finale versus Georgia Tech.
- In his two years at Maryland, Henderson has notched double-digits in tackles six times.

Thompson on Butkus List
- Senior linebacker Aaron Thompson is one of 69 players (and one of five ACC players) who have been named to the "watch list" for the 2001 Butkus Award which recognizes Division I-A's top linebacker.
- Thompson enters 2001 having started all 33 games of his career at Maryland.
- With 35 career tackles for loss, Thompson ranks fourth on the all-time Maryland list (which began being tracked in 1974). With two more TFLs, Thompson will tie the school record of 37 set by Charles Johnson (1976-78).
- In addition, Thompson needs just 53 TFL yards to become the school's all-time leader.
- The Baltimore native's 17 TFLs in 1999 rank tied for third on the Terps' single season charts.
- With four sacks, Thompson will move into the career top 10 at Maryland. Should he match his total from a year ago, Thompson would move into sole possession of the number eight spot.
- In 11 games of 2000, Thompson finished fifth on the team in tackles with 81, was second in sacks with 6.5 and added nine TFLs.

Gary Cleared
- Senior wideout Guilian Gary has been cleared to resume practicing in hopes of being ready for this weekend's opener with North Carolina. The Horseheads, N.Y., native suffered a spinal injury at practice on Tuesday, August 21, and was airlifted to a shock & trauma center in Baltimore where he was ultimately evaluated and diagnosed with a neck sprain.
- Gary, Maryland's leading receiver the past two seasons, enters 2001 with a chance to both crack the school's top 10 for receptions and become the first Terrapin since All-American Gary Collins (1959-61) to lead the team in three consecutive seasons.
- In addition to his receiving skills, Gary is also one of the top punt returners in school history. Last season he became the first Terp to lead his team in punt return yards for three straight years. He currently ranks fifth on the school's career list with 476 return yards.

Anniversary of Perfection
- The start of this football season marks the end of 50 years since the only season of perfection at the University of Maryland. The 1951 Terps went 10-0 and defeated top-ranked Tennessee, 28-13, in the Sugar Bowl.
- Led by All-Americans Bob Ward and Ray Krouse, brothers Ed and Dick Modzelewski and QB Jack Scarbath, the Terrapins ran through the entire `51 campaign allowing more than seven points only three times and ultimately sharing the Southern Conference championship with VMI before defeating the Vols to close the season.
- In `51, national champions were anointed prior to the bowl season, thus, Tennessee was that season's national champ while the Terps ranked third.

Consecutive Starts
- Several Terrapins carry significant streaks of consecutive starts into the 2001 season. By number of starts: C Melvin Fowler - 33, OLB Aaron Thompson - 33, OG Todd Wike - 21, CB Tony Okanlawon - 14, and LB Mike Whaley - 11.
- Terps not listed above who have started the most games overall (not consecutive) include: OT Matt Crawford - 20, NT Charles Hill - 15, and LB E.J. Henderson - 12.

Iron Terps
- As a team, Maryland had its strongest offseason in recent history, literally. In preseason strength and conditioning testing this year, the Terrapins set four team strength records.
- This year's Terps set team records for strength index, power clean, squat and bench press, improving on the previous all-time team highs that had been established since such records have been kept (started in 1983).
- Individually, eight Terrapins set records in disciplines at their respective positions, but none were more impressive than DE Durrand Roundtree.
- Roundtree, a junior from Baltimore, set the all-time record for strength index with an incredible 844 (700 is considered high), and set D-line records in the bench (490), squat (760) and vertical jump (36.5 inches).

Terp Alley
- In an effort to restore some tradition on gameday in College Park, the football staff has come up with something that will likely become tradition outside Byrd Stadium.
- For every football home game in 2001, the entire football team will make its first appearance at "Terp Alley." The team will be dropped off at the circle at the top of Field House Drive (between the football press box and Ludwig Field) approximately two hours before kickoff and it will be led through fans gathered along the street to the football complex.
- The team will be escorted by the Terrapin band and cheerleaders. The idea is similar to that of the famous "Grove" at Ole Miss where fans temporarily leave their tailgating sessions to cheer their team on as it heads into battle.

Scouting the Tar Heels
- North Carolina comes to College Park with a record of 0-1 after falling, 41-27, to No. 3 Oklahoma last Saturday in the Hispanic College Fund Classic in Norman, Okla.
- Things looked bleak early for the Heels as they allowed 31 first quarter points to the Sooners. UNC did not give up, however, and ultimately outscored the defending national champs 20-10 in the final three quarters before succumbing to defeat.
- UNC returns 16 starters from a year ago after finishing 6-5 and tying the Terps for sixth in the ACC in `00. The team made its mark a year ago with its defense as it finished 19th nationally in rushing defense (103.5 ypg) and 30th in total defense (327.5 ypg) but had troubles with a -1.09 turnover margin, which ranked 103rd nationally. Overall, the Heels averaged 269 yards of total offense per game last year (vs. opponents' 284) and 24.5 points (vs. opponents' 25.8).
- The Tar Heels are led by a big name on each side of the ball. Offensively, senior Ronald Curry returns after setting a single-season record with 2,676 yards of total offense a year ago while throwing for 11 touchdowns (11 int.) and running for six more.
- On defense, Carolina has one of the top players in the country in DE Julius Peppers. Peppers led the nation in sacks a year ago with 15 and set the school record for TFLs with 24, surpassing the mark of former UNC and NFL great Lawrence Taylor. Against Oklahoma, Peppers intercepted a pass and returned it 29 yards for the Tar Heels' first score.

Coach John Bunting
- Like Ralph Friedgen, John Bunting is in his first year as a head coach at his alma mater. Bunting, a 1972 grad of Chapel Hill and standout linebacker, most recently served as a linebackers coach for the NFL's New Orleans Saints. That job came on the heels of posts with the St. Louis Rams (1997-99) and Kansas City Chiefs (1993-96).
- Unlike Friedgen, Bunting has previously worked as a head coach, but not at the Division I-A level. His first head coaching job came at Rowan University from 1988-92 after working as the team's defensive line coach in 1987. That head job came after just three years as a full-time coach as he started with his former pro team, the USFL's Baltimore Stars, in 1985 before working a year (1986) at Brown and then moving on to Rowan.
- Bunting is the first Carolina alum and first football letterwinner to become the school's football coach since Jim Tatum in 1956.
- As a player, Bunting was an All-ACC performer at linebacker before spending 13 years at the professional level (11 with the Philadelphia Eagles, two with the USFL's Baltimore Stars).

Byrd Stadium
- Now in its 52nd year of operation, Byrd Stadium continues to serve as the home of the Terps. Opened on September 30, 1950, and constructed for a sum of $1 milliion, Byrd was named after Dr. H.C. "Curley" Byrd, a multi-sport star at Maryland who later became the school's head football coach and ultimately its president.
- Heading into 2001, the Terrapins are 157-103-1 within the friendly confines of Byrd (capacity 48,055).

Ticket Information
- Individual game tickets for Terp home games may be purchased locally at any Ticketmaster outlet or by visiting the Maryland ticket office at Cole Field House. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.
- For additional info or to order by phone, call (800) 462-TERP.

From Coach Friedgen
-(On his impressions coming out of camp)
"We've shown some improvement, and I'm anxious to see how much. I don't know who will show up Saturday. I'm anxious and excited. You never know how kids will react under fire. There's never a game where you won't find yourself in situations you have to fight your way through. You've got to hang together and believe you will come out in the end. I'm anxious to see how we respond in those situations. A lot of times that's the difference between winning and losing -- how well you handle adversity and how you persevere."

-(On the status on wide receiver Guilian Gary)
"I've said we have to break him in slow. Everything has tested out normal, and he's back to normal. I'm expecting he'll be in practice on Monday. Then we'll just have to see how he proceeds from there." [Note: Gary was cleared Saturday by medical personnel to resume full participation, although he was held out of Saturday's scrimmage by the coaching staff.]

-(On his rotation of receivers)
"I'd like to keep six [in the rotation]. When [Steve] Suter comes back - and they're talking about him possibly being back Tuesday - we'll have to make some decisions. I think you have certain guys and you work them, and if some are close, you rotate them. I never want them to think they're too far from the scout field. I think guys are a little more motivated that way."

-(On the defensive line)
"We'll play quite a bit of those kids [on the two-deep] to keep them fresh. C.J. Feldheim has really improved since the spring, and I think Charles Hill and Durrand Roundtree are playing well. And so is Scott Smith, he's playing better than I saw in the spring. And I think [true freshman] Randy Starks is going to be a really good player, we'll just let him grow. I wouldn't say this area is a weakness any more, we've got a couple guys who can play, and they play hard right now. You keep them fresh, let them play hard, and let them go as far as they can go."

-(On QB Shaun Hill)
"Shaun Hill has done very, very well. In fact, better than I thought he would have played to this point. "

-(On team's progress assimilating the offensive scheme)
"The team is executing plays better. Things that were very hard in the spring - like throwing an out route - are very easy for us. In the spring, we might have completed three of 10, now it's seven of 10. I won't be happy until it's 10 out of 10. But it's not a panic anymore, it's just a confidence thing of going over and catching it. We still have some bridges to cross."

-(On the offense)
"Our top two tight ends are two really good tight ends. I think [Matt] Murphy and [Jeff] Dugan are as good as there are in the conference. That's a strength for us. And I think we have three fullbacks that are pretty good. Tailback is a question of who is going to rise to the occasion. Our offensive line is still young, they need to keep improving. They will be really tested against a real good offensive line [against North Carolina]."