Sept. 10, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - <>

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The Game

- The University of Maryland football team takes on regional rival West Virginia University in the final game of three straight home contests to open the 2001 season and the start of the Ralph Friedgen era in College Park. Kickoff for the game is set for 6:05 p.m. at Byrd Stadium.

- Maryland has begun its 109th season of college football in impressive fashion, handing conference foe North Carolina a 23-7 defeat in the season opener two weeks ago and then blasting Eastern Michigan, 50-3, last weekend. Maryland starts 2-0 for the third time in the last 10 years but it is only the second time since 1979 that one of those wins was against a conference opponent.

- West Virginia enters this weekend's game at 1-1 (0-1 Big East) after defeating a MAC opponent itself. The Mountaineers handed Ohio a 20-3 loss in Morgantown. Rich Rodriguez's first win as a head coach was not in hand early, however, as the two teams were knotted at 3-3 heading into the fourth quarter.

- Should Maryland beat the Mountaineers, it would mark just the third time in the last 16 years that the Terps will have beaten both West Virginia and North Carolina in the same season.

- In addition to being the final game of a three-game homestand to start 2001, the Maryland/WVU tilt 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.

- This Saturday's game can be heard live on WTEM (980 AM) in the D.C. area, but the game will not be heard live on WBAL (1090 AM) in the Baltimore area due to conflicts with the Baltimore Orioles. WBAL will tape delay the broadcast and carry the game after the Orioles' day-night doubleheader while the Terps will be available live in the Baltimore area on WNST (1570 AM).

Series Notes

- Saturday's game marks the 39th meeting between the Terrapins and Mountaineers. West Virginia leads the all-time series -- which began in 1919 -- by a 19-17-2 margin.

- Maryland and WVU have met every year since 1980. The Mountaineers have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the two schools and 12 of the 21 meetings since 1980.

- Despite the Mountaineers' recent success, the series between the two Mid-Atlantic schools has been very evenly matched over the years. So much so, in fact, that if the Terps had been able to pull out a victory in Morgantown last year, the series records for the two teams at home and on the road would have been an identical 9-9-1 (as it stands, Maryland is 9-9-1 at Byrd and 8-10-2 at Morgantown).

- In last year's 30-17 WVU win, Maryland trailed 20-3 at the half before scoring 14 third-quarter points to cut the deficit to three. The Terrapins threatened to take the lead with 6:38 remaining but QB Calvin McCall was ruled short on a dive from the one and the Mountaineers went on to tack another TD onto their 23-17 lead for the final tally.

- In the 2000 game, Maryland's LaMont Jordan ran for just 38 yards, but it was enough to give him the school record for rushing yards.

- The lone Terp remaining from last year's game who found the end zone is, surprisingly, linebacker Leon Joe who returned an interception 55 yards in the third quarter for a TD that cut the Maryland deficit to three (20-17).

- The last time Maryland had the opportunity to move to 3-0 to start a season (1999), it beat West Virginia, 33-0, at Byrd Stadium.

- The West Virginia game marks the second time in three games this year that the Maryland game involves a pair of new head coaches. Rich Rodriguez was Clemson's offensive coordinator a year ago while Ralph Friedgen served the same post at Georgia Tech. The coordinators were both key cogs in last year's thrilling 31-28 Georgia Tech win at Clemson where the Yellow Jackets scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, the final strike being a 16-yard pass from George Godsey to Kerry Watkins who made a diving one-handed grab with seven seconds remaining on the clock. Clemson went into the game undefeated and ranked fourth nationally.

Offensive Breakout

- Maryland scored one touchdown in the first three quarters of 2001, but has since gone on a scoring rampage scoring 64 points in the five ensuing quarters.

- The Terrapins held a 44-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter against Eastern Michigan, the largest lead by a Maryland team since it held a 45-0 lead in an eventual 45-7 win over UNC in 1999. The Terps' 47-point margin of victory was their largest since a 52-0 home win over Wake Forest in 1996.

- The 280 rushing yards by Maryland were more than it gained in any single game last year and most since the last game of 1999, when the Terps rambled for 445 versus Virginia (LaMont Jordan for a school record 306).

- Maryland ran up 476 yards of total offense and outgained Eastern Michigan by 352 yards. The yardage total is the most by Maryland since it gained 479 against Wake Forest last year.

Defense Off and Running

- Though the season is only two weeks old for Maryland, one fact seems apparent -- the Terrapin defense is much improved over last year. Though the personnel is not drastically different, the results have been. A unit that allowed an average of 440 yards per game a year ago has not allowed more than 276 in either game and is thus far yielding an average of 200 yards per contest.

- Last season's top defensive performance was in giving up 276 yards of total offense to Duke in a 20-9 win in Durham. That game was one of just two games in which Maryland held its opponent under 300 yards (UNC the other). Two games into this season, Maryland has already matched that total and were it not for a 77-yard run on the first play of the North Carolina game, the Terps would have held both of their opponents under 200 yards.

- The 124 yards of total offense that Eastern Michigan was held to were the fewest by a Maryland opponent since 1980 when the Terps held Virginia to a sum of 90 yards.

- The EMU game marked just the sixth time since 1980 that the Terrapins held an opponent under 200 yards of offense. All but one of those games (Wake Forest in '96) came prior to 1983.

- Last season's lowest point total allowed was Duke's nine points, and opponents averaged 25.8 points per game. This year, neither opponent has scored more than seven and the average allowed is a paltry 5.0 points per outing.

- Terp opponents are averaging 2.2 yards per carry this season.

- Maryland has yet to allow a touchdown through the air and has not allowed a touchdown (rush or pass) in seven consecutive quarters.

- The Terrapin defense is currently ranked fifth in scoring (5.0 ppg), 17th against the run (71.0 ypg), and 20th against the pass (129.0 ypg) in the NCAA.

On This Date

- The Terrapins have played four games in their history on September 15 and own a 1-3 record on the date. Maryland lost its only game versus West Virginia played on the 15th, in 1973. The ledger:

	Year	Result	Opponent	Site
	1990	L, 18-17	Clemson	College Park
	1984	L, 23-14	Vanderbilt	College Park
	1979	W, 19-0	Clemson	Clemson, S.C.
	1973	L, 20-13	West Virginia	College Park

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 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 was able to achieve in his own right as a head coach at Bowling Green. 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 83 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:

	Rk.	School	Yrs.	Staff (Pos./Yrs. of Experience)
	1	Penn St.	101	J. Paterno (HC/52), F. Ganter (OC/28), T. Bradley (DC/21)
	2	Florida St.	89	B. Bowden (HC/41), J. Bowden (OC/14), M. Andrews (DC/34)
	3	Mississippi St.	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) 

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
	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 pros 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 T3rd in the conference
	Jerry Claiborne ('72-81)	5-5 (3-2-1)	77-37-3	Three ACC titles, 2nd most wins at Md.
	Bobby Ross ('82-86)	8-4 (5-1)	39-19-1	Three ACC titles, 24-5-1 all-time in ACC
	Joe Krivak ('87-91)	4-7 (3-3)	20-34-2	1990 Independence Bowl
	Mark Duffner ('92-96)	3-8 (2-6)	20-35	6-5 season in '95, finished T5th in ACC
	R. Vanderlinden ('97-00)	2-9 (1-7)	15-29	Beat UNC 45-7 to move to 5-2 in '99
	Ralph Friedgen ('01-)	2-0 (1-0)	Same	Led Terps to opening day win over UNC

Barnard Leads NCAA in Punting

- Junior All-America candidate and Ray Guy nominee Brooks Barnard hasn't taken long in picking up where he left off a year ago. Barnard punted just twice against Eastern Michigan (46.0 avg.) but the inactivity didn't hurt his average this year as he stands at 49.5 yards per punt, best in NCAA Division I-A.

- Barnard was one of the primary keys to the Terps' success in owning prime field position against UNC as he averaged 50.4 yards on eight punts.

- Of Barnard's 10 punts on the year, six have been downed inside the 20 (four inside the 20 and two inside the 10) and eight have been 50 yards or further.

- Barnard finished fourth nationally a year ago in punting average with a school-record 44.7-yard mark and was 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 last season bested the previous Maryland mark of 43.8, set by Scott Milanovich in 1993. For his efforts, Barnard 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 eight punts downed inside the 20. After two games in 2001, he has already had eight go further than 50 and six downed inside the 20.

LaMont Who?

- Entering 2001, many have had 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.

- Thus far, sophomore back Bruce Perry has not only led Maryland in rushing, but he has done so in a fashion that has made last season's rushing attack pale by comparison.

- Perry has opened his first season as the Terrapins' starter by posting back-to-back 100-yard efforts and improving his career single-game highs with each outing.

- Against EMU, Perry carried 16 times for a robust 133 yards (8.3 ypc) and three touchdowns -- all before the end of the third quarter. The 133 yards bested his career high of 116 set the week before and the three touchdowns were the first, second and third of his career.

- With his three TDs, Perry became just the 13th player in school history to find the end zone three times in one game via the run.

- Perry enters week three ranked 12th in the NCAA and second in the ACC in rushing with 124.5 yards per game.

Hill a Vital Cog at QB

- Though his numbers are not yet eye-popping, there is no questioning that senior Shaun Hill is the leader of the Terrapin offense.

- Two games in, the Parsons, Kansas, native is playing mistake-free football in leading Maryland to two impressive wins. With Hill under center, the Terps have not committed a turnover (the lone fumble was by backup Latrez Harrison).

- Hill improved in the passing department versus EMU, going 15-of-21 (.714) for 187 yards, and one TD in just over two quarters of work.

- Though his yardage totals are not the highest in the league, Hill's production has been just what the doctor ordered for a team in search of the winning feeling -- four TDs (three passing, one rushing) and no interceptions or fumbles.

Fowler Anchors O-Line

- Senior honors candidate Melvin Fowler heads up an offensive line that will be a unit to watch as the year progresses and in the future. Fowler, who was named to this season's "watch list" for the Lombardi Award (recognizing the top interior lineman in Division I-A), has now started 35 consecutive games at center and is the lone senior listed on the offensive line's two-deep heading into the West Virginia game.

- Of the 10 players listed on the depth chart for the WVU 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.

- Through two games, the Maryland O-line has allowed just three sacks and has helped the Terps churn out an average of 220.5 rushing yards per game, 19th-best in the nation.

Man in the Middle

- Junior E.J. Henderson is quickly becoming a player to watch on a defense that has been nothing short of outstanding. The team leader in tackles in 2000 with 109 (despite missing a game-and-a-half due to injury), Henderson has opened 2001 by leading the Terps in tackles in each of their first two games.

- Against Eastern Michigan, Henderson spent most of his day in the opponent's backfield, making eight total tackles (five solo), with three of those coming behind the line of scrimmage in about one half of play.

- Henderson currently leads Maryland in tackles (20) and tackles for loss (6).

- In his two-plus years at Maryland, Henderson has notched double-digits in tackles eight times.

- Dating back to last year, Henderson has finished with double-digit tackle performances in five of the last six games.

- 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.

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 the West Virginia game having started all 35 games of his career at Maryland.

- Through two games, Thompson leads the Terps in sacks (2.5) and is second in TFLs (4).

- With four tackles for loss in the UNC game, Thompson moved to the top of the Maryland career list (which began being tracked in 1974) with 39. He broke the school record of 37 held by Charles Johnson (1976-78).

- In addition, Thompson now needs just 30 TFL yards to become the school's all-time leader.

- With 1.5 more sacks, Thompson will move into the career top 10 at Maryland. Should he match his total of 6.5 sacks from a year ago, Thompson would move into sole possession of the number eight spot.

- The Baltimore native's 17 TFLs in 1999 rank tied for third on the Terps' single-season charts.

Gary Regaining Form

- Just over two weeks after being airlifted from practice to the hospital, senior wideout Guilian Gary has resumed playing and seems to be back where he was prior to the incident. 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 led the Terps in receiving against EMU, catching a career-high tying six passes for 76 yards, including a 19-yard TD in the second quarter.

- With his six receptions against Eastern Michigan, Gary has now caught at least one pass in each of the last 13 games.

- Gary, Maryland's leading receiver the past two seasons, entered 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.

- With his six catches last week, Gary broke into the Maryland career top 20 with his 72nd reception.

- 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 483 return yards.

Local Ties

- Maryland does not have any players who were born in the state of West Virginia, but that is not to say that it does not have any ties. A pair of quarterbacks, Scott McBrien and Hunter Cross, were each on the West Virginia roster as early as this past spring and transferred to College Park prior to the start of the season (both players are natives of the state of Maryland).

- The Mountaineers have a total of six players from the Old-Line State. By hometown: DT Antwan Lake (Cambridge), WR Mike Page (Cumberland), DB Brian King (Damascus), DB Joe Scritchfield (Gaithersburg), DT David Upchurch (Hyattsville), FB Moe Fofana (Silver Spring).

In The Zone

- The Terps have been solid thus far in 2001 in the red zone both offensively and defensively.

- Through two games, Maryland is 8-of-10 in the red zone with eight touchdowns. The lone stumbles were both missed field goals.

- Opponents have made it into Maryland's red zone just once this season and have come away empty.

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 Al Seamonson served there from 1987-99.

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.	'97	'98	'99	'00	'01
	Players on the Roster	23	34	39	46	49
	Opening-Day Starters	6	5	7	12	10

Anniversary of Perfection

- The start of this football season marked 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 currently own significant streaks of consecutive starts. By number of starts: C Melvin Fowler - 35, OLB Aaron Thompson - 35, OG Todd Wike - 23, CB Tony Okanlawon - 16, and LB Mike Whaley - 13.

-Terps not listed above who have started the most games overall (not consecutive) include: OT Matt Crawford - 22, NT Charles Hill - 17, and LB E.J. Henderson - 14.

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 of 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 by the Maryland band and cheerleaders.

Scouting West Virginia

- West Virginia comes to College Park with a 1-1 record after beating Ohio, 20-3, last weekend.

- The Mountaineers opened their season with a 34-10 loss to Boston College, making them 0-1 in the Big East.

- West Virginia has out-passed its opponents in '01, but has had troubles on the ground. The Mountaineers are averaging 143.5 yards on the ground per game themselves, but have allowed an average of 274.0 yards per game to their opponents.

- WVU's top offensive player is junior TB Avon Coburne. Coburne is averaging an impressive 117.5 rushing yards per game and leads the team in scoring with three TDs.

- The West Virginia defense is allowing an average of 390.5 yards per game thus far in '01. The team's top tackler has been S Rick Sherrod (25 tackles, 16 solo) but their top player is LB Grant Wiley, a 2000 freshman All-America who missed the Ohio game due to injury.

- The Mountaineer's pass protection has been solid, allowing just four sacks, but its pass rush has struggled, producing just one sack thus far this season.

WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez

- Rich Rodriguez is in his first year as the head coach at West Virginia. Like Ralph Friedgen, Rodriguez joins his alma mater after serving as an offensive coordinator a year ago.

- Rodriguez, hired three days before Friedgen (November 26), is WVU's 31st head coach and comes to Morgantown after two successful two-year stints under Tommy Bowden. The first was as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tulane from in 1997 and '98. In 1999 and 2000, he served under Bowden as offensive coordinator and associate head coach at Clemson.

- In their years together, Rodriguez and Bowden took little time to turn things around at Tulane and Clemson. At both schools, teams struggled somewhat in year one (a combined 13-10 record) only to have strong second years (21-3).

- The best year Rodriguez had as an assistant was at Tulane in 1998 when the Green Wave rode the strong play of quarterback Shaun King to a perfect 12-0 record and a berth in the Liberty Bowl.

- A native of Grant Town, W. Va., Rodriguez was a three-time letterwinner at defensive back for the Mountaineers from 1982-84.

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.