Football Notes -- Bye Week

Oct. 10, 2002

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Terps Idle This Week After Big Win; Georgia Tech Next Thursday

The University of Maryland football team has a much-deserved bye this week on the heels of a big win over West Virginia in Morgantown last weekend. The Terrapins will now begin preparation for a much anticipated rematch with Georgia Tech, the team against which Maryland entered the nation's collective consciousness eyes a year ago.

Last Saturday, the Terps earned their best win of the 2002 campaign in a 48-17 drubbing of West Virginia on the Mountaineers' home turf. In the win, Maryland posted its most lopsided victory at WVU since 1950 and its biggest road win since a 45-14 victory at Virginia in 1982.

The win was Maryland's third-in-a-row and pushed its record to 4-2 overall (0-1 ACC). The Terrapins now await the bulk of their Atlantic Coast Conference season as the remaining seven games are all against conference competition.

Like the Terps, Georgia Tech has this week off. The Yellow Jackets suffered their first home loss of the season and second overall in a 24-21 loss to Wake Forest. The win was the Demon Deacons' first in Atlanta since 1994.

Last season, the Terrapins did not get an official bye week. Originally, Maryland's bye week was scheduled for September 29, but because of the 9/11 tragedy, it had to move its game with West Virginia to that week. And though it did not play WVU on its originally scheduled date of September 15, it did not have a true bye week as it practiced through Thursday of that week, when it was ultimately determined there would be no games that weekend.

Series Notes -- MARYLAND vs. Georgia Tech

Next Thursday's game marks the 15th meeting between the Terrapins and Yellow Jackets. The series began in 1988 and Georgia Tech owns a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series.

Like last season, this year's game will take place on a Thursday night in front of a nationall-televised audience on ESPN. The 2001 edition served as a national coming-out party for former Tech assistant Ralph Friedgen and his Terps as Maryland beat the Yellow Jackets, 20-17, in overtime.

Among the Terps on this year's roster who played a notable role in the win a year ago, E.J. Henderson, Jafar Williams and Nick Novak stand out as the most memorable. Henderson had what was then a career-high 18 tackles and scored the game's first points on a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Williams scored the first rushing TD of his career on a beautiful 11-yard reverse that put the Terps up 14-0. And most memorable of all was Novak's 46-yard field goal to send the game to overtime before connecting on a 26-yarder that ultimately served as the game winner. Then a redshirt freshman, Novak came into the game having never made anything longer than 33 yards in a collegiate game.

Last year's dramatic win broke a four-game Georgia Tech win streak in the series and was the first-ever for the Terrapins in Atlanta.

Three of Maryland's four wins in the series have come at Byrd Stadium (1988, 1996 and 1996) and despite the fact that it is a home-and-home series, this year's game will be just the second in six years at Byrd Stadium (the 1998 matchup took place at PSINet Stadium).

Though the Terps have been beaten 10 times in 14 meetings, they have a .500 record (3-3) when Friedgen is not a member of the Yellow Jacket coaching staff (1992-96 Friedgen was with the Chargers and last year he was with Maryland).

Defense Stepping Up

In its win over West Virginia last weekend, the Maryland defense held the nation's No. 1 rushing offense 159 yards below its season average of 345.5 yards per outing. Though the effort was impressive, it should have come as no surprise as it is a trend the Terps have maintained nearly all year.

In all but one game this year (Akron), the Terrapin defense has held its opposition below its season average. On the whole, the Terps have held their foes to 96.2 yards per game less on the ground than their average coming into the game and in the lone game it did not hold its opposition below its average (Akron), it still held it under 100 yards (82). (Note: Notre Dame was not included because it was the season's first game, however, the 130 yards Maryland held the Irish to is 33 yards shy of its current per game average.)

The Terps' impressive work has not come against weak competition, either, as two of its most impressive outings have come against two of the nation's top rushing teams.

West Virginia averaged 345.5 rushing yards per game coming in, had the nation's leading rusher in Avon Cobourne and was coming in on the heels of a game which saw it run for 536 yards. Maryland held WVU 159 yards below its average and Cobourne 36 yards below his average even with him having a 43-yard run mixed in.

Florida State was the nation's No. 3 rushing offense coming into the Maryland game, averaging 318 yards per game largely behind Greg Jones, who was then the nation's eighth-leading rusher at 143 yards per game. The Terrapins held the 'Noles to 169 yards (149 below their average) and Jones to 106 (37 below his average), with Jones gaining most of his yardage late in the game (54 yards on 16 carries heading into the fourth quarter).

More On The Defense

Through October 5, Gary Blackney's unit has allowed just 16.8 points per game, 19th-best nationally and second in the ACC. The Terps' pass defense ranks 29th nationally, allowing an average of 182.3 yards per game

The Terps have been toughest to score on this year at the start of each half, yielding 16 and 20 points in the first and third quarters, respectively.

In the last three games, Maryland has allowed just three touchdowns and an average of 9.3 points per game.

Three-For-One

With the hiring of Ralph Friedgen and Friedgen's ensuing hires of offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe and defensive coordinator Gary Blackney prior to the 2001 season, the Terrapins got the equivalent of three head coaches atop one coaching staff. Though Friedgen is in just his second season as a head coach, Taaffe (Montreal Alouettes and The Citadel) and Blackney (Bowling Green) each bring head coaching experience to the table.

Taaffe and Blackney were able to maintain success virtually everywhere they had been as head coaches. 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).

Now in their second seasons at Maryland, the trio comprises one of the most experienced triumvirates in college football. With their 85 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.	104	J. Paterno (HC/53), F. Ganter (OC/29), T. Bradley (DC/22)
2	Florida St.	92	B. Bowden (HC/42), J. Bowden (OC/15), M. Andrews (DC/35)
3	Mississippi St.	89	J. Sherrill (HC/32), S. Woods (OC/14), J.L. Dunn (DC/30)
4	Air Force	86	F. DeBerry (HC/34), C. Petersen (OC/14), R. Bell (DC/40)
5	Maryland	85	R. Friedgen (HC/29), C. Taaffe (OC/24), G. Blackney (DC/32)

Note: Totals reflect years coaching prior to the 2002 season.

A Wealth of Experience

The coaching experience does not end on the Terrapin coaching staff with Coach Friedgen and his coordinators. The Maryland staff overall possesses a combined total of 206 years of full-time experience at either the collegiate or pro levels.

That total includes five coaches (excluding Friedgen, Taaffe and Blackney) who have been at it for 18 years or more, and the 206 years means an average of almost 21 years of experience per coach on this year's staff.

Odds & Ends -- West Virginia

With 28 points in the first quarter, Maryland had one of its most prolific quarters in recent history. The Terps' four first quarter touchdowns gave them the most points in a quarter since the team posted 29 vs. Duke on October 23, 1982, a feat that was accomplished 225 games ago.

The Terps racked up 215 yards on the ground against West Virginia, giving them 703 over their last three contests.

By holding WVU 159 yards below its average, Maryland outgained what was the nation's best rushing team, 215-186.

Among those who got into the act against the Mountaineers were a couple of players who notched career firsts. Gerrick McPhearson snuffed a late scoring effort with his first career interception and Ray Custis stopped another scoring drive in the fourth with his first career sack on 4th and 5.

Maryland posted its highest sack total of the season against West Virginia, putting down the Mountaineers' signal callers eight times.

Junior linebacker Leon Joe had another strong outing, notching 11 tackles (six solo). In his five games this year, Joe has tallied double-digit tackles three times.

Livin' Here In Allen/Downs

The Terrapin rushing attack has been revived in recent weeks -- despite the fact that the anticipated return of injured tailback Bruce Perry has not transpired -- and it has done so behind a pair of players who have taken different roads to the top of the depth chart.

Freshman Josh Allen and senior Chris Downs have been key cogs in the Terrapins' return to their winning ways, despite a contrast in styles.

At 5-11 and 194 pounds, Allen is a true freshman who plays stronger than his size and has the ability to get outside with speed that hovers in the 4.5 range and possibly below. The season began with the possibility of Allen redshirting this year but with his grasp of the playbook improving, his play in practice practically forced the coaches to give him a look this year.

Like Allen, Downs forced his way into the lineup but in a different way. Downs, starter in each of the last five games, made his way into the lineup with a great attitude and work ethic. At 5-8 and 193 pounds, he is slight but strong and has shown the ability to both find the hole as well as take it the distance. Prior to this season, Downs had carried the ball just four times for 14 yards with most of his work coming on special teams.

Against West Virginia, Allen had the first 100-yard rushing day of his career, gaining 116 yards on 16 carries and adding a pair of touchdowns. He became the first Terp true freshman to rush for over 100 yards since QB Randall Jones ran for 115 against Duke on November 14, 1998. In three games of work, Allen has rushed 40 times for a robust 266 yards and five touchdowns.

A week after becoming the first Maryland back in 12 games to rush for over 100 yards with a career-high 147 against Wofford, Downs ran four times for 73 yards against West Virginia, with a 72-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to put the finishing touches on a big win.

Downs has found the end zone at least once in each of the five games he has played this season. He has also averaged no fewer than 4.2 yards per carry in any outing this year.

Allen and Downs are each averaging over 6.0 yards per carry this season (Allen 6.6; Downs 6.0).

The duo has gotten better each week and has been outstanding since the Florida State game. Following the game with the Seminoles, Maryland averaged 94.0 yards per game, a total that ranked 100th nationally and last in the ACC. This week, the Terps average 164.2 yards per game which moves them to 49th nationally and sixth in the conference.

Since the Florida State game, the Terps have averaged 234.3 rushing yards per game.

Henderson Breaks Record

Senior All-American and 2001 Butkus Award finalist E.J. Henderson burst onto the national scene last season and -- despite an offseason of worries about his back -- has returned to the form that had him rated by many publications as the nation's best defensive player in 2002.

Six games into the season, Henderson has continually improved and looks like the E.J. of old, a relief to the Terps considering he had back surgery on April 8 and missed all of spring practice. Henderson had a team-high 15 tackles (14 solo), against West Virginia, the fifth time in six games this year he has been in double digits for tackles. He also had 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss en route to being named ACC defensive lineman of the week.

With his sack against Wofford (9/28), Henderson set the Maryland career record for tackles for loss with his 46th. That total broke the mark of 45 set by former teammate Aaron Thompson (1998-2001). He now has 48.5 for his career.

Henderson is currently second in the ACC in sacks with 5.5.

With 28 TFLs last season, Henderson posted the best single season in modern Maryland history. His four tackles behind the line against Clemson broke the record of 24 set by the legendary Randy White in 1974, the first season the stat began being kept at Maryland.

The 2001 ACC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Henderson has led the Terrapins in tackles in each of the past two seasons and leads the Terps again in '02. In 2000, he notched 109 tackles despite missing a game-and-a-half due to injury before posting an ACC-leading 150 tackles last season. This year, Henderson tops the Terps' charts and leads the ACC with 73 tackles.

Henderson has led Maryland in tackling in all but three games the last two years (15 of 18 games).

Six games into the season, Henderson has posted 371 career tackles. He currently stands eighth on the Maryland career charts and now needs 12 to move into seventh.

Henderson has averaged 13.2 tackles per game (278 total) in his last 21 games dating back to the 2000 season.

In his two-plus years as the starter at Maryland, Henderson has notched double-digits in tackles 21 times. Dating back to his sophomore season, Henderson has finished with double-digit tackle performances in 18 of the last 21 games. On five occasions he has had 17 tackles or more.

Perry Injury Lingers

Less than 10 days before their opener against Notre Dame, the Terps learned that they would be without their top returning offensive player from a year ago, junior tailback and 2001 ACC Offensive Player of the Year Bruce Perry. Perry has now missed the season's first six games and his status for the Georgia Tech game is undetermined as of October 8.

On Tuesday, August 20, Perry suffered a third-degree tear of his left groin (adductor longus) muscle. The injury took place during warmups prior to a scrimmage as Perry's foot was stepped on by an offensive lineman and as he made an effort to pull his leg free, he felt a "pop."

No surgery was necessary and the initial timetable for Perry's recovery was anticipated to be 4-8 weeks from the time of his injury. Should he return for Georgia Tech, he will have been out eight weeks.

Perry entered the '02 season as the lone returning finalist from last year's Doak Walker Award. He ran for 1,242 yards as a sophomore last year, his first as the Terps' starter. In addition, he finished ninth in the nation in all-purpose yards with an average of 156.2 yards per outing.

Watch Out

When last year began, the Terps' lone mention on any "watch lists" for national awards was punter Brooks Barnard. By season's end, the team had Barnard as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, E.J. Henderson as a finalist for the Butkus Award, Bruce Perry a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and Melvin Fowler a finalist for the Rimington Trophy.

This season, those who vote did not take any chances as Barnard is again on the Guy list, Henderson is the only returnee among Butkus finalists, Perry is the lone returnee among Doak Walker finalists and offensive lineman Todd Wike is on the watch list for the Outland and Lombardi trophies. In addition, Henderson enters the season as one of the nation's favorites for the Nagurski Award and is on the Walter Camp Player of the Year "watch list."

Lean On Seniority

Despite the fact that this year will be the last for several big names on the Terrapin roster, the team is one that will not need to do a significant amount of replacing next year.

Though people will ask at season's end how the Terps will replace players like E.J. Henderson, Todd Wike and Brooks Barnard, a closer look shows that there will not be a lot of turnover between this season and next. Amazingly, this year's team features a total of only 11 seniors, with just seven figuring as starters on the latest depth chart.

The lack of seniority will be particularly helpful on defense next year when only three players who see significant playing time -- Henderson, Durrand Roundtree and Ty Stewart -- will be lost to graduation, leaving nine returning starters.

McBrien Steps Up

Junior signal caller Scott McBrien has come on the last three games and appears to be headed in the right direction after a huge win at his former school, West Virginia, last weekend.

Against the Mountaineers -- a team he transferred from just under a year-and-a-half ago -- McBrien came out and did not show any of the early jitters that could be expected of a player in his situation.

In the first quarter, McBrien led four scoring drives, the first of which he capped with a 21-yard option keeper that fooled the entire Mountaineer defense. All told, he finished the quarter 4-of-5 for 95 yards and one TD through the air while rushing three times for 21 yards and a TD on the ground.

In just over 10 quarters of work the last three weeks, McBrien has completed 33-of-56 passes for 590 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

McBrien has also looked more comfortable running with the football in recent weeks, a requirement in Ralph Friedgen and Charlie Taaffe's offense.

McBrien's quarterback rating for the past three games has been 176.9. For the season, he has a 131.97 rating, 48th-best in the NCAA.

Bootin' Barnard

Senior All-ACC punter and Ray Guy Award hopeful Brooks Barnard thought his punting was not up to snuff in 2001. Despite those feelings, Barnard ranked seventh nationally and first in the ACC with a 44.6 yard punting average. For the sake of the 2002 season, Terp fans can only hope he was right that his efforts fell shy of his potential.

Barnard opened the 2002 season kicking off of a bad left ankle (his plant foot) after one of his teammates was pushed into him at practice two days before the Notre Dame game. He has since begun to return to form and now ranks first in the ACC and 12th nationally with a 43.2-yard average.

Barnard kicked twice for a 56.5-yard average against Wofford with one kick sailing 60 yards and one landing inside the 20.

Against Florida State, Barnard had his best outing of the season, averaging 47.5 yards on six punts with four kicks traveling over 50 yards and one going out of bounds inside the one-yard line.

Of Barnard's 23 punts this year, four have been downed inside the 20 (four inside the 20 and one inside the 10) and seven have been 50 yards or further.

Barnard has finished each of the last two seasons ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Last year, he finished seventh with a 44.6-yard average while the year before, he finished fourth with a school-record 44.7-yard average. After starting slow this season, he now ranks 12th in the NCAA.

As impressive as any of Barnard's punting stats may be the numbers he has posted in the weight room. In offseason testing, he benched 400 pounds, cleaned 286 and was timed at 4.65 in the 40-yard dash.

Nick the Kick

Nick Novak came on midway through last season to help shore up the Terrapins' kicking game and help Maryland -- with the aid of punter Brooks Barnard -- stake a claim to having one of the best kicking tandems in the country.

Starting with his game-tying kick at Georgia Tech a year ago, Novak has made 21 of his last 25 field goal attempts with three of the misses coming from further than 50 yards and four of his successful attempts being longer than 50.

In the West Virginia game, Novak showed a powerful leg, successfully hitting from 37 and 46 yards while driving 5-of-9 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. On the season, Novak has had 16-of-39 kicks result in touchbacks.

Against Wofford, Novak was 3-of-4 on field goals -- with his only miss coming on a 57-yard attempt (into the wind) in the fourth quarter -- including a successful attempt from 50 yards.

Novak has made four of eight for his career from 50 yards or further (and 3-for-4 this season).

Novak set the school record for PATs in a season in 2001 with his 41st at NC State and fell just one field goal shy of tying that single-season record (17 - Dan Plocki ('88), Jess Atkinson ('84).

The sophomore has made 52 straight PATs. His 25-yard field goal miss against Akron earlier this year broke a streak of 12 straight successful kicks under 50 yards.

With 1.67 field goals per game, Novak now ranks second in the ACC and 12th nationally.

Homeboys

In his first signing day with the Terps (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 1997, 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 (next page):

Md./D.C./No. Va.	'97	'98	'99	'00	'01	'02
Players on Roster	23	34	39	46	49	54
Opening-Day Starters	6	5	7	12	10	14

Coaching Connections

Ralph Friedgen is not the only 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.

Tough Losses

Maryland's four losses in the last two years have come at the hands of the stiffest of competition.

FSU was ranked 19th last year and fifth this year when the Terps took it on. Florida was the fifth-ranked team in the nation when it faced Maryland in the Orange Bowl in 2001 and Notre Dame -- although unranked at the start of the season -- is now undefeated and ranked ninth in both polls.

Super Soph

Sophomore defensive tackle Randy Starks has continued his improvement after a strong true freshman campaign a year ago and now is shaping up as one of the better defensive linemen in the conference.

Last week, the 6-4, 302-pound tackle from Waldorf had probably his best game as a Terrapin, notching 12 tackles (nine solo) and three sacks (minus 15).

Through six games this year, Starks has posted some eye-popping numbers for an interior defensive lineman. He is third on the team in tackles with 47, first in TFLs (six) and second in sacks (5.0).

Starks' tackle total is tops in the Atlantic Coast Conference among defensive linemen and his average of .83 sacks per game ranks second in the league overall.

Iron Terps

For the second consecutive season, Maryland boasted record strength numbers and again posted its highest number of student-athletes earning "Iron Terp" status. In preseason strength and conditioning testing this year, the Terrapins again 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, six Terrapins set 11 records in disciplines at their respective positions, but the star in the weightroom was again DE Durrand Roundtree.

Roundtree, a senior from Baltimore, did not break his records of a year ago, but still posted amazing numbers. Among them: an 826 strength index (700 is considered high), a 490-pound bench, a 720-pound squat and a 35-inch vertical jump.

Super Suter

Almost midway through the season, one thing has become apparent in regard to Maryland's special teams -- sophomore Steve Suter brings excitement to the return game that the Terps haven't seen since the likes of standout Jermaine Lewis.

In the West Virginia game, Suter was at it again, putting the capper on a 28-point opening quarter for Maryland with an 80-yard punt return for a TD, his second of the year.

With one more punt return for a score, Suter will have more than any player in Maryland history. He joins Bob Smith (1973) as the only player to return more than one for a touchdown in a season.

With seven games remaining, Suter already ranks ninth on the Maryland single-season list for punt return yards with 233 and has returned punts for 67 more yards than the Terps did as a team all of last year.

As of late, he has also shown that the spark he gives the Terps will not be limited to returns. Against Wofford, Suter caught his second touchdown of the season, a 10-yarder from Scott McBrien. In the second quarter of the Eastern Michigan game, Suter scored on a 91-yard strike from McBrien. The effort was the second-longest passing touchdown in Maryland history (longest was Ed Bolton (92 yards) vs. South Carolina in 1949).

Against Notre Dame, Suter tried to get Maryland started as he returned the first ball he touched 51 yards. Against Akron a week later, he returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown, giving the Terps a 21-7 lead at the start of the second quarter.

Suter's punt return for a touchdown against Akron was the first by a Terrapin since Lewis went 66 yards versus NC State in 1995.

Suter enters this week ranked 16th nationally in kickoff returns (27.1 ypr) and 27th in punt returns (13.9 ypr). Those totals rank first and second, respectively, in the ACC.

Newcomer Invasion

The Terrapins have had a significant number of newcomers contribute already this season, including several freshmen who have played significant roles.

Six games in, a total of 22 players have seen action for the first time as Terps (four juniors, two sophomores, nine redshirt freshmen and seven true freshmen).

The seven true freshmen seeing action is two more than the Terps had play all of last year.

Local Ties

The Terrapins have five players who call the state of Georgia home. Offensive linemen C.J. Brooks (Rex), Eric Dumas (Atlanta) and Stephon Heyer (Lawrenceville) are joined by WR Latrez Harrison (Atlanta) and QB Joel Statham (Chatsworth) as natives of the Peach State.

Ralph Friedgen isn't the only member of the Terp coaching staff with ties to Georgia Tech. Offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe was with the Jackets as a graduate assistant in 1974 and defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo served as defensive tackles coach there from 1999-2000.

The Yellow Jackets have a pair of players from the Old-Line State, and both are linebackers. Anthony Lawston is a Baltimore native while Sterling Green graduated from nearby Northwestern HS in Hyattsville.

Two Yellow Jacket coaches have ties to Maryland as defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta was a graduate assistant at Maryland in 1983 while special teams coordinator Tommy Raye was an assistant in Annapolis with Navy from 1995-99.

Grid & Hardwood Harmony

Last year marked the first time in University of Maryland history that the school's football and basketball teams were both ranked in the nation's top six during the same week.

The Terrapins, ranked at No. 6 heading into the Orange Bowl, were joined by the basketball Terps who -- at the same time -- had been ranked second nationally. In the end, the basketball Terrapins went on to claim the national title while its football brethren were ACC champs.

Scouting The Ramblin' Wreck

Georgia Tech will travel to College Park next week with a 4-2 record (1-1 ACC), and working to get back on track after a tough loss leading into its bye week.

Last weekend, the Yellow Jackets fell to Wake Forest, 24-21, in Atlanta for the first time since 1994. Tech allowed 447 yards to the Demon Deacons while Wake controlled the clock for 37:56 in the win.

In typical Chan Gailey fashion, Georgia Tech has gotten almost a perfect balance of pass and run this season as it averages 180.0 yards per game on the ground and 192.3 yards per game through the air.

Tech's top offensive player this season has been senior WR Kerry Watkins who leads the ACC in receiving with an average of five receptions and 88 yards per game. Prior to the BYU game, junior TB Tony Hollings would have drawn mention alongside Watkins as he was averaging 158.2 yards rushing per game, but he tore his ACL against the Cougars and was lost for the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, LB Keyaron Fox is the team's leading tackler through six games, posting 49 tackles and a team-high eight TFLs.

The difference maker seems to be the rushing game for Georgia Tech this year. In four wins, the Jackets have outrushed their opposition each time, averaging 225 yards to their opponents' 80. In the two losses, they were outgained on the ground each time and averaged 90 yards compared to their opposition's 202.

Tech Coach Chan Gailey

Chan Gailey is in his first year as the head coach at Georgia Tech. His 4-2 overall record is also his career record at the Division I-A level.

Gailey took over the reins at Georgia Tech after two successful years as the offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins. That stint followed his first head coaching job in the NFL as he was at the helm of the Dallas Cowboys in 1998 and 1999.

Gailey compiled an 18-14 mark with the Cowboys, a job he took after working as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1994-97. In his four years in Pittsburgh, the Steelers were divisional champs all four years, appeared in the AFC championship game three times, and earned a berth in the Super Bowl once.

In this, his fourth year as a collegiate head coach, Gailey is spending his first at the Division I-A level. His first head coaching job came in 1983-84 when he led Troy State to a 19-5 record in two years and, ultimately, a Division II national championship in 1984. His other job at the college level was at Samford in 1993 where he went 5-6 before leaving to take the job with the Steelers as a wide receivers coach (he was later promoted to offensive coordinator.

A native of Gainesville, Ga., Gailey first made a name for himself in Gainesville, Fla., where he played QB for the Gators from 1971-73 and earned a bachelor's in physical education in 1974.

Transportation Throwbacks

Though they played their first "official" road game of the year last weekend at West Virginia, the Terrapins' travel schedule continues to look something like that of the Terps of the early 1900s.

With last week's travel being by bus, Maryland can likely claim something not many major Division I-A schools can -- that it has yet to fly to a game this season. Fact is, the Terps will not fly for the first time until their October 26th game at Duke.

Maryland has played at two sites away from Byrd Stadium this season, traveling by train to Newark, N.J., for the Kickoff Classic against Notre Dame and by bus for last weekend's game against WVU.

New-Look Terps ... Again

The Terrapins of 2001 had a new head coach, a new look to their uniform and helmet and in the end, a whole new way of playing football compared to recent years. Though the hope is that the brand of football will remain the same under the coach who is back for year two, the Terrapins' uniforms are seeing a change -- again.

This year, the Terps' helmets remain the same as a year ago but the uniforms are a new look designed for Maryland by Nike. The uniforms were created with the past in mind even though the look is modern; the stripes on the shoulders are reminiscent of Terp uniforms of the '50s and '60s.

Building For The Future

When the Terrapins take the field at Byrd Stadium this year, there will be many changes to the stadium that has been home to the Terps since 1950. Some will be apparent as soon as one sets foot in the stadium and others would only be noticeable to the men who wear the Maryland colors on game day.

The most glaring change at Byrd Stadium rests above Gossett Team House in the form of a brand new, state-of-the-art video scoreboard. The new board features a high-resolution screen that is 21-feet tall by 28-feet wide and is capable of displaying in excess of 281 trillion colors.

In addition to the bright visible new video board, it may go overlooked by some that expansion has taken place on the building below it, the Gossett Football Team House. Thus far, the coaches' offices have been refurbished as have meeting rooms and the equipment room.

Other phases that await completion will include the addition of a new academics support and career development unit; a new multi-purpose room that will feature a kitchen and dining facilities; a new team meeting auditorium; and an expanded entrance and lobby area.

The Graduates

Maryland has four players who earned their bachelor's degree before they even set foot on the field this season.

Linebacker E.J. Henderson and offensive linemen Todd Wike and Matt Crawford all earned their degrees and are working toward additional degrees. All three earned their degrees this past spring, with Henderson and Crawford receiving bachelor's in criminology and criminal justice while Wike earned his degree in philosophy.

Finally, after applying to graduate next spring and not knowing he already had enough credits, offensive lineman Ed Tyler learned last week that he has earned his degree in economics -- after just three years at Maryland.

From the membership has its benefits file: Ralph Friedgen lets players line up to eat by grade point average and after questioning Henderson for heading up to the front of the line last week, that line is now led by Terrapin graduates. (Henderson had responded that he thought graduation was the pinnacle anyway so "shouldn't (he) be allowed to go first?").

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 Comcast Center. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For additional info or to order by phone, call (800) 462-TERP.

Byrd Stadium

Now in its 53rd 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 million, 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 the Georgia Tech game, the Terrapins are 165-100-1 within the friendly confines of Byrd (normal capacity 48,055).

With temporary bleachers installed for the remainder of this season, Byrd Stadium can hold up to 50,861.

Last season, Maryland went 7-0 at Byrd, notching the best record at home in any season in school history.

Terp Alley

In an effort to restore some tradition on gameday in College Park, the football staff created Terp Alley last year, a tradition that has become a part of the gameday experience outside of Byrd Stadium.

For every football home game, the entire football team makes its first appearance of the day at "Terp Alley." The team is 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 is led past fans gathered along the street to the football complex by the Maryland band and cheerleaders.

2001: A Look Back

The 2001 season was an amazing one for the Maryland football team. It was a season that saw the Terps catch the eye of the ACC before drawing the attention of the nation. The following are some of the more notable accomplishments of the 2001 team and their efforts to return Maryland to national prominence.

The '01 Terrapins gave the school its first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1985. The team won 10 games, marking the first time since 1976 that a Terp squad had hit that mark.

Maryland's' seven ACC wins were the most in school history. The seven wins matched the combined total of the previous four Maryland teams and bettered the mark of four other teams (1974, 1983, 1984, 1985) that won six ACC games.

In securing sole possession of the league title, Maryland became the first team other than Florida State to win the ACC outright since the Seminoles joined the conference in 1992 (the Seminoles had either owned or shared the crown every year from 1992-2000).

Last year's team was the first in school history to win seven games at home as the Terps went a perfect 7-0 at Byrd. Under Ralph Friedgen, Maryland is now 10-1 at home.

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