Football Game Notes -- Terps vs. Wake Forest

Nov. 25, 2002

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The Game

The University of Maryland football team returns home for its regular-season finale as it takes on Wake Forest University in a game with bowl implications for both teams. Kickoff on Saturday is set for 12:05 p.m. (EST), and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN while being broadcast locally on the Terrapin Sports Network.

The Terrapins (9-3, 5-2 ACC) return to Byrd after having suffered one of their toughest losses in recent history last weekend. After heading to Virginia with the knowledge that a win would virtually guarantee it a spot in the Gator Bowl, Maryland found out by halftime that that shot had turned into a possibility of a tie for the ACC championship and a BCS berth as NC State had upset Florida State at Raleigh. The Terps -- who came out of the gates like a team destined for its ninth straight win -- were unable to get anything going on either side of the ball in the game's final three quarters, and were ultimately handed a 48-13 defeat by the Cavaliers.

The loss dropped the Terrapins significantly in the rankings, though they enter this final weekend ranked in both major polls. Maryland heads into its final weekend ranked No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and 25th in the Associated Press poll, marking its fourth straight week in the Top 25.

A win this weekend would likely ensure that Maryland would close the regular season ranked in both polls, a feat which would be taking place in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1984-85. A win would also leave the Terps with the possibility of being chosen to play in the Gator Bowl and would likely guarantee at least a berth in the Peach.

The Demon Deacons come to town having just beaten another Maryland-based school -- the Naval Academy -- last weekend, 30-27. At 6-5 (3-4 ACC), Wake is seeking its its second seven-win season since 1992 and its second consecutive winning season under Jim Grobe. A win this weekend would also mean a possible bowl opportunity for WFU, its first since the '99 Aloha Bowl.

With a win this weekend, Maryland would post its second consecutive 10-win season, a first in the 110-year history of the program. It would also mark just the sixth 10-win season in school history and leave it with a shot at an 11-win season, something that has only been achieved once by a Maryland team (1976).

Series Notes

Saturday's game marks the 50th meeting between the Terrapins and Demon Deacons. Maryland leads the all-time series -- which began in 1917 -- by a 36-13-1 margin.

Maryland and Wake Forest have met every year since 1971. That '71 season marked what can be considered the end of a good run in the series for Wake. At the end of the '71 season, the ledger between the two schools was 12-7-1 in Maryland's favor. Since that time, the Terps own a 24-6 record against the Demon Deacons and have won eight of the last 11 meetings.

Last season, the Terps won a nailbiter in Winston-Salem, 27-20. In the win, Bruce Perry had touchdown runs of 80 and 50 yards en route to 276 yards, the best rushing performance ever posted against the Demon Deacons and the second-best in Maryland history.

In 16 of the last 22 meetings between the two schools, the winner has scored at least 26 points and averaged 29.4 points.

The date of this year's game -- November 30th -- marks the latest in the year that Maryland and Wake Forest have met in the 85-year history between the two schools. It is the latest regular season tilt Maryland has played in since a December 2nd game versus Penn State in 1965 and the latest the Demon Deacons have played in since playing South Carolina on the same date in 1957.

Friedgen One Win From ACC Mark

Ralph Friedgen opened his career as a head coach by setting one Maryland coaching record after another and while this season started like many of those had prior to his arrival, the second-year mentor is once again working his magic in College Park.

With his next win this season, Friedgen will break the ACC record for wins by an ACC coach in his second year with his 20th. With that next win, he will break the mark of Clemson's Ken Hatfield (1990-91) who posted a 19-4-1 record. Friedgen currently stands just behind Hatfield with his 19-5 record and now needs one win to ensure his second 10-win season in as many years at the helm.

With the Terps' win over North Carolina, Friedgen became the first coach in Maryland history to win 17 games in his first two years at the helm. Now with a 19-5 record, his win total bests that of 16 set by Bobby Ross in his first two years (1982-83) with the Terps. Friedgen was an assistant coach under Ross during that time at Maryland.

A look ahead shows that not only can Friedgen join the ranks of the top second-year coaches in ACC history this week, he can also find his way into the Top 10 of the coaches with three years under their belt. With his 20th win, he will tie Duke's Steve Spurrier (1987-89) and NC State's Dick Sheridan (1986-88) who each won 20 in their first three years at the helm.

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 the 2002 staff.

TouchDowns

Senior Chris Downs began the 2002 season as a player who had earned the respect of his coaches for his hard work, but little more in terms of playing time at tailback as he entered this season with four career carries. That respect -- which was one of the main reasons noted when his mentors named him the starter in week two -- is now something shared by the opponents he has run through this season.

With 40 yards against Virginia, Downs did not have one of his best days of the season, but entered the record books nonetheless. On the night, he became the seventh Maryland back ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season as he now stands at 1,035 this year. If he runs for his season average against Wake Forest, he will rank fifth in the Terp record books for single-season yards.

Downs has rushed for 13 touchdowns this year, nine more TDs than he had carries coming into this season. His touchdown total ranks sixth on the Maryland single-season list. With three more, he will tie the school record set by LaMont Jordan in 1999.

At Clemson, Downs led the Terps in rushing for the seventh time this season as he rushed 20 times for 101 yards in the Terps' win over Clemson. Downs averaged 5.1 yards per carry on the day and hit the century mark for the fourth time this year.

Downs went for 157 yards on 19 carries while rushing for four touchdowns against North Carolina, a feat accomplished only three other times in Maryland history (Bob Shemonski, 5 vs. Va. Tech (1950); LaMont Jordan, 4 vs. Clemson (1999); and Charlie Wysocki, 4 vs. UVa (1981).

Against Georgia Tech, Downs woke up a sluggish Terrapin offense in the second half by rushing 19 times for 183 yards and three TDs (26 for a career-high 212 yards, overall), boosting the Terps from a 6-3 halftime lead to an eventual 34-10 victory.

The 212-yard effort by Downs against Georgia Tech was the 12th-best single-game rushing performance in Maryland history.

With 147 yards rushing against Wofford, Downs became the first Terp tailback to go over the 100-yard mark in what was a span of 12 games.

On 178 rushing attempts this season, Downs is averaging 5.8 yards per carry (best among the ACC's top 10 backs with 100 carries or more) and 86.2 yards per game (second-best among active ACC players).

Seniors Bid Byrd Adieu

A total of 10 seniors are playing their final game at Byrd Stadium this weekend against Wake Forest. The following is a list of those players:

Name	Varsity Letters	Hometown
Brooks Barnard	P ***	Arnold, Md.
Matt Crawford	OT ***	Moravia, N.Y.
Chris Downs	TB *	Philadelphia, Pa.
E.J. Henderson	LB ***	Aberdeen, Md.
Chad Killian	FB *	Pittsburgh, Pa.
Scooter Monroe	WR ***	Abingdon, Md.
Durrand Roundtree	DE **	Baltimore, Md.
William Shime	**	Ft. Washington, Md.
Ty Stewart	S ***	Washington, D.C.
Todd Wike	OG/C ***	Lebanon, Pa.

One For The Record Books

Steve Suter's 77-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter of the North Carolina game was his fourth of the season, tying the NCAA record. He tied the single-season mark shared by eight other players:

2002 -- Derek Abney (Kentucky)
2000 -- Santana Moss (Miami, Fla.)
1998 -- David Allen (Kansas State)
1997 -- Quinton Spotwood (Syracuse)
1997 -- Pinker Keck (Cincinnati)
1987 -- James Henry (Southern Mississippi)
1971 -- Cliff Branch (Colorado)
1971 -- Golden Richards (Brigham Young)

For more on Suter and his efforts at UNC, see pg. 7 of this release.

The Bottom Line

Though the Terrapins' yardage numbers on offense and defense continue to improve each week, none of their averages or national rankings would qualify as eye-popping. Where the team does impress, however, is where it matters most -- in scoring.

On offense, Maryland is averaging a robust 32.4 points per game, a total that ranks second in the ACC and 22nd nationally.

The Terps have posted 389 points this season, and with two games remaining now need two more to break the single-season school record of 390 set a year ago.

On defense, the Terrapins are allowing just 16.9 points per game. That figure is also second-best in the conference and 13th-best nationally.

Terps Tough On Average

In its win over West Virginia earlier this year, 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 in nearly every game.

In all but two games this year (Akron and Virginia), the Terrapin defense has held its opposition at or below its season average. As a group, Terp opponents are averaging 54 yards less than their average coming into the game. (Note: Notre Dame was not included because it was the season's first game, however, the 130 yards Maryland held the Irish to is 23 yards shy of their current per-game average).

On three occasions this year, the Maryland defense has held its opponent under 100 yards on the ground.

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

West Virginia averaged 345.5 rushing yards per game coming into its game against the Terps, 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 carrying the ball 30 times and 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).

Defense 13th Nationally

As mentioned previous, Gary Blackney's unit has allowed just 17.6 points per game this season, 13th-best nationally and second-best in the ACC.

Maryland has gotten accustomed to being stingy when it comes to the scoreboard, something that is reflected in the fact that the Terps have held opponents scoreless in 24 quarters this season, tied for third-most of any team in Division I-A football (Kansas State, 32; North Texas, 26; Notre Dame, 24).

In their nine wins this year, the Terps have allowed just 12 touchdowns and an average of 11.6 points per game.

Maryland ranks second in the ACC in opponent first downs (211) and third in sacks (29).

In The Zone

As a team, Maryland is the best in the ACC at getting it done in the red zone. The Terps own the conference's top-ranked red zone offense and is second in red zone defense, a composite claim no other ACC team can match.

On offense, the Terrapins have scored 87 percent of the time they have crossed the opponent's 20-yard line, posting 30 TDs and 10 field goals in 46 trips into the "zone."

On defense, Maryland has allowed its opposition points just 70.7 percent of the time once it enters the red zone, trailing only NC State's 65 percent. Four times this season, it has intercepted the opposition inside the 20 and five other times it has stopped its opponent on downs.

Big Play E.J.

Senior All-American E.J. Henderson burst onto the national scene last season and -- despite an offseason of worries about his back -- picked up where he left off last season, earning status as a finalist for three major postseason awards.

With just one regular season game remaining in his illustrious career in College Park, Henderson has come on 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 -- a finalist for the Butkus, Lombardi and Nagurski awards -- had a season-high 19 tackles (15 solo) in the Terrapins' loss at Virginia.

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 56.5 for his career.

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 is fourth in the ACC with 144 tackles.

Henderson has led Maryland in tackling in all but four games the last two years (20 of 24 games).

Now 12 games into the season, the two-time Butkus finalist has posted 442 career tackles, ranking him third on the all-time Maryland charts.

Henderson has averaged 13.3 tackles per game (359 total) in his last 27 games dating back to the 2000 season.

In his three years as the starter at Maryland, Henderson has notched double-digits in tackles 25 times. Dating back to his sophomore season, Henderson has finished with double-digit tackle performances in 22 of the last 27 games. On eight occasions he has had 16 tackles or more.

Perry Making His Way Back

After missing each of the first seven games of this season recovering from a torn groin muscle suffered on August 20 and another after spraining his shoulder against Duke, 2001 ACC Offensive Player of the Year Bruce Perry has returned to the field and seems to be returning to form the last few games.

The Terp offense struggled as a whole against Virginia last week, but Perry moved a step closer to where he was last year as he rushed 10 times for 95 yards while catching one pass for 12 yards.

In limited action this season, Perry has rushed 38 times for 206 yards (5.4 yards per carry).

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.

Bright Future

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 10 seniors, with just seven figuring as starters on the latest depth chart.

Though seven starters will be lost, one will return in the form of NT C.J. Feldheim (season-ending knee injury against Duke), meaning the Terps will return 16 of 22 starters next year (seven on offense, nine on defense).

McBrien 14th in NCAA

Junior signal caller Scott McBrien has come on the last nine games and has had the Terrapin offense improving as his comfort level with the system continues.

In the Clemson game, McBrien uncharacteristically made mistakes in the passing game, throwing three interceptions. But the payoff was big for the Terps as the junior also threw three touchdowns and rushed for another in the win. For the night, McBrien finished 13-of-23 for 153 yards while rushing nine times for 67 yards.

Against Duke, McBrien had one of his best games as a collegian, completing 16-of-21 attempts for 264 yards with two TDs and one interception. McBrien posted career highs for completions (16), yardage (264) and completion percentage (.762) in the win while rushing for a touchdown.

Things really got started for McBrien against his former school, West Virginia, as he led four scoring drives in the first quarter alone, 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.

Over the course of the last nine games, McBrien has completed 102-of-173 passes (60 percent) for 1,721 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

McBrien's quarterback rating for the past nine games has been 158.48. For the season, he has a 140.70 rating, 14th-best in the NCAA.

McBrien ranks third in the ACC in total offense (192.3 ypg).

Bootin' Barnard

Senior All-ACC punter Brooks Barnard is at it again in 2002, leading the ACC and ranking near the top of the NCAA charts in punting while serving as a weapon in the field position wars for Maryland this season.

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 21st nationally with a 42.4-yard average.

On a wet turf in the Georgia Tech game, Barnard posted one of his best efforts of the season as he punted four times for a 49.5-yard average, including three punts over 50 yards and one which was downed inside the 10. Another punt was placed perfectly to be downed inside the five, but one of his teammates was unable to avoid sliding into the end zone after covering the loose ball.

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 averaged 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 48 punts this year, 10 have been downed inside the 20 (three inside the 10) and 13 (27 percent) have traveled 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.

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.

Ground Turtle

Over the course of the last nine games, Maryland has been at its best when it has success running with the football, which has happened in all but one of those games. The Terps originally got a shot in the arm out of the play of senior Chris Downs and true freshman Josh Allen and, of late, have gotten an added boost from the return of junior Bruce Perry.

The Terrapin rushing attack has been outstanding since the Florida State game and has helped lead the offense to an average of 37.2 points per game since. 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 197.6 yards per game which moves them to 28th nationally and second in the conference.

Since the Florida State game, the Terps have averaged 230.8 rushing yards per game and have had a back go over 100 yards five times.

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 29 of his last 34 field goal attempts, with three of the misses coming from further than 50 yards.

Against NC State, Novak broke his own record for PATs in a season with his 43rd (he now has 47). In the Virginia game, he broke the school record of 17 field goals set by three players (most recently Dan Plocki in 1988). Novak has now converted 18 field goals this year.

Novak made the second game-winning kick of his career in the NC State game, a clutch 26-yarder with 34 seconds left to complete Maryland's comeback from a 14-point deficit.

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.

Novak has made five of eight for his career from 50 yards or further (and 4-of-5 this season).

With 1.5 field goals per game, Novak ranks second in the ACC and 13th nationally. He leads the league's kickers in scoring (8.4 ppg) and in field goal percentage (81.8).

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:

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

Four of Maryland's five 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 and Notre Dame -- although unranked at the start of the season -- is currently ranked seventh in both polls.

Starks Manning the Trenches

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, Starks continued his strong play, recording nine tackles (six solo) and a half sack.

Against Clemson, Starks notched six tackles (three solo), two TFLs and three QB hurries while batting down a pair of passes.

In the NC State game, Starks came up big, recording nine tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups and four QB hurries while earning ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors.

The knocked-down passes by Starks were among the biggest defensive plays of the game against NCSU. The first came on a 4th-and-4 play from the Maryland 35-yard line with the score tied at 21. Maryland took over on downs. The second came on a Philip Rivers' pass on a 3rd-and-7 with 3:41 remaining in game and the score tied 21-21. NC State was forced to punt.

Against West Virginia, Starks had what was then his best career game, notching 12 tackles (nine solo) and three sacks (minus 15).

Through 12 games this year, Starks has posted some eye-popping numbers for an interior defensive lineman. He is third on the team in tackles with 83, second in TFLs (10.5) and second in sacks (5.5).

Starks' tackle total is tops in the ACC among defensive tackles (third among defensive linemen 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

This season, sophomore Steve Suter has brought an excitement to the return game the likes of which have never been seen at Maryland.

Suter had a record-breaking day against UNC, returning four punts for 92 yards. In the process, he returned his fourth of the year for a touchdown (77 yards), tying the current NCAA Division I-A record for punt return TDs in a season. (Note: Heading into the game, UNC had allowed an ACC-low 3.6 yards per return.)

In addition, the Carroll County native has now totaled 647 yards worth of punt returns, most ever in a single-season in ACC history. Against UNC, he surpassed the record of 515 set by Georgia Tech's Kelley Rhino last year (Rhino set the record on 48 attempts; Suter did so on 39).

As a team this season, Maryland has had 12 touchdowns go for 60 yards or more. Half have been by Suter.

In the NC State game, Suter came up with two of the biggest offensive plays of the game. He got the Terps on the board in the second quarter with a 64-yard TD run (first of his career) on an end around. Later in the game, he caught a 36-yard pass late in the fourth quarter to set up Nick Novak's game winning field goal.

Against Duke, Suter returned six punts for 104 yards including a 63-yarder for a touchdown.

In the WVU game, he put the capper on a 28-point opening quarter for Maryland with an 80-yard punt return for a TD, his second of the year.

In the second quarter of the Eastern Michigan game, Suter scored on a 91-yard strike from Scott McBrien. The effort was the second-longest passing touchdown in Maryland history (longest was Ed Bolton (92 yards) vs. South Carolina in 1949).

Suter's first career TD was an 81-yard punt return which gave the Terps a 21-7 lead at the start of the second quarter against Akron. It was the first by a Terp since Jermaine Lewis went 66 yards versus NC State in 1995.

Suter enters this week ranked 24th in the nation and tops in the ACC in punt returns (13.2 ypr) while ranking 17th nationally in kick returns (25.7 ypr), also an ACC best.

Newcomer Invasion

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

A total of 23 players have seen action for the first time as Terps this season (four juniors, three sophomores, nine redshirt freshmen and eight true freshmen).

The eight true freshmen seeing action are three more than the Terps had play last year.

Local Ties

Maryland has two players who calls the state of North Carolina home. Redshirt freshman OG Russell Bonham (Carver HS) is a native of Winston-Salem while true freshman LB William Kershaw (Hoke Country HS) is from Raeford.

Terps' special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Ray Rychleski was an assistant at Wake Forest from 1993-2000. In addition, Terrapin inside linebackers coach Rod Sharpless is a native of Jacksonville, N.C.

The Demon Deacons have a total of six players from the Old-Line State. By hometown: DE Joe Salsich (Annapolis), TE Jerome Nichols (Glenn Dale), OG Blake Henry (Towson), DE Jason Finklea (Wheaton), DB Eric King (Woodstock) and WR Napolean Sykes (Woodstock). In addition, NT Montique Sharpe is a native of Washington, D.C., where he played at Dunbar HS.

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.

This week, the football Terps are ranked 23rd nationally while the Maryland hoopsters are ranked as high as 13th in the polls.

Scouting The Demon Deacons

Wake Forest heads into the final weekend of its regular season with a 6-5 record (3-4 ACC) and seeking its second straight winning campaign under Jim Grobe.

The Demon Deacons have posted some impressive wins this season, including a 24-21 victory at Purdue in week four.

WFU has been paced this year by its rushing offense. The Deacs are averaging an ACC-best 243.7 yards per game, a total which ranks ninth nationally. Unlike most teams, there has been no single source for their rushing attack as seven players have run for 240 yards or more this season.

Senior Tarence Williams has led the way on offense, averaging 69.1 yards per game in 10 outings this season. Another weapon that Wake has is fellow senior Fabian Davis, the ACC's leader in all-purpose yards at 140.4 yards per game.

Defensively, Calvin Pace has been one of the top players in the ACC this year. He ranks in the league's top 10 in sacks (8.0) and TFLs (19.0) while ranking second among the league's defensive linemen with 72 tackles.

Like the Terps of a year ago, Wake Forest is excelling this year in turnover margin. It has been solid on both sides of the ball, forcing 31 turnovers (tied for 16th nationally) while giving it away just 14 times, ranking fourth nationally with a +1.55 margin.

Wake's Jim Grobe

Jim Grobe is in his second season at Wake Forest and continues to keep the Demon Deacons moving in the right direction. As his second year nears its close, Grobe has led Wake to a 12-10 record in his tenure.

Grobe came to Winston-Salem by way of Ohio University where he took the Bobcats from a winless season the year before his arrival to a .500 record (33-33-1) in his six-year tenure.

Despite losing his only meeting against Maryland as a coach at Wake Forest last year, Grobe is not winless against the Terps as he led Ohio to a 21-14 win at Byrd Stadium in 1997.

Prior to working in Athens, Grobe served as an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy for 11 years under long-time Falcon coach Fisher DeBerry. While Grobe was in Colorado Springs, USAFA produced a record of 84-50 and played in seven bowl games.

Other coaching stints for Grobe included time at Marshall and Emory & Henry.

A 1975 graduate of Virginia who earned All-ACC academic honors, Grobe is a native West Virginian who also earned his master's degree at UVa.

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 167-100-1 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. The Terps are currently 12-1 under Ralph Friedgen at home.

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.

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.

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 earlier this year 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 earlier this season, 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?").

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.

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.

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 12-1 at home.

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