University of Maryland Athletics

E.J. Henderson Decides to Stay in School

Football Maryland Athletics

Football Game Notes -- Terps vs. Notre Dame in the Kickoff Classic.

Aug. 26, 2002

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THE GAME

  • The University of Maryland football team opens its 110th season of college football and year two of the Ralph Friedgen era as it takes on tradition-rich Notre Dame this Saturday at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. The two teams are taking part in the 20th and final Kickoff Classic and will be doing so in front of a sellout crowd. Kickoff for the game is set for 8:07 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ABC while being broadcast on the Terrapin Radio Network (radio pre-game starts at 7:30 p.m.) and Westwood One.

  • The Terrapins follow up their 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference championship by opening the season with their first-ever meeting with the Fighting Irish. By opening the season at the Meadowlands, the Terps will begin their season at a neutral site for the first time since 1922 (vs. Third Army Corps in Baltimore).

  • Maryland is 66-41-2 (.615) all-time in season openers.

  • The Terrapins enter the season ranked No. 20 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today poll and 21st in the Associated Press poll. Notre Dame enters the season unranked.

  • This week's game is the prelude to a four-game home stand for the Terrapins. That four-game stretch will mark the first time since 1983 -- and just the third time since 1915 -- that Maryland will have played that many consecutive games at Byrd Stadium. The five games to open the season without a true road date is unprecedented in school history.

    Series Notes

  • This year's Kickoff Classic marks the first-ever meeting between the Terrapins and Fighting Irish despite a combined 223 years of football between the two schools (Maryland 110, Notre Dame 113).

  • Though the two schools have never met, it is not to say there will not be any history on the field between the two teams. Ralph Friedgen has twice been a part of coaching staffs that have taken on Notre Dame, both times with Georgia Tech. As an assistant, Friedgen sports a 1-1 record as his Jackets lost their opener, 17-13, in 1997 before beating the Irish, 35-28, in the Toyota Gator Bowl a year later. Considering Tech is 5-26-1 all-time against Notre Dame, Friedgen's 1-1 mark stands up well.

  • The Notre Dame game will mark the first time Maryland has faced a team from the state of Indiana since it took on Indiana State in 1982 (a 38-0 win) and just the fourth time ever (the Terps lost to Indiana University in 1934 and '35).

    Closing the Classic

  • This year's Kickoff Classic, the 20th, will put a wrap on the oldest preseason college football game. The game -- and other exempt games like it -- is in its final season due to the NCAA expanding schedules to 12 regular season games in certain years.

  • In its 19 previous years, the Kickoff Classic has raised more than $44 million dollars for its primary beneficiaries (the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, the AFCA and NACDA).

  • The Terps have been designated the home team in this year's game.

  • This year's Classic should be the highest-attended game in the event's history. The game has already been designated a sellout, and with a boost in seating capacity from 78,902 seats to 80,242, a new record is anticipated (the reason it is not guaranteed at this point is because the attendance of the Kickoff Classic is designated by a head count, not tickets sold).

    Big Play E.J.

  • Senior All-American and consensus national defensive player of the year favorite E.J. Henderson burst onto the national scene last season and -- after an offseason of worries about his back -- now looks ready to return to lead the Terp defense again in 2002.

  • Entering the season, Henderson 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. His recovery went as scheduled throughout the offseason and he moved through fall camp without any setbacks.

  • A 2001 consensus All-American selection, Butkus Award finalist and ACC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Henderson has led the Terrapins in tackles in each of the past two seasons. In 2000, he led the way with 109 tackles despite missing a game-and-a-half due to injury before posting a spectacular ACC-leading 150 tackles last season.

  • Henderson led Maryland in tackling in all but one game (Virginia) in 2001.

  • Entering this season, Henderson has posted 298 career tackles. He needs 50 tackles to move into the Maryland career top 10.

  • 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.

  • With three more tackles for loss, Henderson will surpass the Maryland career record of 45 set by Aaron Thompson (1998-2001).

  • Henderson has averaged 13.7 tackles per game (205 total) in his last 15 games dating back to the 2000 season.

  • In his two-plus years at Maryland, Henderson has notched double-digits in tackles 16 times (nine times last year).

  • Dating back to his sophomore season, Henderson has finished with double-digit tackle performances in 13 of the last 15 games. On five occasions he had 17 tackles or more.

  • Henderson's single-game high in tackles (20) came in the ACC-clinching win at NC State last year.

    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.

    The Graduates

  • Maryland has three players who have 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 getting bachelor's in criminology and criminal justice while Wike earned his degree in philosophy.

    Terps Open Sans Perry

  • Less than 10 days before their opener against the Irish, the Terps learned that they will be without their top returning offensive player from a year ago, junior tailback and 2001 ACC Offensive Player of the Year Bruce Perry.

  • 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 is necessary and the timetable for Perry's recovery is anticipated to be 4-8 weeks.

  • Perry enters this 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.

    QB Or Not QB

  • In what appears to be a conscious strategic decision, Ralph Friedgen has chosen not to make an announcement regarding who his starting quarterback will be against Notre Dame. That he even has a decision to make is a story in and of itself.

  • The QB race has come down to two favorites -- junior transfer Scott McBrien and redshirt sophomore Chris Kelley. Kelley was the number one by a slight margin in the spring, but he tore his ACL in the spring game. His recovery has been amazing and he started fall camp with no limitations and has since performed well enough to be considered for the starting job.

  • Each signal caller offers different strengths. McBrien is a strong passer with uncanny accuracy and a super-quick release. Kelley is not yet the refined passer that McBrien is, but he is the better runner and has the intangibles coaches look for in a quarterback.

  • McBrien is the only QB on the roster with actual NCAA game experience as he played 10 games (starting one) for West Virginia in 2000. His most extensive action was against Notre Dame that season as he passed for 252 yards and a TD in three quarters of work.

  • Of all of Maryland's quarterbacks, Kelley has spent the most time in Friedgen's offense.

    No More Secrets

  • When last year began, the Terps' lone mention on any "watch lists" for national awards was punter Brooks Barnard. By seasons 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 are not taking 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.

    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. As everyone knows at this point, the basketball Terrapins went on to claim the national title.

    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 12 seniors, with just six figuring as starters on the preseason depth chart.

    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.

    Freshman For Heyer

  • Though he was recruited by some of the top football schools in the nation, true freshman offensive tackle Stephon Heyer (pronounced higher) was brought in and informed by offensive line coach Tom Brattan that in all likelihood, he would redshirt this year. Unlike his size, strength and footwork, Heyer's hearing must not be that good.

  • With the season opener here, it appears that not only will Heyer see playing time, he has worked his way into a potential starting spot with some strong, heady play not normal for a player of his youth.

  • Heyer could start at left tackle, moving incumbent C.J. Brooks to guard where, as it turns out, he excels beyond the strong play he gave at tackle a season ago. Notably, should he start, Heyer would become the first true freshman to start in a game at Maryland since Doug Patterson earned a start as a freshman receiver in 1997.

    Bootin' Barnard

  • Senior All-ACC punter and Ray Guy Award hopeful Brooks Barnard thought his punting was not up to snuff in 2001. So bad, it was, that 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.

  • Of Barnard's 54 punts last year, 17 were downed inside the 20 (12 inside the 20 and five inside the 10) and 14 were 50 yards or further.

  • Barnard has been outstanding in season openers for the last two years. In 2000, he opened the year with six punts that averaged a school-record 53.8 yards (including a long of 85 yards which was three shy of the school mark) while last season, he was a key to victory in the opening win against UNC as he booted eight punts for a 50.4-yard average.

  • 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.

  • In addition to his gross punting average, Barnard has also helped the Terps' punt cover teams excel as he had a 40.4 net punting average, fourth-best in the nation and tops in the ACC a season ago.

    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 made 12 of his final 14 attempts, with the lone misses being a 50-yard attempt that deflected off the midpoint of the right upright and a 62-yard attempt that fell just a few yards short (both coming just before half). He also made two 50-yarders before the half (at Florida State and versus Troy State).

  • 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).

  • Novak finished the regular season 15th nationally with 1.5 field goals per game.

  • The sophomore enters this season having made 31-straight PATs and 12-straight field goals of 49 yards or less.

    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.

    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 --

    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 it is led past fans gathered along the street to the football complex by the Maryland band and cheerleaders.

    KEEP AN EYE ON NO. 10

  • Junior free safety Madieu Williams is less than 10 days away from making his major college debut and showing why the Terrapin coaches have spoken so highly of the transfer from Towson University.

  • "He's an excellent football player who has had a tremendous camp," said Friedgen of the 6-1, 193-pounder from Lanham, Md. "He plays like a linebacker and covers like a DB."

  • Williams redshirted last season after transferring from Towson, where he played in 20 games over the course of the 1999 and 2000 seasons. His desire to play Division I football led him to College Park, where the former walk-on hopes to follow in the footsteps of another Towson transfer, defensive back Chad Scott, who made a successful transition to the major college ranks and became a first-round NFL draft choice.

    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.

    Familiar Faces

  • Maryland offensive line coach Tom Brattan will know more coaches on the field at this year's Kickoff Classic than any coach, player or fan.

  • In his second year with the Terps, Brattan served in the same capacity in 1999 and 2000 under Tyrone Willingham at Stanford. In Brattan's two years with the Cardinal, he coached alongside current Irish staffers Willingham (head coach), Kent Baer (defensive coordinator), Bill Diedrick (offensive coordinator), and Buzz Preston (running backs/special teams).

    Local Ties

  • Maryland has no players from the state of Indiana, but it does have four players who call the state of New Jersey home.

  • Linebacker Jamahl Cochran (Morristown), DE Kevin Eli (Deptford), FB/LB Bernie Fiddler (Swedesboro) and OG Ed Tyler (Franklinville) all call the Garden State home.

  • Notre Dame does not have any Maryland natives on its team, however, senior wide receiver Bernard Akatu -- a native of Lagos, Nigeria -- is a graduate of Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.

  • Maryland inside linebackers coach Rod Sharpless and Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willingham both grew up in the town of Jacksonville, N.C. Their families were friends in their days of youth and Sharpless' sister, Deborah, attended Jacksonville High School at the same time.

    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.

    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 2002, the Terrapins are 157-103-1 within the friendly confines of Byrd (capacity 48,055).

    Ticket Information

  • Individual game tickets for Terp home games (with the exception of FSU) 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 a season.

  • 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.

    Busting Out of their Shells

  • Maryland started last season with the defense ahead of the offense and talk that Ralph Friedgen's first season as a head coach would see the offensive mastermind oversee a team whose defense was the more dominating unit. As the season progressed, the defense continued to perform well, but the Maryland offense quietly shaped up as one of the most potent in the country and school history.

  • The Terrapins scored 390 points last year, an average of 35.5 per game. The 390 points were more points than any team in school history, surpassing the mark of 353 set by the 1951 and 1982 teams.

    A Balanced Approach

  • Last season, the Terrapin offense achieved amazing balance as the year went on, showcasing the strengths of Ralph Friedgen's offensive system as players became more comfortable in it.

  • The Terps averaged 35.5 points per game in 2001 and did so behind a breakdown of run and pass that was almost perfectly balanced -- 220.7 yards per game rushing and 219.0 yards per game passing.

  • The Terps were one of only nine teams in Division I-A to average more than 200 yards per game passing and rushing last season.

    Getting Defensive

  • Last season, the Terrapin defense established itself as a unit to be reckoned with. Gary Blackney's unit used a high-pressure, blitzing style that forced opponents to try to beat Maryland through the air and, in turn, caused them to make mistakes.

  • Last year's Terrapin team ranked second nationally in interceptions (24) and caused more turnovers (34) than any Maryland defense in 15 years.

  • The Terrapins held five opponents under 100 yards rushing last season and opponents averaged just 2.6 yards per carry while being held to an ACC-low 90.6 yards per game on the ground.

  • The Terrapins led the Atlantic Coast Conference in sacks with 37.

    Opportunistic Terps

  • Maryland made a name for itself last year with its ability to both force turnovers while holding on to the ball on offense.

  • The Terps finished the regular season ranked fourth in the nation with a +1.45 turnover margin average. The team spent most of the second half of the season ranked either first or second (behind Miami (Fla.) in the statistic.

  • Maryland lost the turnover battle in just two games last year -- the Florida State and NC State games, both of which were on the road.

  • Maryland's 24 interceptions were second most in the nation and 12 more than its total from the entire 2000 season.

  • When the Terps were in the red zone this year, they scored touchdowns 63 percent of the time. Opponents scored TDs just 42 percent of the time against them.
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