Terps at 'Pack Game Notes (PDF Format)
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Nov. 17, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland football team hits the road for the final two games of its 2003 regular season, starting with this weekend's matchup with NC State, a game that will go a long way in determining the Terrapins' bowl fate. Kickoff from Raleigh is slated for 3:30 p.m. EST with the game being televised regionally by ABC and broadcast locally on the Terrapin Radio Network. Radio pregame on WMAL (630 AM in D.C.) and WBAL (1090 AM in Baltimore) starts at 3:00 p.m.
The Terrapins currently have a stronghold on second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the inside track to the Toyota Gator Bowl. A win over the Wolfpack this weekend would further solidify their chances at a second New Year's bowl game in the last three seasons and a possible trip to Jacksonville on Jan. 1.
Last weekend, the Terrapins (7-3, 4-2 ACC) continued their inspired play, beating regional rival Virginia, 27-17, at Byrd Stadium. With the win, the Terps finished their home slate with a perfect 6-0 record, the second time in three years and the third time ever that the team has finished with a 6-0 record or better at home.
Regardless of the fact that it lost its last game, NC State enters this weekend playing as well as it has all year. The Wolfpack (7-4, 4-3 ACC) had won four straight before coming up on the short end of a 50-44 double overtime thriller at Tallahassee last weekend. If the stakes were not high enough, Saturday's game in Raleigh will be Senior Night, the final game at home for a group that is the first to play four years under Chuck Amato.
Last weekend's win on national television helped vault Maryland as close as it has been in weeks to a return to a spot in the nation's Top 25. Maryland received 37 votes in the latest Associated Press poll while it picked up 45 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll, unofficially ranking 29th and 28th, respectively. The Wolfpack gained four votes in the AP poll and 16 in the Coaches' poll this week.
Series Notes -- Terps & Wolfpack
Saturday's game marks the 57th meeting between the Terrapins and Wolfpack. This year's game will give one team a slight edge in the all-time series -- which began in 1917 -- as last year's Maryland win has the current slate tied at 27-27-4.
NC State has won seven of the last 11 in the series, but Maryland has won the last three games and can extend its streak to four -- its longest since 1985 -- with a win this year.
This year's game is NC State's last at home and the fact that it is Senior Night is somewhat appropriate. Standout quarterback Philip Rivers will be attempting to end his illustrious ACC career with a win over the only league team he has failed to beat in his four years as a starter.
In its history, the series has been one of peaks and valleys as NC State was in the midst of its best run in the series, having won 11 of 14 games from 1986-1999 before Maryland started its current streak. That NCSU run came on the heels of Maryland's best stint, a 13-3-1 run from 1971-85. During that period, the Terps ran off a series-best six straight wins from 1980-85.
Though the outcome has favored Maryland each of the last three seasons, the three games have all been close and marked some of the most exciting games in the series.
Last season, Maryland trailed 14-0 early as Rivers threw for a touchdown and ran for another -- a controversial one-yard effort -- but a 64-yard Steve Suter scamper got the Terps on the board and back into the game. Bruce Perry and Scott McBrien each ran for touchdowns in the second half before Nick Novak hit a 26-yard game-winning field goal with :34 left in the game to seal a 24-21 Maryland victory.
In 2001, the Terps went to Raleigh with the hopes of clinching their first ACC title in 16 years but trailed 12-10 at the start of the fourth quarter and 19-14 with 3:59 left. After Rich Parson was stripped at the goal line after what looked like a long TD pass from Shaun Hill to take the lead, the Terps' hopes seemed slim. But after the defense held on the next series, Hill marched Maryland 61 yards and capped the drive with a game-winning eight-yard pass to Guilian Gary with 41 seconds left.
Three years ago, a win over NC State rekindled bowl hopes for the Terps, if only temporarily. In that game, a 35-28 Maryland win in two overtimes, Shaun Hill took over in the second half after the Wolfpack had staked a 21-6 halftime advantage. Hill led the Terps back to a tie and ultimately the win. His one-yard TD run in the second overtime frame was the game winner, giving the Terrapins a win in their first overtime game in school history.
Quick Hits
By scoring on its opening possession against Virginia, the Terrapins kept alive their streak of having scored first in each of their 10 games this season (and in 14 consecutive games dating to the 2002 season). In each game except this year's North Carolina contest, Maryland has taken a lead into the second quarter.
Now with 16 rushing touchdowns in just two years as a Terp, Josh Allen ranks 11th on the Maryland career chart in that category.
Not only did Allen post the third-best rushing day in school history and the 11th-best in ACC lore against Virginia, but he shattered his personal previous career-high mark of 136 yards by halftime as he had 154 heading into the locker room.
In addition, Allen's 38 rushing attempts stands as the fifth-most carries in a single game in Terp history.
Allen's 80-yard romp in the second quarter was the longest of his career and the longest by a Terp since Bruce Perry's 80-yard run against Wake Forest on Sept. 22, 2001.
With his 41-yard reception in the second quarter against UVa (which led to the Terps' second TD), senior WR Jafar Williams came up with his longest reception of the season and moved up on the Maryland career charts. Williams now has 83 receptions - tying him for 14th with Vernon Joines (1985-88) and John Tice (1979-82) - for 1,189 yards, moving him into 14th on the career yardage list, ahead of standout Frank Wycheck (1990-92).
Nick Novak's 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter marked the 302nd point of his career to put him six points behind all-time points leader Jess Atkinson (308).
Maryland's home attendance average this season was 51,236. Though the Terps' attendance this season ranks just 40th nationally in terms of raw numbers, but as a percentage of capacity, Byrd Stadium has been the third-best in the nation as it has exceeded its seating capacity (106.6 percent filled this year).
The Terrapins have held six of nine opponents off of the scoreboard in the first quarter this season.
In Ralph Friedgen's two-plus seasons, Maryland is 26-0 when leading at halftime. The Georgia Tech game marked the first time in Friedgen's career as a head coach that his team went into the locker room tied.
Tenured at the Top
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 third season as a head coach, Taaffe (Montreal Alouettes and The Citadel) and Blackney (Bowling Green) each bring significant head coaching experience to the table.
Taaffe and Blackney were able to maintain success virtually everywhere they went 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 was 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 (55-47-1).
Blackney was able to achieve success in his own right as a head coach at Bowling Green. In 10 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 third seasons at Maryland, the three coaches comprise one of the most experienced triumvirates in college football. With their 88 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.
Friedgen's ACCeptional Start
Ralph Friedgen has opened his career as a head coach by setting one coaching record after another and as his third season in College Park winds down, he has once again moved himself to the top of the record books.
Last year, Friedgen became the winningest second-year head coach in ACC history with his 21-5 record, surpassing Clemson's Ken Hatfield by two wins. With two games left in the 2003 regular season, Friedgen has positioned himself at the top of the list of third-year coaches in the conference.
With the Terps' win against UNC, Friedgen -- now 28-8 -- set a new record for wins by a third-year coach in the ACC, besting the win totals of Lou Holtz (26-8-2, NC State, 1972-74) and Danny Ford (26-9-0, Clemson, 1979-81).
With his team's win against Duke, Friedgen broke Bobby Ross' record of 25 wins from 1982-84, the Maryland standard for wins in three seasons.
A Wealth of Experience
The coaching experience on the Terrapin staff does not end with Coach Friedgen and his coordinators. The Maryland staff, overall, possesses a combined total of 187 years of full-time experience at either the collegiate or pro levels.
That total includes four coaches (excluding Friedgen, Taaffe and Blackney) who have been at it for 17 years or more, and the 187 years means an average of almost 19 years of experience per coach on the 2003 staff.
Coaching Connections
Ralph Friedgen is not the only member of the Terrapin coaching staff with previous 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).
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 school -- 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.
Friedgen was actually Sollazzo's position coach at The Citadel. In addition, the head coach at the college at the time was former Terp mentor Bobby Ross (Bulldog head coach from 1973-77; Terps from '82-86).
Just Like A Tortoise
Starting 1-2 is never ideal, especially for a team whose expectations were as high as Maryland's coming into 2003. But after winning seven of its last eight games coupled with the team's run at the end of last season, maybe it isn't such a bad way to start a campaign.
Last year, the Terps opened 1-2 and then went on to win 10 of their last 11 games, running off eight in a row at one point before dominating Tennessee, 30-3, in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
After a 1-2 start this season, Maryland is now 7-3 and working on its positioning for a third bowl game in three years. Though interesting, it may not be irony that the team has again come back from the depths of a slow start.
Since 1980, Maryland has started a season 1-2 (or worse) 10 times. Ralph Friedgen has been a coach on four of those 10 teams (1982 & '84; 2002-03). The four teams Friedgen has been involved with have a composite record of 35-13 (.729) while the other six are a combined 17-47-1 (.269).
Steel on Steel
This week's game between the Terps and NC State has the feel of a classic matchup of strength against strength.
The Terrapins' defense ranks fourth nationally in scoring, 17th in pass defense and 12th in total defense. It will be trying to stop an NC State offense that ranks 10th nationally in scoring, third in passing and 20th in total offense.
Idle Chatter
Two weeks ago marked Maryland's second and final bye week of the '03 season. It is something the Terps have been accustomed to seeing this season -- on their opponent's schedule.
For the season, five of Maryland's 12 opponents get or have gotten their bye weeks right before taking on the Terps. Next week's game at Wake Forest marks the last of the five.
McNificent
Quarterback Scott McBrien has been a consistent force for the Terps this year, but it wasn't until Maryland's big game against UNC that the senior had a breakout performance.
Two weeks after suffering a concussion that had him miss the second half of the Georgia Tech game as well as two practices leading into the Carolina game, McBrien's game has been at its best of late.
For the season, McBrien has a 137.3 efficiency rating, throwing for 1,850 yards on 123-of-222 passing while throwing 11 TDs to go along with five interceptions, fewest by a starter in the ACC.
Since overcoming the concussion, McBrien's numbers have been outstanding. In those two games, both wins, he was 29-of-46 (63%) for 540 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions and 41 yards rushing with two TDs (a 197.5 QB rating).
The 12th-rated passer in Division I-A last year, McBrien has posted his best efforts of 2003 since game two. In the last eight games, he has completed 105-of-176 passes for 1,679 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. In that time, his QB rating has been 157.0.
McBrien is now 18-6 as a starter at Maryland.
In just two seasons of work at Maryland, McBrien will leave the school with the third-most touchdown passes in school history. With his TD pass against Virginia, McBrien moved into a tie for third with Neil O'Donnell (1987-89) with 26. His next scoring toss will have him alone in third, where he will remain (Boomer Esiason is an unreachable second with 42).
This year's UNC game was the finest of McBrien's career as he completed 15-of-25 passes for a career-high 349 yards, four touchdowns (also a career high) and no interceptions. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns, tying his career best. Impressively, the huge numbers came in just three quarters of work.
For the second-straight season, McBrien threw for three touchdowns against Clemson. It was the first time he had done so in 2003.
Against Eastern Michigan, McBrien threw for a season-high 252 yards and a TD on 14-of-19 passing while completing 8-of-9 passes in the second half to rally the Terps.
Mr. Versatility
After making his mark by tying the NCAA record for punt returns for a touchdown in a season last year and setting the career record for punt return yardage this year, some pundits view junior Steve Suter primarily as a returns specialist. As time has gone on, however, Suter's touches have come in returns, receiving and rushing, giving the Terps a breakaway threat from all angles.
Now in his second year as a regular at wide receiver and on special teams, Suter has brought an explosiveness unparalleled at Maryland the last few years. In that time, he has averaged 15.4 yards per touch whether it be rushing, receiving or in the returns game.
Against UNC, Suter tied for the team lead with a career-high tying four receptions for 72 yards (he had a diving grab called back that would have put him over the century mark) and nearly had his first kick return for a TD this year with a 67-yarder. He also made a diving catch to give the Terps a two-point conversion that tied the game at 14 early in the second quarter.
A year after tying the NCAA record for punt returns for a touchdown in a season (4), Suter notched his first of 2003 by breaking tackles and then bursting free for a 75-yard jaunt against The Citadel.
Suter also owns the Maryland career record for punt returns for a touchdown with five.
At Eastern Michigan, he posted a game-high four receptions for 84 yards, including a 45-yarder before halftime that set up a Nick Novak field goal.
With 42 punt return yards against West Virginia, Suter became Maryland's all-time leader in punt return yardage with 922. He enters the UVa game with 989.
Action Jackson
In his first season as a starter at middle linebacker, sophomore D'Qwell Jackson looks more like his predecessor E.J. Henderson than a first-time starter.
Jackson currently leads the team and is tied for seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an average of 11.1 tackles per outing (100 total).
In addition to his tackle totals, Jackson has posted 6.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, one interception (returned for a touchdown), two pass breakups, 10 QB hurries, one forced fumble and one blocked kick.
Jackson has led the Terrapins in tackles in six of 10 games this year. He has also had seven games with double-digit tackles (eight career).
Jackson recently fell behind the pace to break the record for tackles by a sophomore at Maryland, but it is still not completely out of reach. The current record holder is Ratcliff Thomas who notched 137 in 1994.
In his first return to his home state as a collegian, Jackson was easily the Terps' player of the game against Florida State. He finished with 11 tackles (five solo) and a forced fumble, but big plays were what helped him make his mark. On FSU's first offensive play, he stepped in front of Chris Rix's intended receiver, came up with the interception and rumbled 58 yards -- running through Rix along the way -- for what would be Maryland's only touchdown of the game. Later in the quarter, he broke through the line on special teams and blocked a Xavier Beitia field goal attempt to momentarily help the Terps maintain a 10-7 lead.
In his debut as Maryland's starter against Northern Illinois, Jackson led the team with 15 tackles (eight unassisted), a TFL and three QB hurries.
Depth And Experience
This year's Maryland squad is easily the deepest and most experienced of any during Ralph Friedgen's two-plus year tenure in College Park.
The 2003 edition of the Terrapins features 22 seniors, a stark contrast to the '02 Terps, a team with just 10 seniors. Of the 10 seniors on last year's roster, just six were starters at season's end.
A look at the most recent offensive and defensive depth charts shows that 12 seniors are listed atop the chart at their respective positions.
Terps 4th In Scoring Defense
After an uncharacteristically slow start in its first two games, the Terrapin defense has spent the rest of the season looking like the same group that has been one of the top units in the country over the last three years.
This week, the Terp defense is ranked fourth in the nation in scoring defense (14.7 ppg) and 12th in the NCAA in total defense (297.0 ypg). The team ranks first in the ACC in both categories.
Since 2001, only one school -- Georgia -- has ranked higher nationally each season in scoring defense than Maryland.
In its last eight games, Maryland has held its opposition to a total of just 92 points, an average of 11.5 points per game.
Only two opponents this season have scored more than 20 points against the Terps.
Ranked in the nation's top 20 in scoring defense each of the three years since Gary Blackney took the reins of the defense, Maryland has yet to see a year under his watch where opponents average more than 20 points per game.
The Terps held opponents scoreless in 30 quarters in '02, second-most of any team in Division I-A football (Kansas State led the nation with 34). Through 10 games this year, the Terps have held their opposition scoreless in 22 quarters.
Last weekend, Maryland held Virginia, one of the conference's premier offenses, to just 186 passing yards, 108 rushing yards and 17 points. Honors candidate Matt Schaub completed 50 percent of his passes, over 20 percent below his average coming into the game.
The Terrapins held Clemson to 10 yards rushing and seven points while intercepting Charlie Whitehurst twice (Whitehurst came into the game with just three interceptions for the season).
Against West Virginia, the Terps held an offense that entered averaging 366 yards a game to just 156.
Nowhere To Run
Last season, all but two Maryland opponents were held at or below their rushing average heading into play against the Terps and on average, Maryland held its foes to more than 57 yards below their season averages. With two regular-season games left in 2003, the trend continues.
Maryland has held its opponents below 100 yards in three games this season (and six below 120) and held all but two of its opponents below their respective averages coming into the game.
Maryland's opponents are going for an average of 53.4 yards below their rushing average coming into their games with the Terps in 2003. (Note: Northern Illinois' average is based on their mark set during the 2002 season).
The Terrapins held Northern Illinois to 59 yards rushing, 141 yards below their average of the season before. In addition, the defense held Michael Turner -- the nation's leading returning ball carrier -- 69 yards below his average and held him to 51 yards and a 2.1 average in the game's first three quarters.
Since 2001, Maryland has held its opposition below 100 yards rushing seven times.
The Four Corners
Once a liability at Maryland, the defensive backfield has been a strength for the Terrapins since 2001. Heading into this week's action, the Terps are ranked 17th nationally and first in the ACC in pass defense, giving up an average of just 185.7 yards through the air per game.
In the last eight games, Maryland's opponents have thrown for just 1,370 yards (an average of 171.3 yards per game).
Described by Ralph Friedgen as four players with "great character," corners Curome Cox, Domonique Foxworth along with safeties Dennard Wilson and Madieu Williams also bring extraordinary skill to the table. All four players started a year ago and all four have spent at least some portion of their collegiate career at cornerback, giving the team one of the most versatile secondaries in the country.
Cox is currently ranked fifth in the ACC in passes defensed with 10 and moved into a tie for 12th on the Maryland all-time interceptions list with his intereption against Georgia Tech, the ninth of his career.
Between them, Maryland's starting defensive backs bring 121 career starts, 25 interceptions and 93 pass breakups.
Maryland has held three opponents this season below 100 yards passing.
Size-Wise
One matchup that has benefited the Terps at times this year has been that of the team's wide receivers against the opposition's defensive backs, as Maryland possesses the best size in years at wide receiver.
Of the 11 wide receivers on the Maryland roster most likely to see significant playing time in 2003, seven are 6-2 or taller. Three are 6-4 and only one player who doesn't spend time as a slot receiver (Derrick Fenner, 5-11) is under 6-0 tall.
Maryland's next opponent, NC State, has starting cornerbacks averaging 5-11 and 188 pounds.
A Stark Talent
Now in his third year and second as a starter, junior Randy Starks has become a player to watch on the Terrapin defense. The object of nearly constant double teams, Starks has become the focus of opponent's blocking schemes but remains one of the Terps' top producers on defense.
In just his second year as a starter, Starks has become a force in the middle along with senior C.J. Feldheim. A second team All-ACC pick a year ago, Starks has caught the eye of many college football pundits heading into his second season. Most notably, ESPN.com picked him as its preseason ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
The Waldorf, Md., native came up with a sack against Virginia, giving him 15.5 for his career. He now stands 10th on the Maryland career list.
Starks is currently third on the team with 60 total tackles. He leads the team with 12.5 TFLs, has 5.5 sacks, three PBUs and 10 QB hurries.
The junior provided nearly all of the Terps' big plays on defense in this year's win over Virginia. He finished with eight tackles (five solo), all three of the team's TFLs and its only sack while batting down a pass at the line.
Against Duke, Starks finished with a season-high nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, three TFLs, one forced fumble and three QB hurries while batting down a pass at the line of scrimmage.
AutoMat-Nick
Placekicker Nick Novak came on midway through the 2001 season and now, just a junior, is widely considered one of the nation's premier kickers.
Starting with his game-tying kick at Georgia Tech in '01, Novak has made 56 of his last 65 field goal attempts (86%), with four of the nine misses coming from 50 yards or further and one being a block.
Recently named a semifinalist for this year's Lou Groza Award, Novak is 20-of-25 on field goal attempts this season. Just one of the five misses came from inside 40 yards.
Currently second on the all-time scoring list at Maryland, Novak now needs seven points to move into first, with it being a strong possibility that he will do so in just three years.
Novak tied the Maryland school record with a 54-yard field goal against Duke this year. The kick tied the mark set more than 30 years ago by Steve Mike-Mayer (Sept. 29, 1973).
A first team All-ACC selection a year ago who ranked fifth nationally in field goals, Novak is currently 20th in the NCAA and first in the ACC with an average of 2.0 field goals per game.
Novak has hit the only two game-winning attempts of career, beating Georgia Tech in 2001 and NC State in 2002.
The Charlottesville, Va., native has made 64 percent (7-of-11) of his attempts for his career from 50 yards or further.
Off On The Right Foot
Attempting to fill the shoes of your school's all-time leading punter is a daunting task. With two regular season games left in his first season as Maryland's starting punter, however, redshirt freshman Adam Podlesh seems unphased.
Podlesh is averaging 42.6 yards per punt, 30th-best in the NCAA and second-best in the ACC. He has also helped the Terps to the 14th-best net average in the nation at 39.4 yards per punt.
On 42 punts this year, Podlesh has dropped over 43 percent (18) inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
Should he maintain his current average, Podlesh will post the fifth-best average in school history and best by a freshman.
Podlesh's average took a bit of a nosedive against Virginia, but that is not to say he did not punt well. He averaged 28 yards per kick on three punts, but all three attempts were into a wind that gusted upwards of 35 miles per hour. He was still able to put one attempt inside the 10-yard line.
Punting into the wind on five of seven attempts against Clemson, Podlesh averaged 41 yards per kick with three going out inside the 15 and one going out at the Tiger one-yard line. He earned ACC Specialist of the Week honors for his performance.
In front of the fourth-largest crowd in Florida State history, Podlesh averaged 43.7 yards per punt on seven kicks with a long of 52 and three downed inside the Seminole's 20-yard line.
On eight punts against Northern Illinois, Podlesh averaged 45.4 yards per kick, leaving four punts inside the 20 and one inside the 10. He also had a booming 63-yard effort, the longest by a Terrapin in more than two years.
Iron Terps
For the third-straight 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 vertical jump, improving on the previous all-time team highs that had been established since such records have been kept (started in 1983).
Not only were new records set, but the team as a whole improved dramatically, as 84 percent of the players on this year's team elevated their personal bests in strength index -- which encompasses all of the tests into one number -- from the year previous.
The player who set the most records at his position this year was the versatile Steve Suter. The standout wide receiver and return man posted records for strength index (768), squat (580 pounds), power clean (352 pounds) and vertical jump (42 inches).
Local Ties
The Terrapins have two players who call the state of North Carolina home as sophomore OG Russell Bonham is from Winston-Salem (Carver HS) as is fellow sophomore William Kershaw who is from Raeford (Hoke County HS).
Maryland offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe was a graduate assistant at NC State in 1975 and defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo coached at Guilford College in 1988.
The Wolfpack have two players who call the Old Line State home. In alphabetical order: OL Brian Archis (Bel Air/Bel Air HS) and OL Antoine Colvin (Baltimore/Dunbar HS).
NC State running backs coach Dick Portee was an assistant coach at Maryland from 1982-89. Cornerbacks coach Greg Williams was at Maryland from 1982-86 as a secondary coach and from '87-91 as defensive coordinator.
Terps Among Nation's Elite
Over the course of the past two-plus years, the Maryland football program has been among the best in the nation. The Terrapins are 28-8 in that span with a 18-1 record at home.
Maryland was one of just five Division I-A programs to win at least 10 games in 2001 and 2002. The four others are Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Texas and Marshall.
The Terrapins are joined by just three other schools since 2001 to finish each of those two seasons ranked in the nation's top 15 in both major polls while also residing in the top 15 of both preseason polls for 2003 (Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma and Texas are the others).
Trimming the field even further, the Terps are accompanied only by Miami (Fla.) and Texas as the only three teams in the nation to finish in the NCAA's top 25 in both scoring offense and scoring defense in '01 and '02. Maryland ranked 21st in scoring offense (32.2 ppg) and seventh in scoring defense (16.3 ppg) a year ago while ranking 12th (35.4) and 18th (19.1), respectively, in 2001.
Scouting The Wolfpack
NC State heads into its final home game playing some of the best football in the ACC, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Wolfpack are 7-4 (4-3 ACC) and winners of four of their last five games.
In their first season under offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, the Wolfpack lead the conference in pass offense (347.5 ypg), total offense (442.2 ypg) and scoring offense (37.2 ppg).
Surprisingly, the 'Pack are last in the league and 113th nationally (out of 117 schools) in rushing offense, averaging 94.6 yards per game. Part of their problem has come with injuries, namely to tailback T.A. McLendon.
Philip Rivers has had his finest season in his last campaign in Raleigh. He leads the ACC and is second nationally in pass efficiency (169.8) while having thrown for 3,740 yards and 29 TDs (vs. just six interceptions).
The bulk of NC State's troubles this season have come on the defensive side of the ball as it has held just one opponent this season under 20 points and have given up an average of over 30 per outing. Its pass defense, like its run offense, ranks near the bottom of the NCAA (113th), allowing an average of 291.6 yards per game.
Junior Andre Maddox leads the team in tackles with 119, fourth-best in the ACC. Junior linebacker Pat Thomas is the team leader in sacks with six.
NC State's Chuck Amato
Now in his fourth season in Raleigh, Chuck Amato is 33-16 (.673) in his first stint as a head coach and has led the Wolfpack to bowl berths in each of his first three seasons at the helm.
Amato's 33 wins are the fourth-most of any four-year coach in ACC history.
Amato arrived at NC State after spending 18 seasons at Florida State under Bobby Bowden. While at FSU, Amato directed the Seminole defensive line for 14 seasons before becoming the linebackers coach for four years.
Amato began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Easton High School in Easton, Pa. Since that time, Amato has spent time at three schools including a nine-year stint at NC State where he worked his way from being a graduate assistant from 1971-72 to eventually becoming the Pack's defensive coordinator from 1976-79. After State, Amato spent two seasons at Arizona before his 18-year tenure in Tallahassee.
A 1969 graduate of NC State, Amato was both a football player and wrestler in college. Amato played linebacker for the Wolfpack and won two ACC titles in two different weight classes as a grappler.
Byrd-fection
With Maryland's win over Virginia last week, the Terps finished the 2003 season with a perfect 6-0 record at home, marking the second time in Ralph Friedgen's three-year tenure that the team has finished its home slate unblemished.
In 111 seasons of football, Maryland has finished undefeated at home 18 times. Just seven of those occasions, however, have come since 1950 (when Byrd Stadium opened) and just twice has it happened since 1975 ('76 and 2001).
The Terrapins 6-0 mark is a tie for the second-best record at home in school history. The 1976 team was also 6-0, only to be trumped by the 2001 team which won all of its games on a seven-game home slate.
A Class Act
The success of the Maryland football team has not stopped on the playing field in recent years, as the team has improved its academic standing under Ralph Friedgen's watch.
A total of 23 of Maryland's 24 players who count as part of this year's senior class are on schedule to earn their degrees on time.
Five players on this year's team -- OG Ed Tyler, OG Lamar Bryant, CB Curome Cox, TE Jeff Dugan and DT Tosin Abari -- have already earned their degrees.
Tyler earned his degree in economics prior to last season, finishing his course work in just three years. He is currently pursuing a second degree (history).
From the membership has its benefits file: Friedgen lets players line up to eat by grade point average. The Terps must be hungry -- 24 players earned a 3.5 grade point average or better in the spring of 2003.
Building For The Future
When the Terrapins took the field at Byrd Stadium this year, changes were still taking place at the site 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.
After getting a state-of-the-art scoreboard and a new academics unit a year ago, the renovation has now moved on to improving other areas. Included in the changes are a remodeled weight room and a dining hall, a hall of fame area and a team meeting auditorium.
In addition to the bright visible new video board, it may go overlooked by some that expansion has already 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.
One other change noticeable at the start of fall camp and appreciated by players and coaches alike was the Terps' new practice facility, which features two state-of-the-art grass fields and a field turf, perfect for weeks when Maryland plays on an artificial surface.
A 25-Year Holliday
"Voice of the Terps" Johnny Holliday is celebrating his silver anniversary with Maryland this year, as the broadcaster is in his 25th season as the key cog in the Terp broadcast team.
With a long list of credentials that includes covering numerous summer and winter Olympics and the Masters, the Terps' director of broadcasting may be best known to some fans from his days as a disc jockey in Cleveland, work which ultimately landed him in that town's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and most recently (Oct. 5) in the Radio & Television Broadcasters' Hall of Fame.
Season Ticket Sales Climbing
In the last two years, season ticket sales for Terp football games have moved dramatically higher.
Prior to the start of the season, the total sold was 28,350, an improvement of almost 10,000 tickets from Ralph Friedgen's first season in College Park and more than 12,000 more sold than in 1999.
Maryland had six home games this year with attendance going over the 50,000 mark in each of the six games. It is the first time in school history that that has happened in any one season.
