Sept. 22, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Terps at EMU Game Notes (PDF Format)
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The University of Maryland football team goes back on the road, looking to continue its impressive turnaround as it makes its first-ever trip to Ypsilanti, Mich., to take on the Eagles of Eastern Michigan University. Kickoff this Saturday from Rynearson Stadium is slated for 6:05 p.m. EDT with the game being broadcast locally by the Terrapin Radio Network (radio pregame starts at 5:30 p.m.).
The Terrapins (2-2, 0-1 ACC) posted their second-straight dominating performance after an 0-2 start, putting 34 points on the board against rival West Virginia before the Mountaineers were able to score their first points late in the fourth quarter. In the win, the Terps put up 498 yards of total offense while holding their opposition -- as it did a week ago -- under 200 yards.
Eastern Michigan now welcomes a team from the Mid-Atlantic after struggling in the region last weekend. The Eagles (1-3, 0-0 MAC) traveled to Annapolis to take on Navy last Saturday and found themselves on the short end of a 39-7 game with the Midshipmen.
After dropping out of the rankings following their season opener, the Terrapins moved a step closer to a return to the Top 25 as they earned votes in both polls this week. Maryland received seven votes in the most recent Associated Press poll and four in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the radio broadcast of this weekend's game will again be affected in the Baltimore market. While WMAL (630 AM) will have complete coverage in the Washington, D.C. area, WBAL (1090 AM) in Baltimore will join the broadcast in progress as it will pick up the Terps following the conclusion of its coverage of the Orioles/Yankees game. The entire game and pregame show can be heard in Baltimore and surrounding areas, however, by tuning in to WNST (1570 AM), WAMD (970 AM) and WTTR (1470 AM).
Series Notes
This weekend's contest marks the third meeting between the Terrapins and Eagles but the first on EMU's home turf. Maryland owns a 2-0 edge in the previous two games, both of which were played at Byrd Stadium in the past two years.
In the previous two meetings, the Terps have been dominant, outscoring Eastern Michigan by the score of 95-6. In two games, EMU has yet to post a touchdown and has been kept off the scoreboard in six of eight quarters.
Maryland's wins over Eastern Michigan the last two years have been complete on both sides of the ball. In the two contests, the Terps have put up 518 rushing yards compared to EMU's 129 (an average of 259-65) and 525 passing yards compared to the Eagles' 273 (263-137).
This year's game will mark the second time in three road games this season that Maryland will take on a Mid-American Conference school on its home turf. Prior to this season, the Terps had played eight games against current MAC schools with each game taking place in College Park. Following the team's season-opening overtime defeat at Northern Illinois, Maryland is now 6-3 all-time versus current members of the MAC.
Been There, Done That
Starting 1-2 is never ideal, especially for a team whose expectations were as high as Maryland's coming into 2003. But coupled with the team's play the last two weeks and if last year is any indicator, 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 its last 11 games, running off eight in a row at one point before dominating Tennessee, 30-3, in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Another ironic twist is the placement of the team's win over West Virginia. Only time will tell in 2003, but a year ago, the win over West Virginia seemed to give the Terps the confidence for their stretch run. At a minimum, this year's win legitimized the team's play a week before against The Citadel.
No Power Outage
While Eastern Michigan game week began with a large percentage of residents of the Mid-Atlantic still without power due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Isabel, the Maryland football team began the week as amped as it has been all year. In the last two weeks, the Terrapin offense, defense and special teams have all gotten renewed life, posting numbers that make up for the anemic start of the first two games.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Terrapins have returned to the effective balance attack that has served it so well under coordinator Charlie Taaffe the last two-plus years. In the last two games, Maryland has rushed for 532 yards and passed for 521, along the way posting 72 more points (95 total) than it was able to in its first two games.
The Terp defense has gotten in on the act as well, coming just 4:02 from posting back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1978. As it stands, the defense posted seven-straight scoreless frames, has held two-straight opponents under 200 yards of offense and has allowed six completed passes between its last two opponents.
The big numbers in the last two games have helped get the team right back where it has been the last few years, statistically speaking. Below is a comparison showing just what the performance did for the team from a statistical standpoint:
Category '03 2-game Avg. '03 3-game Avg. 2002 Avg.
Rush Offense 92.5 181.8 198.8
Pass Offense 117.0 188.8 190.6
Total Offense 209.5 370.5 389.4
Scoring Offense 11.5 29.5 32.2
Rush Defense 127.5 116.2 128.6
Pass Defense 248.5 145.0 210.1
Total Defense 376.0 261.2 338.8
Scoring Defense 27.5 15.5 16.3
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 moves along, he is positioning himself to move up the record books once again.
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. After just four games in 2003, Friedgen ranks sixth on the list of third-year ACC coaches with 23 wins, surpassing the mark of Clemson's Tommy Bowden (22) with his win over West Virginia. With his next win, he moves into a tie for fifth with Hatfield and UNC's Dick Crum.
Friedgen will become the conference's winningest third-year coach with four more wins this season. Lou Holtz (26-8-2, NC State, 1972-74) and Danny Ford (26-9-0, Clemson, 1979-81) are currently atop that list.
No other coach in Maryland history had won more than 17 wins in his first two seasons. Bobby Ross' 25 wins from 1982-84 is the school record for wins in three seasons.
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 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. Below is a list of the company they keep:
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 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 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).
Suter Sets All-Time Mark
After sitting out the first game of the season with a hamstring pull, fear was that junior Steve Suter would take some time before making an impact on the Terps this season. Three games later, those fears are non-existent.
With 42 punt return yards against West Virginia, Suter became Maryland's all-time leader in punt return yardage with 922.
As usual, the Manchester, Md., native's contributions have not been limited to the return game as he is now one of the team's starting wideouts. Last game, he did not have a reception but he did have one carry for a yard (the play was originally 14 yards but called back due to penalty).
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.
Now in his second year as a regular at wide receiver and on special teams, Suter has brought an explosiveness unparralleled at Maryland the last few years. In that time, he has averaged 16.5 yards per touch whether it be rushing, receiving or in the returns game.
Action Jackson
Four games into 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 sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an average of 11.3 tackles per outing (45 total).
In addition to his tackle totals, Jackson has posted three TFLs, one sack, one PBU, one interception (returned for a touchdown), five QB hurries, one forced fumble and one blocked kick.
For the third time in four games this year, Jackson led the Terps in tackles with 12 (10 solo) against West Virginia. He also posted his first career sack.
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 depth chart shows that 14 seniors are listed atop the chart at their respective positions.
Defense On Fire
After an uncharacteristically slow start in its first two games, the Terrapin defense has come on and looks like the same group that has been one of the top units in the country over the last few years.
Entering this week's game, the Terp defense is ranked ninth in the NCAA standings in total defense, allowing an average of just 261.3 yards per game. The team is also second in the ACC in total defense and scoring defense (15.5 ppg).
In its last two games, Maryland has held its opposition to just seven points -- a touchdown late in the West Virginia game that came against the Terrapins' reserves -- while yielding just 293 total yards combined in those contests.
Against West Virginia, the Terps held an offense that entered averaging 366 yards a game to just 156.
The nation's seventh-ranked scoring defense in 2002, Maryland is starting to maintain its stinginess of a year ago. 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 four games this year, the Terps have held their opposition scoreless in nine quarters.
Nowhere To Run
In 2002, 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. Four games into '03, that trend is continuing.
Maryland has held its opponents below 100 yards in two of four games this season and held all four of its opponents below their averages coming into the game.
Through four games, Maryland's opponents are going for 105.5 yards below their rushing average 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.
In Gary Blackney's two-plus years as the Terps' defensive coordinator, Maryland has held its opposition below 100 yards rushing six times.
The Four Corners
Once a liability at Maryland, the defensive backfield is one of the strengths of this year's team. Heading into this week's action, the Terps are ranked 12th nationally and first in the ACC in pass defense, giving up an average of just 145 yards per game through the air.
In the last two games, Maryland's opponents have completed a combined total of six passes and thrown for just 102 yards.
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.
Between them, Maryland's starting defensive backs bring 97 career starts, 21 interceptions and 73 pass breakups.
Size-Wise
One matchup that could benefit the Terps this year is 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.
This week's opponent, Eastern Michigan, has starting cornerbacks averaging just over 5-8 and 165 pounds.
What's In A Name?
It may be a bit premature, but just based on the fact that junior Randy Starks has been compared by some media to Terp legend Randy White speaks volumes about how far the third-year defensive tackle's game has come.
Starks, a viable candidate for the Outland and Lombardi trophies (awards White won in 1974), enters his junior year as a force in the middle along with senior C.J. Feldheim. Starks finished his true sophomore season third on the team in tackles (93) and second on the team in TFLs (12.5) and sacks (6.5) en route to second team All-ACC honors.
Despite only garnering enough attention from the press to earn second-team status a year ago, Starks has already caught the eye of some media members. Most notably, ESPN.com picked the junior as its preseason ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
The Waldorf, Md., native came up with his 11th career sack in the season opener against NIU. He is currently third on the team with 22 total tackles. He is second on the team with four TFLs to go along with one sack.
AutoMat-Nick
Placekicker Nick Novak came on midway through the 2001 season and now, just a junior, enters this season as one of the nation's premier kickers.
Starting with his game-tying kick at Georgia Tech in '01, Novak has made 44 of his last 50 field goal attempts (88%), with four of the misses coming from 50 yards or further.
Novak is 9-of-10 on field goal attempts this season. His lone miss came from 52 yards against West Virginia.
With 10 points against West Virginia, Novak now needs 36 points to move into second place on the Terps' all-time scoring list.
In the Terps' season opener, Novak was outstanding. He converted both of his field goal attempts, easily hitting from 46 and 50 yards. He made his only PAT of the night and forced touchbacks on two of his four kickoffs. NIU's average starting spot after his four kicks was their own 17-yard line.
A first team All-ACC selection a year ago who ranked fifth nationally in field goals, Novak is currently fifth nationally and first in the ACC with an average of 2.25 field goals per game.
Novak -- who entered this season on the "watch list" for the Lou Groza Award -- 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 60 percent (6-of-10) 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. Four games into his first season as Maryland's starting punter, however, redshirt freshman Adam Podlesh seems unphased.
Podlesh is now averaging 46.3 yards per punt, ninth-best in the NCAA and second-best in the ACC.
In his last two games, the Terrapin offense has only given Podlesh the chance to punt twice but he has made the most of his chances booting kicks of 60 and 58 yards.
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 over two years.
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 six years, the Maryland-D.C.-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 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./Va. '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03
Players on Roster 23 34 39 46 49 54 56
Starters* 6 5 7 12 10 14 10
*reflects number of starters in the season opener.
Tough Losses
All seven of Maryland's losses in the last two years have come against the stiffest of competition.
FSU was ranked 19th in 2001, fifth in 2002 and 10th this year when it defeated the Terps. Florida was the fifth-ranked team in the nation when it faced Maryland in the Orange Bowl. Notre Dame -- although unranked at the start of the season -- finished 2002 ranked 17th, while Virginia finished 22nd. This year's season-opening loss came to NIU, a team picked to win the Mid-American Conference and currently ranked in the top 25.
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
No Terrapin players or coaches call the state of Michigan home, but that is not to say that there are not ties to the area.
First-year inside linebackers coach Tim Banks was born in nearby Detroit and played cornerback at Central Michigan.
The town of Ypsilanti may ring a bell to some Maryland faithful as it is the hometown of former Terrapin and current Carolina Panther All-Pro Kris Jenkins (1997-2000).
EMU running backs coach Al Lavan spent four years in the same capacity with the Baltimore Ravens while director of football operations Bruce Gregory graduated from Western Maryland College and was a wide receivers coach under Gary Blackney at Bowling Green.
Terps Among Nation's Elite
Over the course of the past two years, the Maryland football program has been among the best in the nation. The Terrapins are 23-6 in that span with a 15-1 record at home and 7-4 mark on the road.
Maryland is one of just five Division I-A programs to have won at least 10 games in 2001 and 2002. The four others are Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Texas and Marshall.
The Terrapins were 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 joined 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.
ACC Football on the Rise
Long considered a basketball league, the Atlantic Coast Conference is in the midst of somewhat of shift in the balance of power.
Last season, four ACC schools finished the season in the Associated Press' Top 25. In this year's preseason Top 25, four ACC schools were ranked in the nation's top 18 in the Associated Press poll and four of the top 17 in the coaches' poll.
With the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech -- schools who will be a part of the conference next year -- the ACC total in this year's preseason polls rises to six of the top 18 teams in the country, a claim no other conference can boast.
Scouting The Eagles
Eastern Michigan will take the field this weekend with a 1-3 record (0-0 MAC) after falling, 39-7, to Navy in Annapolis last week.
The Eagles opened their season with a 28-21 home win over East Tennessee State but have since lost three in a row, falling by an average score of 32-12 in that span.
EMU's struggles have come primarily in the rushing department, both on offense and defense. The Eagles are averaging just 55.8 yards per game while allowing a robust 227.5 per game.
Sophomore Anthony Sherrill has been the team's workhorse in the running game, posting 74 of the team's 105 attempts. He averages a solid 4.1 yards per carry and has run for a net of 307 yards.
Eastern lost starting senior QB Jeff Crooks in game one to a season-ending injury and have turned to Chinedu Okoro. Okoro is 81-of-145 for 896 yards with three TDs and six interceptions in Crooks' absence.
The Eagle defense is allowing an average of 29.5 points and 406.5 points per game. Their leading tackler has been Kevin Harrison (48 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2 sacks).
EMU's Jeff Woodruff
Jeff Woodruff is in his fourth year as the head coach at Eastern Michigan. In this, his first head coaching job at the collegiate level, Woodruff has posted an overall record of 9-29.
Woodruff came to Ypsilanti after spending two seasons as the running backs coach at Arizona, but that is not where he gained his most notoriety. From 1984-94, Woodruff coached at the University of Washington where he went from a QB coach ('84-91) to offensive coordinator ('92-94).
While a coordinator in Seattle, Woodruff helped lead Don James' Huskies to the 1992 Rose Bowl and was part of the 1991 team that won in Pasadena and was ultimately crowned national champions.
A native of Ravenna, Ohio, the 45-year old Woodruff is a 1979 graduate of Kent State where he was named his football team's top scholar-athlete as a senior.
Byrd Stadium
Now in its 54th 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 season, the Terrapins are 176-101-1 within the friendly confines of Byrd.
With temporary bleachers installed for the remainder of this season, Byrd Stadium can hold up to 51,500.
In two seasons under Ralph Friedgen, the Terrapins are 15-1 in games played at Byrd Stadium.
Terp Alley
In an effort to restore some tradition on gameday in College Park, the football staff created Terp Alley in 2001, a tradition that has become a part of the gameday experience outside 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.
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 take the field at Byrd Stadium this year, changes will still be 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 Terrapins" Johnny Holliday is celebrating his silver anniversary with the Terps this year, as the hall-of-fame broadcaster is celebrating his 25th season as the key cog in the Maryland broadcast team.
With a long list of credentials that includes covering the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics in '84, '88 and '94, 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.
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.
Season Ticket Sales Climbing
In the last two years, season ticket sales for Maryland football games have been moving higher and higher.
Now less than a week from the Terps' home opener, the athletics department has sold a school-record total of more than 28,000 season tickets.
As of September 8, 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.
