Football Game Notes -- Terps host FSU

Oct. 25, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -

Terps vs. FSU Notes (PDF Format)
Download Free Acrobat Reader

The University of Maryland football team returns home this weekend in hopes of closing the month of October with a win, an achievement which would be its first in school history against Florida State University. Kickoff from a sold-out Byrd Stadium is set for 3:37 p.m. with the game being televised regionally by ABC Sports and broadcast on the Terrapin Radio Network (radio pregame starts at 2:00 p.m.).

The Terrapins (3-4, 1-3 ACC) suffered what may have been the toughest loss of the current three-game stretch last weekend in a 10-7 defeat at Clemson. Maryland did not trail in the game until :23 remained, and did so only after a controversial call on 3rd-and-goal from the Maryland four-yard line went against them and gave the Tigers four shots from the two-yard line as opposed to a fourth-down situation. For more on the game, see Quick Hits, Week Seven.

Florida State escaped defeat last weekend at Wake Forest. The Seminoles trailed 14-3 at halftime but rallied and ultimately won on a 22-yard field goal by Xavier Beitia with 1:03 left, narrowly averting the school's first-ever loss to the Demon Deacons.

Florida State enters this weekend ranked No. 5 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. The Seminoles were also ranked fifth in the first BCS poll of 2004.

Maryland is looking for its first win over a top 10 opponent in almost 15 years. The Terps' last victory over a team ranked in the nation's top 10 was against No. 8 Virginia in the final game of the 1990 campaign, a 35-30 victory that led to an Independence Bowl bid for Joe Krivak's team. The last time Maryland beat a team ranked as high as the Seminoles are this week was October 29, 1983, a 28-26 victory over then-No.3 North Carolina.

Saturday's game is the third in a stretch of four tough Atlantic Coast Conference games for the Terps, three of which will take place on the road.

Series Notes -- Terps & `Noles

Saturday's contest marks the 15th meeting between the Terrapins and Seminoles. The two teams first played in 1966 with a regular series beginning with FSU's joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1992. Florida State has won all 14 games to date.

Florida State has been in control of the series, with the Terps coming no closer than 14 points. That effort came in 1998 when the Terrapin defense held the `Noles in check -- allowing just one touchdown -- but Sebastian Janikowski booted a school-record tying five field goals in a 24-10 win.

In the last three meetings, Maryland's problems with the Seminoles have largely been a result of their own miscues. In those three games, the Terps have turned the ball over 11 times (seven interceptions, four fumbles) -- mistakes that have resulted in 42 Seminole points off of Maryland turnovers.

Last season, the Terrapins' struggles were primarily on the offensive side of the ball. The team had yet to snap out of an early-season offensive slump and was only able to muster 197 total yards against the `Noles. Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson was the star of the game for the Terps as he intercepted Chris Rix's first pass of the game, ran over Rix and TB Lorenzo Booker on the way to the end zone for Maryland's only TD of the game. Jackson later blocked an FSU field goal in his first trip to his home state as a collegian.

Maryland's lone "victory" against Florida State in the history between the two schools came in the 2001 final ACC rankings as the Terps' conference title that year made Maryland the only school to win the Atlantic Coast Conference title outright since Florida State joined the league in 1992.

Should the Terps come away with its first win in the series, it would mark just the eighth time that FSU has lost to an ACC team since joining the conference. Five of those losses, however, have come in the last three years.

Quick Hits, Week Seven

Saturday's loss at Clemson was Maryland's first in four years under Ralph Friedgen that the team fell after taking a lead into the locker room. The Terps led 7-3 at intermission, but gave up a touchdown with :23 remaining, giving Friedgen his first blemish in 31 games when his team has led at the half.

Maryland held Clemson to 36 yards rushing (an average of 0.9 yards per carry). It marked the third time in the last four games that the Terrapins' opponent has failed to rush for 100 yards or more.

The Terrapins' loss marks the first three-game losing streak in Friedgen's tenure. In his previous three years, Friedgen had lost consecutive games just once -- the first two games of 2003 -- and had lost a combined total of three games in the months of October and November.

The loss was Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden's first win against the Terrapins since 2000.

Sophomore LB David Holloway continued his strong play in his first year as a starter at the strongside position for the Terrapins. Holloway finished with just two tackles against the Tigers, but one was an eight-yard sack and his first quarter punt block set up Maryland's lone touchdown of the day. The block was the first of Holloway's career.

Juniors D'Qwell Jackson and Shawne Merriman each had huge games against Clemson. The duo combined for 25 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and two sacks in the game with Jackson's 18 tackles being a career high and Merriman's sack moving him to second on the Terps' career list.

Friedgen's ACCeptional Start

Ralph Friedgen has opened his career as a head coach by setting one coaching record after another and as his fourth season in College Park moves along, he has once again placed his name in several record books for coaching wins.

In his three-plus years at Maryland, Friedgen has -- season-by-season -- established himself as one of the top coaches in ACC history. His first season featured an ACC championship and 10 wins, his second had him at the top of the record books for second-year mentors with a 21-5 record, and his third year had him atop the record books of third-year ACC coaches with a 31-8 record. His 31 wins were five more than the list's number-two coaches, Lou Holtz (NC State, 1972-74) and Danny Ford (Clemson, 1979-81).

With 31 wins in those first three years, Friedgen ranks seventh on the NCAA's all-time list for third-year head coaches. Along with Miami's Larry Coker (2nd), he is one of two active coaches on the list that features legendary names like Walter Camp (1st), Barry Switzer (4th) and John Robinson (6th).

Now with 34 wins, Friedgen ranks tied for second -- tying NC State's Chuck Amato (34-17 from 2000-03) and former co-worker Bobby Ross (34-14, 1982-85) -- on the ACC list of fourth-year head coaches. With a win against Florida State, he will move into a tie for first with CU's Ford who was 35-10-1 in his four years.

Notably, Friedgen now stands just 10 wins from tying Ford for the most wins by an ACC coach in his fifth year. Despite only being game eight of his fourth season, Friedgen already ranks seventh on that list.

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 197 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 18 years or more, and the 197 years means an average of almost 20 years of experience per coach on the 2004 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 and current Army coach Bobby Ross (Bulldog head coach from 1973-77; Terps from `82-86).

Raising the Bar

With its win over Duke, Maryland has 34 victories over its last four seasons -- all since Ralph Friedgen took over in 2001.

The Terps' total of 31 wins from 2001-03 is the highest three-year win total in school history.

Prior to 2003, Maryland's best three-year win total was 28 (accomplished three times). With three more wins this season, the team will match the best four-year total in school history, 37 wins (1975-78).

With their loss to NC State, the Terps lost any hope of winning 10 games this season, the first time in Friedgen's tenure that the team will have failed to do so. In the previous 110 years of football, Maryland had never put together three straight nine-win seasons, but Friedgen's teams strung together three-straight 10-win campaigns from 2001-03.

Since 1892, Maryland has had seven 10-win seasons, three of which have come in the previous three years.

RBs Becoming Terp Tradition

Historically, Maryland has had a reputation for producing some top-notch quarterbacks. Names like Esiason, Scarbath, O'Donnell and Reich have done nothing to discourage that. In recent years, however, the schools reputation of producing QBs is rivaled only by its production at tailback.

Following the departure of LaMont Jordan in 2000, the big question was "who would carry the load?" The answer has come in waves -- Bruce Perry, Marc Riley, Chris Downs, and now Josh Allen and Sammy Maldonado.

Now in his third year, Allen has rushed for 1,727 yards and 20 TDs. An eight-game starter in 2003, his 257 yards against Virginia marked the 11th-best day in ACC history and the seventh-best in Division I-A last season. He currently ranks 12th on the Terp career yardage list.

In addition, Allen's one-yard touchdown run against Clemson moved him into seventh all-time on the Maryland career list.

Allen has posted four career 100-yard games and one in 2004.

Maldonado rushed for 84 yards in the opener and then followed it up with his first career 100-yard game, a 106-yard, two-touchdown effort against Temple.

Maldonado is now 10th in the ACC in rushing with 65.3 yards per game and leads the Terps with five touchdowns.

Defense Continues Strong Play

When he was hired to come to Maryland, the talk about the mark Ralph Friedgen would make in College Park was all about offense. What has been unquestionably the team's most consistent force in four seasons, however, has been its defense and it is once again proving to be a force in 2004.

Defensive coordinator Gary Blackney's defense has been a unit charactarized by stopping the run and making teams score by moving the ball through the air. With a scoring average of 17.5 points allowed per game since 2001, that feat has obviously been a tall order for Terrapin foes.

Maryland's ranking in scoring defense the previous three years got progressively better with each season, as the Terps ranked 18th in 2001, seventh in 2002 and sixth a year ago.

In each of the previous three seasons' final defensive rankings, Maryland has had just one team -- Georgia -- finish higher in scoring defense.

In `04, the Terps have gotten better and better and now rank 28th nationally in scoring defense, yielding an average of 17.90 points per game.

This season, the Terrapins' defensive scoring average is skewed somewhat due to events beyond the defense's control. If one were to eliminate points scored off of turnovers, fumble or interceptions returned for touchdowns and kickoff returns for touchdowns, the Maryland defense is allowing 8.9 points per game compared to its current average of 17.9.

Since 2001, 32 of Maryland's 46 opponents (70%) have been held to 20 points or less.

Maryland has yet to see a year under Blackney's watch where opponents average more than 20 points per game.

Since 2002, Maryland has held its opposition scoreless in 66 quarters (11 thus far in 2004).

The Terrapins are currently ranked in the nation's top 30 in four defensive categories: total defense (21st), pass defense (21st), pass efficiency defense (106.56) and scoring defense (28th).

Since 2001, Maryland has held its opposition below 100 yards rushing 12 times. In addition, the team has held six opponents to 100 yards or less passing in that time, including four teams in 2003.

The last quarterback to pass for 250 yards against Maryland was NC State's Philip Rivers who threw for 276 in game 11 of the 2003 season.

In its loss to Clemson, the Terps held the Tigers to 36 yards rushing (0.9 yards per carry), the third time in four games that it had held an opponent to under 100 yards on the ground.

Against Duke, the Terp defense held the opposition to 185 yards of total offense (83 rushing, 102 passing). Along the way, the defense held six of the Blue Devils' 12 drives to three plays or less.

Living Up To Their Name

After stumbling out of the blocks in their first year, Maryland's special teams have been nothing short of, well, special the last three years under coordinator Ray Rychleski.

In placekicker Nick Novak, punter Adam Podlesh and return man Steve Suter, the Terrapins have the ACC's first team all-conference kicker from 2002 and 2003, its second-team punter from 2003 (and the first Terp freshman in history to make All-ACC) and a specialist who has been first team all-league since 2002.

The Terps have drawn national attention for their unit in 2004 as they have been ranked in the preseason as one of the best units in the nation by Collegefootballnews.com (1st), Lindy's (1st), ESPN (3rd) and Phil Steele (3rd).

Young Guns

In three of the last four years, Maryland has been faced with opening its season with a quarterback in his first year playing in the offensive system. While this year is different in the sense that Joel Statham and the team's other quarterbacks have all come up in the Friedgen offense, this year's group has faced a new set of challenges as the least experienced the Terps have put on the field in recent years.

Maryland's group of five quarterbacks entered this season having thrown 25 career passes between them at the collegiate level (all 25 attempts were by Statham in 2003).

The Terrapins have no players at the position older than a sophomore. The group includes two sophomores (Statham, Hollenbach), two redshirt freshmen (Mitch, Moyseenko) and one true freshman (Steffy).

With his start in the opener, Statham was the least experienced to take the field in terms of passes thrown at either the college or junior college level since Latrez Harrison started as a freshman against Florida State in 1999.

Suter ACC Record-Holder

After two years as the ACC's first-team specialist and one of Maryland's top playmakers, Steve Suter is no longer flying under anybody's radar. He is more likely to be flying down the sideline.

Now in his final year of eligibility at Maryland, Suter does it all for the Terps. A starting wideout who returns punts and kicks, Suter has also been involved in the running game and is one of the team's few receivers who can play at any spot (X, Z or slot).

In the last three years, Suter has averaged 15.0 yards per touch whether it be rushing, receiving or in the returns game.

With his first return of the day against Georgia Tech this season, Suter became the ACC's all-time leader in punt return yardage, surpassing the mark of NC State's Ledel George (1,191, 1990-93). He enters game eight of his final season with 1,269 yards.

In 2002, Suter tied the NCAA record for punt returns for a touchdown in a season (4). He returned two punts last season for scores, leaving him just two shy of tying the current NCAA career record of eight (Wes Welker, Texas Tech, 2000-03; Antonio Perkins, Oklahoma, 2001-pres.).

Suter's six returns for a TD are a Maryland record.

The opposition has thus far been punting away from Suter this season, angling more than half of their punts out of his reach. The result -- an opponent net punting average of 33.4 yards per attempt.

DJ = Defensive Juggernaut

The question surrounding the 2004 Terrapins heading into the season was virtually all about the quarterback position. It was only a year ago, however, that the same "buzz" was surrounding "who would replace E.J. Henderson" at middle linebacker. Thanks to the play of D'Qwell Jackson, those questions are as good as forgotten.

Last season -- his first as a starter -- Jackson led the team in tackles with 136, one shy of the record for tackles by a sophomore at Maryland. His 10.5 tackles per game ranked him seventh in the ACC and tops among sophomores.

Maybe the fiercest competitor on the Terp roster, Jackson has led the Terrapins in tackles in 11 of 20 games the last two years. He has also had 12 career games with double-digit tackles.

Seven games into this year, Jackson is again leading the team in tackles (78). His average of 11.1 tackles per game is also tops in the ACC and he is the league's only player to have posted 70 tackles thus far in 2004.

The Largo, Fla., native was everywhere against Clemson, notching a staggering career-high of 18 tackles (nine solo) to go along with 2.5 TFLs and a sack.

Jackson was one of the few bright spots against Georgia Tech, tying what was then his career-high with 16 tackles (four solo) while adding a half TFL and a PBU.

After suffering a hyperextended elbow against Temple in week two, concern was that Jackson might have trouble playing against West Virginia. On the contrary, he finished with 16 tackles, a sack, one TFL and one PBU.

In the opener, Jackson racked up nine tackles and intercepted two passes against Northern Illinois, both of which led to Terrapin scores.

Lights On

After playing through injury most of last season, DE Shawne Merriman -- a.k.a. "Lights Out" -- has unquestionably had the light go on this year.

A true junior, Merriman is in his first season as the full-time starter but is already making waves in the Terrapin record books. In 33 career games, Merriman has posted 27.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks.

After his sack against Clemson, Merriman now stands just five sacks from owning the school's career record (Mike Corvino, `79-82, currently holds the mark with 24).

With three TFLs against the Tigers, Merriman moved into ninth on the Terp career list in that category with 28.5.

Merriman leads the Terrapins and is tied for third in the ACC in sacks (six total/0.9 avg.) and leads the league in TFLs (13 total/1.86 avg.). He also leads the league in fumbles forced with three.

At Clemson, Merriman made big play after big play, registering seven tackles, three TFLs, one sack and one forced fumble.

The Upper Marlboro native posted a career-high 16 tackles from his defensive end position against NC State.

Youth is Served

With 22 seniors (12 of whom were starters), last year's Maryland squad was the most experienced in the last four years. One year later, the 2004 edition of the Terps has just three less seniors but it is easily the least experienced of Ralph Friedgen's tenure.

This year's team has the largest group of true freshmen in recent memory (30). All told, there were 49 Terrapins on this year's roster with four years or more of eligibility remaining at the beginning of the season.

In the Terrapins' first seven games of 2004, a total of 35 sophomores and freshmen have seen action including seven true freshmen, one more than all of last year.

Upon Further Review

In addition to the high number of youthful Terps taking the field this year, the more experienced Terps in terms of their academic eligibility are not what one would consider long in the tooth when it comes to playing time.

A year after opening the season with 15 senior starters, Maryland now has nine seniors in its starting lineup. Four of those players, however, are in their first season as starters.

Of the 22 offensive and defensive players listed as starters on the two-deep heading into the Clemson game, 13 are in their first year as starters.

Notably, Maryland lost 12 players a year ago made their way to in NFL camps in the fall.

Turtles in Name Only

It has been documented that this year's team is the youngest of the Friedgen Era. Notably, it may also be the fastest.

The Terrapins had 17 players run in the 4.5-or-better range in the 40-yard dash in spring testing (note that all but four true freshmen did not participate).

Six of the nine wide receivers who tested in the spring ran 4.51 or better, two tailbacks ran under a 4.5 (Allen and Merrills) and three defensive backs ran a 4.4 or better (Custis, McPhearson, Wilson).

Two notable times -- CB Gerrick McPhearson ran a team-best 4.29; P Adam Podlesh ran the best time ever for a punter at Maryland with a 4.46.

Novak Scaling NCAA List

It seems like ages since placekicker Nick Novak hit a pair of memorable kicks at Georgia Tech that got the ball rolling for him and the Terrapins in 2001. Now a senior, Novak has gone from the focal point of a position of concern on the Terp roster to one of the premier players at his position in the country.

Starting with his game-tying kick at Georgia Tech in `01, Novak has made 70 of his last 86 field goal attempts (81%), with five of the 17 misses coming from 50 yards or further (and one being a block).

A semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award the last two years, Novak is 52 points from breaking the mark of current NCAA record-holder for scoring, Houston's Roman Anderson (423, 1988-91). Novak enters this weekend's game with 372 career points, a total which ranks seventh on the NCAA list.

Novak needs 17 points to move into sixth and ahead of Nebraska's Kris Brown (388, 1995-98).

Novak's first field goal of this season, a 43-yarder against Northern Illinois, set a new ACC scoring record, breaking the mark of FSU's Scott Bentley (326).

With his game-winning 43-yard field goal in last year's NC State game, Novak became the all-time leading scorer in Maryland history, surpassing the 308 points of Jess Atkinson (1981-84).

The Charlottesville, Va., native has made 54 percent (7-of-13) of his attempts for his career from 50 yards or further. He owns the school record with a 54-yard kick against Duke in 2003.

Podlesh ACC Leader in Net Avg.

Sophomore Adam Podlesh had a tall order a year ago in filling the shoes of Maryland's all-time leading punter, Brooks Barnard. Now in his second season, Podlesh is playing like Barnard's record-setting career will barely have a chance for the ink to dry in the team's media guide before being moved aside.

Podlesh averaged 42.3 yards per punt a season ago, third-best in the ACC, the fifth-best in school history and best ever by a freshman. It was his net punting and, more specifically, his ability to pin an opponent that had him finish the season as a Ray Guy Award semifinalist.

Thus far in 2004, Podlesh maintains a 44.6-yard average (eighth-best in the nation) and his net average (41.4) leads the ACC and is third in the NCAA.

On 89 career punts, Podlesh has dropped 37 percent (33) inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

Podlesh has placed 11 of his 36 punts this year inside the 20.

A week after being named ACC Specialist of the Week for his play against Georgia Tech, Podlesh followed that performance up with an 11-punt day that featured a 45.2-yard average, two punts inside the 20, no touchbacks and a career-long 70-yard effort that was downed at NCSU's five-yard line.

In being named a second team All-ACC selection at punter last year, Podlesh became the first freshman in school history to be recognized by the league.

Iron Terps

Maryland's strength numbers over the course of the last four years have been off the charts. This season, 43 players earned "Iron Terp" status, an honor that is based on a player's strength index (determined by a strength/weight formula).

Due to the team's youth, the strength numbers have fallen slightly compared to last year, but the averages are still staggering nonetheless. The team's average bench press is 341.9; its average squat 514.2; and its average power clean is 296.3 as determined in preseason testing.

Not only were new individual records set, but the team as a whole improved dramatically, as 72 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 tight end Vernon Davis. The young H-back posted records for strength index (736), bench (425 pounds), power clean (330 pounds) and vertical jump (38 inches) He also posted a 4.5 time in the 40-yard dash.

For the second-straight season, FS Ray Custis led the team in overall strength index, posting a 809, the best ever by a Maryland defensive back.

A Run on Bowdens

This week will mark the last of four weeks that Maryland has had a Bowden "in the house."

Terry Bowden was a commentator for ABC's games the two weeks at Maryland prior to the Clemson game while Tommy coaches the Tigers and father Bobby and brother Jeff (FSU's offensive coordinator) head to College Park for this weekend's game.

Local Ties

The Terps have seven players who call the Sunshine State home: TB Josh Allen (Tampa/finished his final year of high school in Maryland); OG Garrick Clig (Port Orange/Spruce Creek HS); TB J.P. Humber (Lakeland/George Jenkins HS); LB D'Qwell Jackson (Largo/Seminole HS); DE Jermaine Lemons (Tampa/Thomas Jefferson HS); OG Eddie Matto (Miami Lakes/finished his final year of high school in Maryland); and OG Donnie Woods (Dade City/Thomas Jefferson HS).

Florida State has no players or coaches with ties to the state of Maryland.

Terps Among Nation's Elite

Over the course of the past three-plus years, the Maryland football program has been among the best in the nation. The Terrapins are 34-12 in that span with a 21-3 record at home.

Maryland was one of just five BCS programs to win at least 10 games from 2001-2003. The four others are Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Texas and Washington State.

The Terrapins are joined by just four other schools since 2001 to finish each of those three seasons ranked in the nation's top 20 in both major polls while also earning a spot in the top 25 of both preseason polls for 2004 (Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma and Texas and Michigan are the others).

Scouting the Seminoles

Through seven games, Florida State is 6-1 and winners of their last six. The fifth-ranked Seminoles have gotten it done in 2004 with an outstanding rushing offense and defense.

The `Noles are second nationally in run defense, allowing a paltry 68.7 yards per game. The team is eighth in total defense (265.7) and ninth in scoring (13.4).

On offense, Florida State does not quite resemble teams of its past, but it has been successful nonetheless. The Seminoles rank 22nd nationally in rushing (190.1 ypg), but are uncharacteristically 75th in passing, throwing for an average of 194.9 yards per game.

The story of the season thus far for FSU has been the demotion of four-year starter Chris Rix and the emergence of Wyatt Sexton. Though he struggled last week against Wake Forest (17-of-39, 194 yards, 2 TDs, 2 int. and a fumble), Sexton is 4-0 as the starter and has been solid in leading the offense since taking over for Rix.

Defensively, the Seminoles have posted some amazing per game numbers: 13.4 points allowed, 68.7 rushing yards allowed and 265.7 yards allowed. They have posted 26 sacks and opponents have converted just 23 percent of third downs.

One negative for FSU has been penalties as the team is worst in the ACC with 69 for 278 yards.

FSU's Bobby Bowden

Bobby Bowden is in his 28th year at Florida State, a program he has molded into a perennial powerhouse in college football. In his time in Tallahassee, he has posted a 275-68-4 record while his career record stands at 348-99-4.

Bowden has the most wins of any active coach. His 18 bowl victories are second only to Joe Paterno, with both coaches trailed by legendary names such as Paul "Bear" Bryant, Tom Osborne and Lou Holtz, to name a few.

Bowden is the only coach in college football history to post 14-straight 10-win seasons which he accomplished from 1987-2000.

Under Bowden, the Seminoles have had nearly unprecedented success in bowl games, going 17-7-1 in his tenure. Bowden's 18-8-1 career record in bowl games gives him the second-best win percentage of any coach in NCAA history, trailing the .692 of another Bobby, legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd.

Big Games Remembered

The 2004 season is one that stands decades from a pair of the more memorable games in the history of the Maryland program.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of the great games of all time, not just in Maryland lore, as November 10, 1984, was the date of the Terps' 42-40 come-from-behind win at Miami.

In that contest, the Terrapins trailed 31-0 at halftime, but the "King of Comebacks," Frank Reich, led his team to 42 second half points in a game that has been dubbed the greatest comeback in college football history.

Notably, Ralph Friedgen was the offensive coordinator on that 1984 team and DL coach Dave Sollazzo was a graduate assistant.

This season is also the 40th anniversary of one of the most memorable games in the history of Maryland/Navy, a rivalry from 1905-1965 that will be resumed next season.

On November 7, 1964, Maryland defeated the Midshipmen and their Heisman Trophy QB of the previous year, Roger Staubach. It did so behind a 101-yard kickoff return by Kenny Ambrusko with 2:58 remaining, leading to a 27-22 victory that was the Terrapins' first in 12 years (and four meetings) over Navy.

Protecting the House

Despite consecutive losses at home for the first time since `99, the Terrapins are 21-3 at Byrd Stadium under Ralph Friedgen.

With Maryland's win over Virginia on Nov. 13, 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 in 2003 was 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.

More on Byrd Stadium

Now in its 55th year of operation, Byrd Stadium continues to serve as the home of the Terps. Opened on Sept. 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 2004, the Terrapins are 177-102-1 within the friendly confines of Byrd.

With temporary bleachers installed again this season, Byrd Stadium can hold up to 51,500.

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.

All 19 members of this year's senior class are on schedule to earn their degrees on time.

Since Friedgen joined the Terps in 2001, 58 of 66 football players who have exhausted their eligibilty have graduated, including 30 in fewer than five years.

Two players on this year's team -- DE Kevin Eli and WR Steve Suter -- have already earned their degrees. One other, CB Domonique Foxworth, needs just one class to complete his requirements in three-and-a-half years.

Suter was one of the team's top scholar-athletes, earning a 4.0 grade point average in 2003-04.

From the membership has its benefits file: when on the road, Friedgen lets players line up to eat by grade point average. The Terps must be hungry -- 11 players earned a 3.5 GPA or better for the entire 2003-04 academic year.

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.

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 three years, season ticket sales for Maryland football games have have been moving higher and higher.

Nearly a week before the season opener, the athletics department announced that it had sold a school-record total of more than 30,000 season tickets.

As of September 13, the total sold was 31,011, an improvement of over 13,000 tickets from Ralph Friedgen's first season in College Park and over 16,000 more sold than in 1999.

Players Mentioned

Jermaine Lemons

Footer