July 22, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following is the sixth in a nine-part series previewing the 2004 University of Maryland football team with today's focus being on the defense and, in particular, the defensive line. The Terrapins open fall practice on August 11th in preparation for their season opener against Northern Illinois at Byrd Stadium on September 4th.

Check back every Tuesday and Thursday in the month of July for a breakdown on each component of this year's team (a complete list of when each position's synopsis will be posted on umterps.com can be found at the bottom of this page), a squad ranked by most preseason publications in the top 25 nationally.

DEFENSE
The Terrapin defense will have some areas of concern when fall camp commences in August, but what is clear is that Maryland's style will stay the same: hard-charging. Based on the results of the previous three years under coordinator Gary Blackney, there is no reason for it to be any other way.

In the last three years, Maryland has finished each season ranked in the Top 20 nationally in scoring defense including seventh and sixth in 2002 and 2003, respectively. This season, the personnel will be different but the goals remain keeping the opposition off the scoreboard.

The Terps defensive line is strong on the outside but will see two new faces starting at tackle. The linebacking corps will be one of the focal points for the defensive staff and the secondary, though without three starters from last year, looks to be in good shape if the offseason is any indicator and will continue to be one of the team's strengths.

DEFENSIVE LINE

To better utilize the strengths of particular players, the team will be lining up in more of a traditional 4-3 defense, though the responsibilities of the player formerly in the "Leo" position will not vary too greatly. With the new alignment, the Terp defensive front will certainly be strong on the outside while the inside will be manned by a pair of first-time starters. Though young, this year's defensive line is arguably the deepest and most talented that line coach Dave Sollazzo has been able to work with in his tenure at Maryland.

At the team's "traditional" defensive end spot, Kevin Eli returns for his senior season after turning in one of the surprise performances on the defensive side of the ball last year. Eli earned second team All-ACC accolades last year after taking over for Scott Smith three games into the season and finished with 11 TFLs and 5.5 sacks. Two redshirt freshmen will look to get their feet wet behind him as Patrick Powell and Omarr Savage are backups at the position. Powell and Savage are very similar players as both run well, but Powell moved ahead with his hard work and play in the spring, showing that he is a refined pass rusher despite his relative inexperience. Savage has long arms and is built like a pro, but needs to work on playing lower. A newcomer who coaches raved about on signing day, Mack Frost, will also work at the position.

On the opposite side, the team will look to make use of the skills of another player whose upside has yet to be reached in junior Shawne Merriman. Merriman's unrealized potential does not suggest that he has not been a performer in the past for the Terps as he posted 8.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss last year. Those numbers were recorded, however, playing most of the year on a knee that gave him trouble, thus suggesting that he will give the team even more this year with improved health. Behind him is senior Jon Condo, a steady player who has earned more recognition as the Terps' longsnapper, while second-year player Jermaine Lemons will also try to factor in. Jeris Smith, who will first get a look at "Sam" linebacker, could also line up at this end spot. He proved in the spring that his value improved lining up over a tackle or tight end as opposed to in space, which he would see more of at linebacker.

At defensive tackle, sophomore Conrad Bolston appears to have a hold of the starting job after playing in 10 games as a true freshman. Hard-working senior Henry Scott will challenge Bolston and redshirt freshman Dre Moore will also be in the mix for playing time. Moore is a big, strong tackle who moves well and is another young player to watch in the future on the defensive front. Three other first-year players will work and hope to factor in behind him as Jared Gaither, Jack Griffin and Dane Randolph join the team in fall. Gaither is an interesting story as he played just one year of high school football after drawing Division I basketball offers. At 6-9 and 300 pounds, he could also see time at end.

Second-year player Rob Armstrong is listed as the starter at nose tackle after spending more time on the field than any defensive freshman a year ago. Armstrong lives up to his name as he is a powerful inside force who should only get better with another year under his belt. Junior Justin Duffie is still battling medical issues, but hope is that an offseason surgery will have him back in the lineup as a reserve. He was coming on in 2002 before being sidelined due to the medical problems a year ago. Junior Davian Bryan and newcomer Dennis Marsh will fight for playing time behind Armstrong and Duffie, as will true freshman Carlos Feliciano, who joins the team in the fall. Marsh benefited from graduating high school early and joining the team in the spring.

"We have a lot of good young kids coming in on the defensive line," said Friedgen. "Like I said prior to spring, the first thing we will be looking for is for this group to show that they can play the run and establish good pad position. After they do that, they can move on in their progression of learning the defense. But the positive is that we have a bigger pool of talent, inexperienced or not, than I think we have ever had."

Outlook Schedule on UMterps.com:
Offense/Quarterbacks        Posted July 6
Tailbacks/Fullbacks         Posted July 8
Wide Receivers              Posted July 13
Tight Ends                  Posted July 15
Offensive Line              Posted July 20
Defense/Defensive Line      Today
Linebackers                 Tuesday, July 27
Defensive Backs             Thursday, July 29
Specialists                 Tuesday, August 3 

For season ticket information, please call the Terrapin Ticket Office at (301) 314-7070 or (800) 462-TERP (8377).