July 8, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following is the second in a nine-part series previewing the 2005 University of Maryland football team. The Terrapins open fall practice on August 8th in preparation for their season opener against Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on September 3rd.

Today's portion of the outlook for 2005 takes a look at the Terps' tailbacks and fullbacks, a key to the team's return to success . Check back every Tuesday and Thursday in the month of July (and the first week of August) for a breakdown on each component of this year's team (a complete list of when each position's outlook will be posted on UMTerps.com can be found at the bottom of this page).

Tailback
Though all eyes will be on the battle at quarterback, the competition for the starting job in the backfield will likely be the most highly contested throughout the season. The Terps have four-to-five players who could contend for the starting job.

Josh Allen's late-season knee injury against Wake Forest last year has sidelined him for 2005 and paved the way for the first wide-open competition at tailback since Bruce Perry won the job in 2001. Allen's recovery seems to be on line for a completely healthy return in '06, but in the meantime senior Mario Merrills will try to stave off challenges from sophomores Keon Lattimore, Lance Ball, junior J.P. Humber and true freshman Morgan Green.

Merrills is a hard-charging back with breakaway speed who played well enough in the spring to enter fall atop the depth chart. Pound-for-pound, he is the strongest player on the Maryland roster. As spring drew to a close, however, Lattimore may have been the most complete back as his running and pass catching caught up to his talent as the team's best one-on-one blocker. Lattimore possesses the size (235 pounds) and speed (4.5) to be a big time back and simply needs to show more of what he showed at the end of spring for his playing time to increase.

Ball does not have the straight-ahead speed the other two possess, but he has the intangibles that will help him compete. He has quick feet, good size and seems to have the innate ability to find a hole and then run to daylight. Humber has been dealing with an injured shoulder since last year but is another big back with good feet.

Transfer T.D. Callahan ran well enough in the spring to warrant another look as a short-yardage back and Green, a true freshman, is one of the leading ball carriers in the history of the state of Maryland (5,133 career yards) who could also get a look if he is up to speed in terms of his knowledge of the offense.

"It is a very close race heading into fall between Merrills, Lattimore and Green," said Friedgen, "and we will see where Humber is when he comes back healthy. Of the three guys, I think Merrills has the most burst but he and Ball need to get a little smaller when they have the ball. Keon is probably the best pass protector and receiver at this point. They all did a nice job in the spring. We will just have to see who emerges."

Fullback
Due mainly to personnel issues, the Terps went away from, to some degree, the "traditional" fullback a year ago. In the offseason, the team made an effort to go back to the isolation-blocking, hard nosed, fullback-as-lead blocker approach and it paid off in the form of a number of players performing very well in the role.

Senior Ricardo Dickerson and sophomore Tim Cesa each made the full-time move from the defensive side of the ball in the spring and both looked very good as blocking backs. Both are hard-nosed players with Dickerson being the more experienced player at the position but both will share time, regardless of who is the starter. Cesa is strong and has a hitter's mentality while also showing good hands out of the backfield. In the duo, the Terps will have what they possessed in the running game prior to 2004.

While athletic newcomer Jeremy Navarre also got a look in spring and will be a player to watch in the future whether it be at fullback or elsewhere, the young player who came out of nowhere was redshirt freshman Matt Deese. Deese was nearly a non-factor a year ago, but now at 253 pounds, he proved to be an outstanding blocker and another player who could be in the mix for playing time.

"I think the way these guys are playing is a dimension we didn't have last year," said Friedgen. "Both Dickerson and Cesa bring an attitude of toughness. Both are going to play a lot. And once Matt Deese learns what to do, he is going to be a factor. He showed me that he can be a very good blocker and if he isn't in the mix this year, he is likely no more than a year away."

Outlook Schedule on UMterps.com:
Offense/Quarterbacks        Posted July 7
Tailbacks/Fullbacks         Tuesday, July 12
Wide Receivers              Thursday, July 14
Tight Ends                  Tuesday, July 19
Offensive Line              Thursday, July 21
Defense/Defensive Line      Tuesday, July 26
Linebackers                 Thursday, July 28
Defensive Backs             Tuesday, August 2
Specialists                 Thursday, August 4
Other important dates:
Start of Camp/Media Day     Monday, August 8
Season Opener vs. Navy      Saturday, September 3
Home Opener vs. Clemson     Saturday, September 10

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