Sept. 19, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Terps at Wake Game Notes (PDF)
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The University of Maryland football team hits the road for the first time in 2005 and looks to get back in the win column as it heads to Winston-Salem, N.C., for a battle with ACC Atlantic Division foe Wake Forest. Kickoff from Groves Stadium is set for 3:34 p.m., with the game being televised by ESPNU (not on WDCA-TV-20, as reported by The Washington Post) and broadcast on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network (radio pregame starts at 2:00 p.m.).
Games broadcast on ESPNU
The Terps' struggles continued in Week Three as the team fell for the second time at home this season in a 31-19 loss to non-conference rival West Virginia. Maryland rallied from a 21-6 fourth-quarter deficit to pull within two, but was unable to overcome a Mountaineer offense that produced 302 yards on the ground.
Wake Forest (1-2, 0-0 ACC) got its first win of the season last weekend as it put up a season-high 44 points in a 44-34 win over East Carolina. In the win, the Demon Deacons racked up 407 yards rushing with two backs -- Chris Barclay (210) and Micah Andrews (142) -- hitting the century mark.
Only once (2002) since 1992 has Maryland played its first road game as late in the season as this year's September 24 contest in Winston-Salem.
Series Notes -- Terps & Demon Deacons
Saturday's game marks the 54th meeting between the Terrapins and Demon Deacons. Maryland leads the all-time series -- which began in 1917 -- by a 39-13-1 margin.
Maryland and Wake Forest have met every year since 1971. That `71 season marked what can be considered the end of a good run in the series for Wake. At the end of the `71 season, the ledger between the two schools was 12-7-1 in Maryland's favor. Since that time, the Terps own a 27-6 (.818) record against the Demon Deacons and have won 11 of the last 14 meetings.
With a win this year, the Terrapins would run their current win streak in the series to seven games, the longest since running off seven between 1972 and 1978.
Last year's game was a significant one for the Terrapins in several ways, though unlike in the years that preceded it, it did not have bowl implications. Notably, however, Sam Hollenbach got his first career start in the game last year, finishing 16-of-27 for 164 yards with no interceptions or touchdowns. Also notable was Josh Allen rushing for 74 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown in the first half before injuring his knee on a pass play in the corner of the end zone. Allen continues to rehabilitate the knee for a return in 2006, his senior season.
In 18 of the last 25 meetings between the two schools, the winner has scored at least 26 points.
This year's game is the first in four years that Maryland and Wake Forest have not closed their respective regular seasons with a game against the other. It is the earliest the two teams have met since a September 22nd meeting in 2001, the Terrapins' ACC Championship year.
Quick Hits, Week Three
Maryland's offensive struggles were in large part a reflection of its efficiency on third down. In the opening half, Maryland was 1-of-7 converting third downs, while West Virginia was 6-of-12 including a 48-yard pass on 3rd-and-10 from the WVU 3-yard line that helped lead to the Mountaineers' first TD of the day. For the game, the Terps were 2-of-13 converting third downs.
Like the previous week against Clemson, Maryland had costly penalties that led to points for the opposition. In the third quarter, the Terrapins had stopped WVU and forced a punt that would have had Maryland taking over at its own 35-yard line. Instead, an offsides penalty on the fourth-down play led to a Mountaineer first down and ultimately led to an Owen Schmitt touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter.
Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson led Maryland in tackles for the third straight game, finishing with 15. He now has 49 for the season (an average of 16.3 per game) and has 359 in his career, moving him into ninth on Maryland's all-time list.
WR/KR Jo Jo Walker's 57-yard kickoff return in the second quarter was a career long. Heading into week four, Walker ranks 18th nationally in kickoff return yards and second in the ACC with an average of 27.9 yards per return.
Tight end Vernon Davis' 73-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter was both a career-long reception for Davis (previous was 46) and a career-long pass for Sam Hollenbach.
After catching six passes for 140 yards against Clemson, Davis improved on his career-high again with 158 yards on five receptions against WVU. The last time a player had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games was in 1995 when Jermaine Lewis went back-to-back with 205 yards on nine catches (9/23/95 vs. Duke) and 13-for-189 (9/28/95 at Georgia Tech).
Placekicker Dan Ennis is now 6-for-6 this season in field goals. Against the Mountaineers, the junior walk-on was 2-for-2 on field goals with kicks of 33 and 34 yards.
The attendance for the game was 52,413, the seventh-largest crowd in Byrd Stadium history. It was the second-largest in series history between Maryland and West Virginia and the largest crowd since last season's Georgia Tech game (10/9/04).
Scouting the Demon Deacons
Like Maryland, Wake Forest enters this weekend's game with a 1-2 record. This week will be the Demon Deacons' first conference matchup.
Last week, WFU got its first victory of 2005, beating East Carolina, 44-34, in Winston-Salem. As they have been over the years under Jim Grobe, the Demon Deacons were nothing short of amazing running the football, racking up 407 yards in the win.
Senior Chris Barclay led the offensive charge last week with 210 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Micah Andrews also joined in with a big game, adding 142 yards on 22 carries.
For the season, Wake is averaging a robust 270.3 yards per game running the ball, eighth-best in the NCAA. Conversely, it averages 128.0 yards per game passing, a mark which ranks 111th out of 117 Division I-A teams.
Defensively, the Demon Deacons rank 11th in the ACC in total defense and 12th in scoring defense. Helping their cause, however, is the nation's 17th-best punter in terms of net average, Ryan Plackemeier.
Free safety Josh Gattis leads the team in tackles (20 total) and interceptions (two) through three games and has broken up three passes.
Wake Forest's Jim Grobe
Jim Grobe is in his fifth season at Wake Forest, a school he has turned into a threat on any Saturday in the ACC. Grobe has led Wake to a 23-27 record in his tenure.
Grobe came to Winston-Salem by way of Ohio University where he took the Bobcats from a winless season the year before his arrival to a .500 record (33-33-1) in his six-year tenure.
Despite losing his four meetings against Maryland as a coach at Wake Forest, Grobe is not winless against the Terps as he led Ohio to a 21-14 win at Byrd Stadium in 1997.
Prior to working in Athens, Grobe served as an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy for 11 years under long-time Falcon coach Fisher DeBerry. While Grobe was in Colorado Springs, USAFA produced a record of 84-50 and played in seven bowl games.
Other coaching stints for Grobe included time at Marshall and Emory & Henry.
A 1975 graduate of Virginia who earned All-ACC academic honors, Grobe is a native West Virginian who also earned his master's degree at UVa.
It's Not How You Start...
Since 2001, Maryland has now started the season 1-2 a total of three times. With the inexperience of this year's team, a rebound like those of year's passed is questionable, but it is still of note how those other team's finished.
Maryland started 1-2 in both the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In `02, the Terps went on to win eight-straight and ultimately 11-of-12 down the stretch, finishing the season 11-3, Peach Bowl champions and ranked No. 13 in the country.
In 2003, the Terrapins ran off wins in nine of their last 10 games after opening the season with a win and a pair of losses. That year, the team finished 10-3, beat West Virginia 41-7 in the Gator Bowl and was ranked 17th in the final Associated Press poll.
Select Company
Ralph Friedgen's 36 wins in his first four years as a head coach ranks tied for 10th in NCAA Division I-A history for fourth-year coaches. His company on that list is noteworthy.
Nestled between Nebraska's Tom Osborne (9th) and Boston College's Frank Leahy (12th) stands Friedgen and a coach who Terp fans may recognize -- current defensive coordinator Gary Blackney. Blackney posted a 36-8-2 record at Bowling Green from 1991-94.
Three games into his fifth season at Maryland, Friedgen is already moving his way up the charts for fifth-year ACC coaches. With 37 wins, Friedgen has moved ahead of good friend and current UCF head coach George O'Leary and into seventh on the ACC list. With a win this week over Wake Forest, Friedgen would move into a tie with current Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden in the sixth spot.
A Wealth of Experience
Atop the Maryland coaching staff are a head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator who combined, have as much experience as nearly any threesome in Division I-A football. Between Ralph Friedgen, Charlie Taaffe and Gary Blackney, there is a combined 97 years of full-time coaching experience at either the pro or collegiate levels.
Only two other programs can boast more experience at the top of their coaching staff than Maryland's near century of experience. Penn State leads the way with Joe Paterno (HC), Galen Hall (OC) and Tom Bradley (DC) accounting for 117 years of experience, while Florida State is second with Bobby Bowden (HC), Jeff Bowden (OC) and Mickey Andrews (DC) accounting for 101.
The coaching experience on the Terrapin staff does not end with Friedgen and his coordinators. The Maryland staff of position coaches, overall, possesses a combined total of 212 years of full-time experience at either the collegiate or pro levels.
That total includes five coaches (excluding Friedgen, Taaffe and Blackney) who have been at it for 15 years or more, and the 212 years means an average of over 21 years of experience per coach on the 2005 staff.
Raising the Bar
With its season-opening win over Navy, Maryland has 37 victories over its last four-plus seasons -- all since Ralph Friedgen took over in 2001.
The Terps' total of 36 wins from 2001-04 was the second-highest four-year win total in school history. Maryland's top effort was 37 wins under Jerry Claiborne from 1975-78.
The 2004 season marked the first time in Friedgen's tenure that the team failed to win 10 games. In the 108 years of football prior to Friedgen's arrival, Maryland had never put together three straight nine-win seasons much less 10 like the Terps' did from 2001-03.
Since 1892, Maryland has had seven 10-win seasons, three of which have come in Friedgen's four-plus years.
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.
As stated previous, 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).
Sam I Am
In the last two seasons, all eyes have been on the quarterback position at Maryland. Last season, there was little mention of Sam Hollenbach as a serious contender for the job, but a start against Wake Forest in the 2004 finale and ensuing strong starts in `05 suggest the Terrapin coaching staff seems to have found their man.
Hollenbach (pronounced HALL-en-bock) had found the bottom of the depth chart in his first two years, struggling both with the offense and with delivering the football. Perseverance, work and a change in his throwing motion, however, have steadily moved him to the starting job and early season success.
In his first three games this season, the Pennsylvania native is 57-of-89 (64 percent) for 796 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also rushed for one TD.
For the second consecutive week, Hollenbach set a new career high for yards was he threw for 291 against West Virginia. For the day, he was 20-of-31 with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Entering this week, Hollenbach is 2-2 in his career as a starter and has a pass efficiency rating of 150.97, second-best in the ACC and 24th nationally.
Green Shells
Last year's Maryland team was a young bunch, but this season, the Terrapins are even more green than last.
Friedgen likes to throw out a note about the number of players on the roster with three or more years eligibility remaining, but his number (58) has been based on a look at student-athletes receiving financial aid.
A look at the entire roster is astounding. A total of 72 Maryland players are sophomore or younger with 47 of those Terps being freshmen (redshirt or true).
Through three games, Maryland has had seven true freshman and 10 redshirt freshman see action.
Noting the Terp "D"
When he was hired to come to Maryland, the talk about the mark Ralph Friedgen would make in College Park was all about offense. In each of the four seasons heading into 2004, however, the most consistent Terp unit was the defense.
Since 2001, the Maryland defense has allowed an average of 18.2 points per game and has yet to finish a season with a scoring average above 20.0.
Since 2001, 36 of Maryland's 53 opponents (68%) have been held to 20 points or less.
Since 2002, Maryland has held its opposition scoreless in 78 quarters (five in 2005).
Maryland has held eight opponents to 100 yards or less passing since 2001 and two (Navy and West Virginia) this season.
In Blackney's tenure, Maryland has held its opposition below 100 yards rushing 13 times.
The Terps have not had a quarterback throw for 250 yards or more since Philip Rivers of NC State did so in game 11 of 2003 (FSU threw for over 250 in `04, but did so with two different quarterbacks and attempting 51 passes).
Just twice since game two of 2003 has a quarterback been able to pass for more than one touchdown against the Terrapins (Virginia Tech's Bryan Randall last year and Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst in week two of this season).
Blackney's "D" Pulling Rank
Since Gary Blackney arrived in 2001, Maryland's defense has consistently been among the national leaders in several categories. Below is a look at some of the defense's accomplishments in that time (bold denotes Top 30 national ranking):
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Total Def.: 30 36 15 21 48
Scoring Def.: 18 7 6 27 71
Pass. Def.: 82 52 12 8 6
Pass. Eff. Def.: 34 36 17 16 95
In addition to the ranking in categories listed above, it is notable that in 2001 the Terps finished ninth in the NCAA in rushing defense, seventh in turnovers gained, and ranked second nationally (behind Miami) with 24 interceptions.
Jackson Leading the Nation
D'Qwell Jackson was considered undersized as a prep. He began his career playing in the shadows of a legend (E.J. Henderson) early in his career. Now a senior, the leader of the Terrapin defense has been through just about everything and has emerged as the unquestionable leader of the Maryland defense, a major awards and All-America candidate, and one of the top defensive players at any position in the country.
Jackson has led the Terrapin defense in tackling in each of his two-plus years as a starter (136 in 2003; an ACC-best 123 in 2004; and now an NCAA-leading 49 in 2005).
In his first three games this season, Jackson has averaged 16.3 tackles per game, tops in the ACC and tied for most in the NCAA. The tally: a career-high tying 18 tackles against Navy; 16 the following week against Clemson; and 15 versus West Virginia.
Jackson's performance in week one against Navy helped him earn ACC Player of the Week honors for his position. He has been named the league's player of the week four times in the last two years.
The fiercest competitor on the Terp roster, Jackson has led Maryland in tackles in 15 of 26 games the last three years. He has also had 16 career games with double-digit tackles (in 27 starts).
Jackson, a first team All-ACC selection who finished second in balloting (by two votes) for Defensive Player of the Year honors, averaged 11.2 tackles per game last year, making him the lone player in the league to average 10 or more tackles per game.
His average of 11.2 tackles per game ranked 11th-best in the NCAA for 2004.
Against West Virginia, Jackson moved into the Maryland career Top 10 with his 359th tackle (he currently stands ninth).
A preseason first or second team All-American on nearly every major publication's preseason list, Jackson is on the watch lists for the Bednarik, Lombardi and Butkus Awards this year.
Turnover Low in `06
In addition to the high number of young Terps taking the field this year, the more experienced Maryland players -- in terms of their academic eligibility -- are somewhat few and far between, leaving the team with likely much the same look next season.
Maryland has 16 seniors on its current roster, with two of those seniors -- OT Stephon Heyer and TB Josh Allen -- may return next season.
Heading into the fourth weekend, 10 of 22 listed starters are seniors. On defense, the Terps will lose a total of just four players from its entire two-deep to graduation following this year.
The Duke
One of the most physically-gifted players in the history of Maryland football, TE Vernon "Duke" Davis has already shown that his junior campaign will be a breakout season.
Davis led the team in receiving yards last year from his H-back position, posting 441 yards (on 27 receptions) in what could best be described as a down year for Maryland's pass offense.
In three games this year, Davis leads the Terps with 13 receptions for 324 yards and two touchdowns.
Davis' 108.0 yards per game receiving is best in the ACC and ranks 15th nationally.
In the last two weeks, he has posted 11 receptions for 298 yards and a pair of TDs.
In catching five passes for a career-high 158 yards against West Virginia, Davis became the first Maryland player to record back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since1995 when Jermaine Lewis posted 205 yards on nine catches (9/23/95 vs. Duke) and 189 (9/28/95 at Georgia Tech) in consecutive contests.
Against Clemson, the Washington, D.C. native had his first big game of 2005. He finished with a career-high six receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown, often dragging tacklers with him if not running by them. For his effort, he was named John Mackey National Tight End of the Week.
Named to the Mackey Award watch list this season after being named the national tight end of the week for his play against Duke last year, Davis' strength numbers are unparalleled in Terp history by a tight end. His spring 2005 testing numbers included a 460-pound bench, 685-pound squat, 40-inch vertical jump and a time of 4.41 in the 40-yard dash.
Turtles in Name Only
Though this year's Maryland team is again a young one, it is also notable that team speed and athleticism have improved as the current coaching staff's recruits are fully integrated into the system (2005 will be the first year there will have been no holdovers from the previous staff's recruiting efforts).
The Terrapins had 14 players run in the 4.5-or-better range in the 40-yard dash in spring testing (note that all times are an average of six stopwatches on the same sprint).
Five of the 12 wide receivers who tested in the spring ran 4.54 or better, two tailbacks ran 4.5 or better (Lattimore and Merrills) and five defensive backs ran under a 4.5 (Barnes, McPhearson, Taylor, Wilson and Gardner).
Two receivers who did not test -- newcomers Darrius Heyward-Bey (10.54 100m) and Danny Oquendo (7.46 55mH) -- were among the top prep sprinters in the nation this past track season.
Two notable times -- CB Gerrick McPhearson broke Renaldo Nehemiah's school record with a 4.21; Vernon Davis, at 250 pounds, ran a 4.41.
Podlesh One of Nation's Finest
Junior Adam Podlesh settled into his career at Maryland before the ink had dried in the record books on his predecessor Brooks Barnard's strong career. Though Podlesh has not cracked all of Barnard's records yet, Maryland finds itself with arguably the most complete and versatile punter in the nation.
Last season, Podlesh maintained a 44.8-yard average (second-best in the ACC and 10th-best in the nation) while his net average (39.4) led the ACC and was also seventh in the NCAA.
On 127 career punts, Podlesh has dropped 35 percent (45) inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
With a 43.0-yard average heading into this week, Podlesh ranks 25th nationally and fourth in the ACC.
In being named the second team All-ACC punter in 2003, Podlesh became the first freshman in school history to be recognized by the league. He earned the honor for the second-straight season in 2004.
Tough Losses
Two weeks into August, the 2005 season had not yet begun, and already the team suffered a number of significant losses due to injury.
Prior to spring ball, it was announced that TB Josh Allen would miss 2005 recovering from a knee injury suffered in the last game of 2004. Allen will enter 2006 sixth on the team's all-time rushing touchdown list (21) and 11th on the career yardage list (1,860).
Just a week into fall camp, the team lost its top offensive lineman, as left tackle Stephon Heyer tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Heyer entered 2005 with 24 straight starts under his belt, most on the offense.
A day after Heyer's injury, redshirt freshman LB Erin Henderson also tore his ACL. Henderson was a backup at two linebacker spots and was playing well in addition to working with a number of units on special teams.
Iron Terps
Maryland's strength numbers over the course of the last five years have been off the charts. This season, 30 players earned "Iron Terp" status, an honor that is based on a player's strength index (determined by a strength/weight formula). That total is the second-highest in team history.
Team averages in categories used to measure index this season include an average bench press of 337 pounds; an average squat of 516 pounds; an average clean of 295 pounds; and an average vertical jump of 33-1/2 inches.
Not only were new individual records set, but the team as a whole improved dramatically, as 89 percent of the players on this year's team elevated their personal bests in strength index. By comparison, 72 percent had bettered their numbers in 2004.
Vernon Davis' strength feats were mentioned earlier in the release, but other notable accomplishments include QB Sam Hollenbach setting team records in index (701), squat (600) and clean (320) and P Adam Podlesh posting a best-ever mark for a punter with a 315-pound clean a year after setting the record in the 40-yard dash (4.46).
By the ranking system used at Maryland, TB Mario Merrills is the team's strongest player pound-for-pound after setting a record strength index for a running back with an 814.
Local Ties
The Terrapins have six players who call the state of North Carolina home: OG Russell Bonham (Winston-Salem/Carver HS); LB Chase Bullock (Durham/Northern HS); FB Matt Deese (Greensboro/NE Guilford HS); LB William Kershaw (Raeford/Hoke County HS); DT Dennis Marsh (Browns Summit/NE Guilford HS); and DT Dre Moore (Charlotte/Independence HS).
Terps' special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Ray Rychleski was an assistant at Wake Forest from 1993-2000.
The Demon Deacons two five players who call the Free State home. DE John Finklea (Wheaton/DeMatha HS) and RB Napolean Sykes (Woodstock/Gilman School) are both Maryland natives.
ACC's New Look
For the first time, the Atlantic Coast Conference will be a 12-team league in 2005 and feature a conference championship game. The league is split in two divisions with divisional champions meeting in the inaugural ACC Championship game on December 3rd in Jacksonville, Florida's Alltel Stadium.
Maryland is in the ACC's Atlantic Division along with first-year member Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, NC State and Wake Forest. The Coastal Division features Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech, last year's league champion.
