Football Game Notes -- Terps vs. Tigers

Sept. 5, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland football team returns to College Park to kickoff both its home schedule and the 2005 Atlantic Coast Conference season in a nationally-televised game against Clemson University. Kickoff from Byrd Stadium is set for 12:06 p.m., with the game being televised by ESPN and broadcast on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network (radio pregame starts at 10:30 a.m.).

The Terrapins opened their 2005 campaign with a dramatic 23-20 win over the Naval Academy in Baltimore last weekend. The victory saw the young Terrapins overcome an early 11-point deficit, hold the Midshipmen to six points in the game's final three quarters and march 82 yards on 10 plays to score the game-winning touchdown with 1:01 remaining.

Equally as dramatic, Clemson upended No. 17 Texas A&M at Death Valley with a 25-24 win that saw the Tigers pull out a victory with :02 remaining. Junior Jad Dean's school-record sixth field goal came from 42 yards as Clemson was able to move into scoring position without QB Charlie Whitehurst on the field and behind freshman James Davis rushing all eight plays on the final drive.

Neither team enters the game nationally-ranked. The Terrapins received two votes in the initial USA Today Coaches poll.

Series Notes -- Terps & Tigers

Saturday's game marks the 54th meeting between the Terrapins and Tigers. Clemson leads the all-time series -- which began in 1952 -- 28-23-2, with Maryland having won three of the last four.

Though Maryland has turned it around in recent years, Clemson has more or less been in control of the series since 1982. The Tigers have won 16 of the 23 games between the two schools since `82 (Maryland has won six and the two teams tied in 1986). Prior to 1981, Maryland had a stronghold as the more dominant team, as the Terrapins held a 17-11-1 record from 1952-80.

This year's contest comes on the heels of a controversial Clemson victory last year in South Carolina, the first for Tommy Bowden against Ralph Friedgen. In last year's game, both teams struggled to score and a controversial third-down pass interference call on the game's final drive lead to a go-ahead Clemson touchdown -- its first of the game -- with :23 left for a 10-7 Tiger win.

Last season's Tiger win halted a three-game Maryland win streak, its longest in the series since 1975-77.

In the last contest at Maryland between the two schools (2003), Maryland got three touchdown passes out of senior Scott McBrien and held the Tigers without a point in the second half to halt a three-game Clemson win streak coming in. McBrien hit Steve Suter, Rich Parson and current Terp Derrick Fenner with TD passes, with Fenner's being the most memorable of the night, a 69-yarder where Fenner was forced out of bounds but came back in to catch the bomb and take it in for a score.

In 2002, Maryland went to Clemson and came away with a 30-12 win. Chris Downs ran for 101 yards while McBrien mixed three interceptions with three touchdowns passing and one rushing while also churning out 67 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the Terp defense held the Tigers to just 211 total yards and no touchdowns (Aaron Hunt accounted for all of the Clemson scoring with four field goals).

In the 2001 meeting, the Terrapins snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Tigers and, in the process, gained a share of their first ACC title since 1985. In the 37-20 win, Maryland intercepted four passes -- a career-worst three thrown by Woodrow Dantzler -- and coasted after going up 34-6 with under 11 minutes left.

With 95 points combined in its last four games against Clemson, Maryland has scored 39 more points than it was able to muster against the Tigers in the eight previous meetings combined. The Terps scored just 56 points between 1993 and 2000, with the majority coming in a 42-30 home loss in 1999.

Quick Hits, Week One

Maryland opened the season with a dramatic 23-20 come-from-behind victory over the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium. The Terps improved to 68-43-2 all time in season openers, and moved to 5-15 against Navy.

Mario Merrills had a big outing in his first game as a starter. The senior finished with a career-high 149 yards on 30 carries, becoming the first Terp to rush for 100 yards since Sammy Maldonado (106) last season against Temple. His 12-yard fourth-quarter touchdown put the Terps ahead for the first time since early in the game and his rushing total was the most by a Maryland player since Bruce Perry ran for 237 yards in the 2003 season finale at Wake Forest.

Quarterback Sam Hollenbach engineered the Terps' game-winning scoring drive, marching the ball 86 yards on 15 plays in 3:09 to give Maryland the lead. After a remarkable 20-yard catch-and-run by Lance Ball, Hollenbach found junior Drew Weatherly in the back of the end zone for the game-winning 11-yard touchdown.

All-American candidate D'Qwell Jackson made a game-high 18 tackles, including one sack. That ties a career-high for Jackson (Clemson, 2004), who led the conference in tackles last season with 123.

Defensive end Jeremy Navarre became the first true freshman to start a season opener under Ralph Friedgen at Maryland. The last time a true freshman started for the Terps was the final regular season game of 2003 when TE Vernon Davis earned the start against Wake Forest.

In the Friedgen Era, no true freshman has started before the eighth game of the season (Shawne Merriman in 2002) before Navarre's start against Navy.

Of Maryland's five players who participated in the kicking game (punter, long snapper, short snapper, place kicker, kickoffs), four are walk-ons (Ennis, Roberts, Schmitt, McDermond). Only punter Adam Podlesh is a scholarshipped player.

The Terrapin defense held Navy to 97 yards passing, the first time since the Gator Bowl vs. West Virginia in 2003 that it has held an opponent under 100 yards through the air.

Dan Ennis posted the first field goal of his career, a 26-yarder on the Terps' opening drive. For the game, the junior walk-on finished a perfect 3-of-3, his longest a 40-yarder near the end of the third quarter.

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) stand 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.

Just one game 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. Ironically, with a win over Clemson, Friedgen would move into a tie with current CU mentor 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 five 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).

2001 Redux?

There are a number of similarities between this year and the Terrapins' 2001 campaign, Ralph Friedgen's first at Maryland.

The Terps are entered the season unproven at quarterback, but have a player in Sam Hollenbach (like Shaun Hill, also #14) who has shown a confidence and understanding in the offense. He has also spent more time in the system than first time opening-day starters Hill, Scott McBrien and Joel Statham.

The team entered the season with no clear-cut starter at tailback. Josh Allen's knee injury at the end of 2004 helped necessitate Mario Merrills making his first career start in the opener. Bruce Perry ended up the starter as a sophomore in 2001, but shared time during the season with Marc Riley. Likewise, Merrills will shar a good deal of playing time this year with Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore.

Pundits are not expecting much from the Terrapins. Few have picked the team to finish higher than fifth in the Atlantic Division's first season.

The team lost its best defensive lineman the year previous (Kris Jenkins in 2000; Shawne Merriman in 2004) and is unproven up front.

Both seasons had a standout middle linebacker in the fold (E.J. Henderson in 2001 and D'Qwell Jackson in 2005) and unproven talent in the secondary. In game one, the Terps fared well against hte pass (97 yards allowed) but will get a stiffer challenge from Clemson in game two. The 2001 team finished second in the nation in interceptions.

Super Mario

Cliche title of the note notwithstanding, senior Mario Merrills first effort as a starter was nothing short of super.

Against Navy, Merrills rushed for a career-high 149 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown and a two-point conversion. In the second half -- where he gained the majority of his yards -- Merrills carried the load when it was obvious to both teams that the Terps were going to run the ball.

On the drive that ended in his 12-yard touchdown run, Merrills carried the ball on six of the eight plays of the drive.

Merrills' 149 yards were the most by a Terp since Bruce Perry ran for 237 against Wake Forest in the final regular season game of 2003.

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).

Miller Time

Senior Derek Miller has been considered an intelligent, strong-blocking tight end since the duties were turned over to him by current Minnesota Viking Jeff Dugan. Out of necessity, those skills will be put to the test -- at least early in the season-- as he has made the move to left tackle.

Miller's knowledge of the system made it so he could immediately jump in for an injured Stephon Heyer when the senior went down with a knee injury in the first week of camp. Miller -- who will wear No. 74 when playing on the line -- has been a steadying force ever since on a line that features seven (of 10) players on the two-deep who are sophomore or younger.

Defense The Backbone

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 unit in four seasons, however, has been its defense.

Defensive coordinator Gary Blackney's group has been a unit characterized by stopping the run and making teams score by moving the ball through the air. With a scoring average of 18.1 points allowed per game since 2001, that feat has obviously been a tall order for Terrapin foes.

Just one team -- Georgia -- has finished higher than the Terrapins in scoring defense each of the last four years.

The Terps finished last season allowing an average of 20 points per game, 27th-best in Division I-A.

Since 2001, 36 of Maryland's 51 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 75 quarters (two in 2005).

Maryland has held seven opponents to 100 yards or less passing since 2001. The team held Navy to 97 yards in game one.

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 one QB, Virginia Tech's Bryan Randall, has been able to pass for more than one touchdown against the Terrapins since Chris Rix of Florida State did so in game two of the 2003 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:

    		2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total Def.:     	30	36	15	21	37
Scoring Def.:   	18	7	6	27	36
Pass. Def.:     	82	52	12	8	5
Pass. Eff. Def.:	34	36	17	16	19

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.

Action Jackson

Considered undersized as a prep. Playing in the shadows of a legend early in his career. Senior linebacker D'Qwell Jackson 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 years as a starter (136 in 2003 and an ACC-best 123 in 2004).

Jackson picked up right where he left off in game one of 2005, leading the Terps in tackles with a career-high tying 18 against the Midshipmen. He also added a two-yard sack and made four stops on third down that led to Navy punts.

The fiercest competitor on the Terp roster, Jackson has led Maryland in tackles in 13 of 24 games heading into 2005. He has also had 14 career games with double-digit tackles.

Jackson, a first team All-ACC selection who finished second in balloting 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.

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 -- possibilities for return next season.

Heading into the second 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 seems poised for a breakout junior season after an impressive sophomore campaign.

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 game one of this season, Davis posted just two receptions for 26 yards but was one of the team's highest graded blockers.

Named to the John Mackey Award watch list for 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 118 career punts, Podlesh has dropped 36 percent (43) inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

In his first game this season, Podlesh punted just twice but averaged 49.5 yards per kick with a long of 61 yards.

In being named a second team All-ACC selection at 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 Terps have one player from the state of South Carolina as second-year DE Mack Frost is from Columbia (Spring Valley HS).

Terrapin offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe played quarterback at Clemson in 1969. Defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo coached high school ball in South Carolina (Stratford HS, North Charleston HS and Fort Johnson HS) after graduating from The Citadel, and he is one of four Maryland coaches who spent time as a coach at the Charleston military school (Sollazzo, Friedgen, Taaffe, and Seamonson).

The Tigers have no players from the state of Maryland.

Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning was head coach at Wyoming when Maryland wide receivers coach Bryan Bossard oversaw defensive backs at the Laramie school in 2000-01.

Tiger offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Rob Spence coached receivers and tight ends at Maryland from 1994-96.

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.

Scouting the Tigers

Clemson enters this week's game on the heels of a huge opening-day win over No. 17 Texas A&M. The Tigers are 1-0 after beating the Aggies, 25-24, on a late field goal by Jad Dean.

In the win over A&M, Dean hit a school-record six field goals, the last coming with :02 on the clock and sealing the win.

As impressive as the win was, it was made even more so by the fact that the team's winning drive came without star quarterback Charlie Whitehurst on the field. Without the injured Whitehurst, Clemson leaned on tailback James Davis who carried the ball on eight straight plays to move the Tigers into position for the final kick.

Davis ran for 101 yards on 19 carries on the night while Whitehurst finished 14-of-19 for 185 yards with no TDs or interceptions.

Defensively, safety Jamaal Fudge led the team in tackles with six and posted a pass breakup. Cornerback Sergio Gillian also came up with an interception, returning it 37 yards.

Clemson's Tommy Bowden

Now in his seventh year at Clemson, Tommy Bowden has posted a 45-29 record since taking over at the South Carolina school. He has a career record of 63-33.

Bowden came to Clemson after leading Tulane to a 17-4 record in two seasons (`97-98), including an undefeated season in 1998.

In his second season at Tulane, Bowden posted his finest record as a head coach, a 11-0 mark with a berth in the Independence Bowl.

The son of Florida State legend Bobby Bowden, Tommy began his coaching career in 1978 as a defensive backs coach under his father. Since that time, he has had stints as an assistant at Auburn (`80, `92-96), Florida State again (`81-83), Duke (`84-86), Alabama (`87-89) and Kentucky (`90) before taking over at Tulane in 1997.

Brothers Jeff (current FSU offensive coordinator) and Terry (former Auburn head coach) have also had successful runs in coaching.

Bowden is a graduate of West Virginia, where he walked on while his father still coached there in 1973. The younger Bowden graduated from WVU in 1976 under head coach Frank Signetti.

Protecting the House

Despite suffering a pair of losses at home last year for the first time since 2000, the Terrapins are 23-3 at Byrd Stadium under Ralph Friedgen.

The Terrapins finished with their first sub-.500 record under Friedgen in 2004, but for the most part maintained their strong play at home, finishing with a 4-2 mark at Byrd.

With Maryland's win over Virginia in 2003, the Terps finished the 2003 season with a perfect 6-0 record at home, marking the second time in three years that the team had finished its home slate unblemished.

In 112 seasons of football, Maryland has finished undefeated at home 19 times. Just eight of those occasions, however, have come since 1950 (when Byrd Stadium opened) and just three times has it happened since 1975 (`76, 2001 and `03).

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 56th 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 2005, the Terrapins are 179-102-1 within the friendly confines of Byrd.

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

Players Mentioned

Lance Ball

Mack Frost

Erin Henderson

Darrius Heyward-Bey

Keon Lattimore

Jeremy Navarre

Danny Oquendo

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