Football 10/30/2006 7:00:00 AM Maryland Athletics

Terps Return to Road Saturday at Clemson

Oct. 30, 2006

The University of Maryland begins the final third of its regular season and the final half of its schedule in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a road trip to Clemson University. The game also marks Maryland's third straight against Atlantic Division opponents. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN2 (except in the Pittsburgh market, where fans will see Penn St. vs. Wisconsin; viewers in Pittsburgh can watch Maryland vs. Clemson on GamePlan Online at www.espn.com), and broadcast on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network (105.7 FM and 1300 AM Baltimore; 630 AM Washington, D.C.) with radio pregame starting at 10:30 a.m.

Maryland (6-2, 3-1) ran its winning streak to three games and four of the last five with an exciting 27-24 victory at home over Florida State. The Terrapins took a 27-14 lead midway through the third quarter, then held off a Seminoles' rally on a windy night. DE Jeremy Navarre blocked a FSU field goal attempt with 38 seconds left to preserve the win.

Clemson (7-2, 4-2) has had an extra two days rest coming into the matchup with the Terrapins, having lost last Thursday night at Virginia Tech, 24-7. The loss snapped a 6-game winning streak held by the Tigers. The Hokies held the ACC's top offense to just 8 first downs and 166 yards in total offense in earning the victory.

Maryland, now bowl eligible with six victories, is tied for first place in the Atlantic Division standings with Boston College and Wake Forest. Wake Forest hosts BC on Saturday night at 7 p.m. (ESPN2) in a crucial divisional matchup. Clemson has played two more league games than the trio in first place, but has two losses in league play. Maryland's only two losses have come to teams that are still ranked nationally (#3 West Virginia and #20 Georgia Tech).

The Terrapins are seeking to extend a winning streak to four games for the first time since they closed the 2003 season with five straight victories, including the Toyota Gator Bowl win over West Virginia.

Clemson is ranked 19th in both major polls this week and is 19th in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Maryland received votes in both the Associated Press (13 points) and USA Today (9 points) polls.

Series Notes -- Terps vs. Tigers

Saturday's game is the 55th in the football series between Maryland and Clemson. The Tigers hold a 29-23-2 edge in the series and have won the last two games.

A year ago, Clemson scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to score a 28-24 comeback victory in College Park. Charlie Whitehurst hit Curtis Baham on a 51-yard pass with 7:35 remaining in the final period and Reggie Merriweather scampered 38 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:58 to play. Maryland QB Sam Hollenbach was 18-for-28 for 288 yards and two touchdowns, including one to TE Joey Haynos. Vernon Davis led Maryland with six catches for 140 yards, while TB Lance Ball had a team-high 34 yards rushing. Maryland held talented Tiger tailback James Davis to 82 yards on the ground.

The last time the two teams met in Death Valley, Clemson held on for a 10-7 victory over the Terrapins in controversial fashion. Reggie Merriweather scored on a 2-yard run with 23 seconds left, as Clemson gained the lead for the first time in the game. Trying to hold off Clemson and preserve a 7-3 lead, Maryland was defending a first-and-goal situation but got called for a pass interference penalty in the end zone, giving the Tigers a first down on the 2. Merriweather scored on the next play. The Terps had taken a first-quarter lead on a 1-yard run by TB Josh Allen.

Maryland won three straight in Head Coach Ralph Friedgen's first three seasons in College Park, winning in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Prior to that string, Clemson held a 14-1-1 edge in the series between 1986 and 2000. A 53-23 Terrapin victory in College Park in 1992 was Maryland's only win in that stretch.

Quick Hits -- Week 8

Maryland earned leads of 20-7 and 27-14 but needed some last-minute big plays to hold off Florida State, 27-24, before a crowd of more than 50,000 at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Wearing black jerseys to match 8,500 black T-shirts worn by the student section, Maryland moved atop the Atlantic Division standings with an exciting victory.

With Florida State back on its own 15 and 5:36 to play, the Seminoles drove to a first down at the Maryland 21. Facing 2nd-and-5 at the 16, DE Jeremy Navarre and LB David Holloway forced FSU QB Xavier Lee into an intentional-grounding penalty that pushed Florida State back to the 29. Following an incomplete pass on third down broken up by Maryland CB Isaiah Gardner, Navarre pushed through the middle and blocked a 46-yard field goal by Gary Cismesia to preserve the victory.

QB Sam Hollenbach became the 7th quarterback in school history to reach 4,000 yards passing in a career. He sits at 4,036 yards after going 12-for-20 for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Two of his touchdown throws went to redshirt freshman WR Darrius Heyward-Bey. Earning TD catches of 5 and 30 yards, Heyward-Bey picked up the first two scores of his career, as well as his first game with multiple TD catches. He now leads the team with 25 catches.

Sophomore Danny Oquendo had a career-high 85 yards on 3 punt returns for the Terrapins. His first, a 35-yard return, set up Maryland's first score of the second quarter, as the Terrapins needed to go just 23 yards for a touchdown that made it 17-7. Oquendo later added a 45-yard punt return for the Terps.

Senior PK Dan Ennis fought threw a night that included a National Weather Service wind advisory and a stiff 20-25 mph breeze to hit both his field goal attempts in the game. He hit from 38 and 39 yards in the first half, running a string of consecutive made field goals to six. He has also hit 9 of his last 10 over a 4-game stretch. Ennis now leads the ACC with 13 field goals.

P Adam Podlesh also braved the wind for a strong performance. He averaged 44.8 yards on 5 punts, including a 62-yarder and pinned the Seminoles inside their 20-yard line twice.

OLB Erin Henderson was credited with a career-high 12 tackles.

Of Comebacks

Maryland's 20-point comeback at Virginia created a scramble through the record books to find the following nuggets:

Head coach Ralph Friedgen was the offensive coordinator on 11/10/1984 when Maryland recovered from a 31-0 halftime deficit at Miami to score a 42-40 triumph.

The last time Maryland came from 20 points down to win a game was on 11/20/1993 at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons scored the first 23 points of the game before Maryland rallied to take a 33-32 victory.

Before the win at Virginia, Maryland had earned two 14-point comebacks during Friedgen's tenure as head coach. Maryland trailed 21-7 at Wake Forest on 11/29/2003 before winning 41-28. Also, the Terrapins trailed 21-7 against NC State on 11/9/2003 before rallying for a 24-21 victory.

Terps Own Nation's Longest Streak

In special teams coach Ray Rychleski's six years, Maryland has had two punters (Brooks Barnard and Adam Podlesh), two long snappers (Jon Condo and Andrew Schmitt) and zero blocked punts.

The Terrapins' streak of games without a blocked punt goes back 80 games, now the longest streak in college football.

The Terps have not had one blocked since November 13, 1999 (Florida State). That amount of time became the longest in NCAA football two weeks ago when Georgia, which last had one blocked earlier in the 1999 season, had a punt blocked by Ole Miss.

Turning The Tables

While the Terrapins are not yielding blocked punts, they are doing their best not to return the favor to their opposition.

In the last two years, the Terps have blocked four punts. They opened this season with a Josh Wilson block against William & Mary.

Select Company

Ralph Friedgen's 41 wins in his first five years as a head coach ranked tied for second in Atlantic Coast Conference history among coaches in their first five years. Friedgen is working his way up the charts for sixth-year ACC coaches.

Though he was the top second-, third- and fourth-year coach in ACC history by wins, Friedgen's win total after last season fell short of the mark of 44 wins set by Clemson's Danny Ford from 1979-83. That mark, however, tied him for second with former Terrapin great Jerry Claiborne (1972-76) on the list of fifth-year mentors.

Friedgen (47-22) will need four more wins this season to match the six-year ACC mark of Ford (51-15-2), a tall order with five games remaining, including a potential bowl berth.

Last weekend's win moved Friedgen into sole possession of fourth place on the list for career wins in the sixth year. NC State Coach Chuck Amato was 46-28 in his first six seasons. Next on the list is Dick Crum, who was 48-20-1 in 1978-82 at North Carolina. Claiborne was 49-20-2 at Maryland from 1972-77.

New Old Faces

The loss of two experienced coordinators this past season left what would seem to have been a gap in experience on the Terrapin coaching staff. With Friedgen taking over at offensive coordinator and Chris Cosh on the defensive side, Maryland is far from green, however.

The Maryland staff (head coach and full-time assistants), overall, possesses a combined total of 202 years of full-time experience at either the collegiate or pro levels.

That total includes seven coaches (Friedgen, Cosh, Brattan, Rychleski, Seamonson, Sollazzo and Zacharias) who have been at it for 20 years or more, and the 202 years means an average of over 20 years of experience per coach on the 2006 staff.

Only quarterbacks coach John Donovan (four years) has less than 10 years as a full-time assistant coach. Donovan's time around football is not quite so brief, however, as he spent four years at Georgia Tech as Friedgen's graduate assistant and four years with the Terps as an assistant recruiting coordinator.

Back in the Saddle

This season will be Ralph Friedgen's first coordinating the Maryland offense while also serving as head coach. Prior to this year, Friedgen had not called offensive plays since leaving Georgia Tech in 2000.

In his last stint in college as a coordinator (1998-2000), Friedgen guided a Georgia Tech offense unit that averaged 36.7 points and 444 yards of total offense per game. During that span, the Yellow Jackets posted a record of 27-8 (.771)

This run is Friedgen's second coordinating the Maryland offense as he served in the same role under head coach Bobby Ross from 1982-86. In his time with Ross at Maryland, Friedgen helped lead the Terps to three ACC Championships and was instrumental in the development of quarterbacks Boomer Esiason, Frank Reich and Stan Gelbaugh.

Tough Road

The Terrapins road back to a bowl game has been a challenging one, as their schedule is one of the toughest in the nation this season. An initial look shows that the Terps play (or have played) five teams ranked in this week's Top 25, but a second look proves that the midseason stretch will be among the toughest in the nation.

Maryland has eight 2005 bowl teams on the its `06 slate.

Now finished with their non-conference slate, the Terps are in the midst of eight straight games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

The NCAA maintains weekly an updated list of toughest schedules in the nation based on opponents' won-lost records. Currently, Maryland's dozen opponents for 2006 are 46-29 (.613), ranking 7th on the list of toughest schedules. Minnesota tops that list, facing teams that have won 65 percent of their games (54-29). The next-highest ACC team on that list is Florida State in 16th.

Maryland's four upcoming opponents (Clemson 7-1, Miami 5-3, Boston College 7-1 and Wake Forest 7-1) and their combined .766 winning percentage rank 3rd toughest down the stretch (Cincinnati 14-4, South Carolina 24-7).

In his online column in the preseason, ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman ranked the Terps schedule as the 10th-toughest in college football this season.

Sam I Am

For just the second time in the last six years, Maryland has started a season with a returning starter at the quarterback position. And though the success Sam Hollenbach (pronounced HALL-en-bock) had a year ago is not that of Scott McBrien (the last QB to return as starter) in 2003, his experience and knowledge of Friedgen's offense suggests that he he is the man to lead the Terp offense this season.

Through 8 games this season, Hollenbach has yet to have a breakout performance but has cut down on the mistakes that plagued him a year ago. In 2006, he is 113-for-186 (60.8 completion percentage) for 1,268 yards with 9 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.

Hollenbach's career completion percentage heading into this week's game is 60.9 percent (327-for-537). Last week against FSU, 95 he hit the 4,000 mark in his career and became the 7th Terrapin to reach that plateau.

In the West Virginia game, Hollenbach moved into the Terps' career top 10 for yards, surpassing some big names along the way. Now with 4,036 yards, Hollenbach is 7th on the career passing yards list, having moved past John Kaleo (1991-92) and Stan Gelbaugh (1981-85) at Virginia. He is 44 yards away from Brian Cummings, who threw for 4,080 from 1994-97.

On career lists, he also ranks T7th with 537 attempts (537, John Kaleo, 1991-92), 7th in completions with 327 (Scott McBrien, 2002-03 is 6th at 335) and T7th with 22 passing touchdowns (Brian Cummings, 1994-97 and Jack Scarbath, 1950-52).

Hollenbach is the only returning ACC quarterback to rank in the top five in pass efficiency, total offense and passing yardage last year. The lone QB who achieved that feat along with him was the now-departed Charlie Whitehurst of Clemson.

Entering this week, Hollenbach is 12-7 in his career as a starter.

Terple Threat

Heading into last season, Maryland was -- for the first time since 2001 -- in search of a tailback. Mario Merrills, Lance Ball, Keon Lattimore and J.P. Humber were all vying for the job and midway through last season, no single back had been named the every day starter. A year later, the Terrapins are as deep and talented at tailback as any team in the ACC and the only issue at hand is splitting up the carries.

This year, the team has made regular use of Ball, and Lattimore while also mixing in veteran Josh Allen.

Eight games into the season, the trio has rushed 238 times for 1,106 yards (4.7 average) and 9 touchdowns.

Still only a junior, Ball established himself as one of the league's top backs a year ago, rushing for 903 yards despite starting only four games. He rushed over 100 yards four times in the team's last seven games in 2005 and was ultimately named second team All-ACC.

Ball currently leads the team in rushing with 584 yards on 123 carries (4.7 per carry). He is 5th in the ACC in rushing and rushed for the fifth 100-yard game of his career at Georgia Tech (23 carries, 116 yards).

Junior Keon Lattimore missed spring recovering from a shoulder injury, but has returned and looks like a different player this season. He is second on the team in rushing (89 carries, 449 yards) and his 5.0 yards per carry leads the team. Lattimore had the first 100-yard rushing game of his career at Virginia.

Now completely healed from an injury suffered in the final game of 2004, Josh Allen returns to give the Terps yet another threat. Allen enters this week tied for 6th on the school's all-time list for rushing touchdowns and moved into the career top 10 for rushing yards with 1,933. He is now 9th on that list, passing Billy Lovett (1966-68) against NC State.

Receivers Coming Along

In Vernon Davis, Danny Melendez, Jo Jo Walker and Derrick Fenner, Maryland lost 76 percent (160 of 210) of its receptions due to graduation or the NFL draft. It is not a mystery that players will have to step up in their absence.

The Maryland two-deep returned just one senior (Drew Weatherly) and no other players with the exception of special teams guru Greg Powell with any more experienced than a sophomore. What the team does have that it did not have even last year in its talented trio of wideouts is an abundance of physical talent.

The average height and weight of this year's top five receivers is 6-2, 203. In that group, the average time in the 40-yard dash in spring drills was 4.46 with Darrius Heyward-Bey and Isaiah Williams each sub-4.4.

Through eight games, Maryland's top three wide receivers are all second-year players (Danny Oquendo, Williams and Heyward-Bey). The only non-receiver to sneak into the top four is another first-year starter, TE Joey Haynos.

Heyward-Bey had an outstanding game at Georgia Tech, often getting yards where there seemingly were none. He finished the day with five receptions for 111 yards, the first 100-yard effort of his young career and first of the season for the Terrapins.

In game three (at West Virginia), the trio of Heyward-Bey, Williams and Oquendo accounted for eight more receptions (12) than they had in their collective careers prior to this year. Heyward-Bey and Williams each posted then career highs in receptions and yards and Williams caught his first career touchdown, a 35-yarder.

Against Florida State, Sam Hollenbach found 8 different receivers. Heyward-Bey led the team with 3 catches against the `Noles and has taken over the team lead in receptions with 25 and receiving yards with 346. That stat is all the more impressive since 24 of his 25 catches have come in the last six outings.

Noting the Terp Defense

When he was hired to come to Maryland, the talk about the mark Ralph Friedgen would make in College Park was all about offense. For the majority of his tenure, however, the most consistent Terp unit has been the defense.

Since 2001, the Maryland defense has allowed an average of 19.1 points per game. The 2005 campaign was the team's first in that time finishing a season with a scoring average above 20.0.

Last year's defensive scoring average of 25.0 points per game was somewhat deceiving. The Terrapins gave up 42 points without the defense even being on the field (four interception returns, one punt return and one fumble return). Factor that in and the team averaged 21.1 points allowed per game, which would have ranked 26th-best in the nation as opposed to 55th.

Since 2001, 43 of Maryland's 69 opponents (62%) have been held to 20 points or less.

Since 2002, Maryland has held its opposition scoreless in 98 quarters (including 11 in 2006).

Prior to the first-half shutout of NC State, the last time Maryland held an opponent scoreless in the first half was 11/27/2004 when the Terps posted a zero on the scoreboard at Wake Forest. Maryland won that game 13-7.

Maryland has held nine opponents to 100 yards or less passing since 2001 (one in 2006).

Since `01, Maryland has held its opposition below 100 yards rushing 16 times. The Terps have accomplished the feat twice in `06 (William & Mary and FIU).

Just 4 times 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 in 2004, Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst in 2005, Virginia's Jameel Sewell and Florida State's Xavier Lee in 2006).

Turnover Low in `06 and `07

Maryland had just 15 seniors on its roster last season, with two of those seniors -- OT Stephon Heyer and TB Josh Allen -- back in uniform this year after redshirting due to injury.

Only seven of those 15 seniors from last year were listed as starters (three offense, four defense).

Just four players from the entire defensive two-deep from last year were lost to graduation.

This season's team has a total of just 13 seniors.

LB Unit Home of the Hardware

Three of the last five years, the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year has been a Maryland linebacker. This season the Terps have had to replace last year's honoree after losing eventual NFL second-round pick D'Qwell Jackson (currently the Browns' third-leading tackler), so it may come as a shock that Maryland's linebacking corps may be better this season.

Focus this year has been on junior Wesley Jefferson as he is filling the spot where E.J. Henderson (2001 and 2002) and Jackson (2005) earned their hardware while also garnering national award attention at season's end. Jefferson -- who is currently 3rd in the ACC in tackles with 8.6 per game -- has a deeper and possibly more talented surrounding cast than either All-American was afforded.

In game one of 2006, the Terps got eight players in at their four linebacker positions with four of the team's top five tacklers being linebackers. Between Jefferson, Dave Philistin, Erin Henderson and Trey Covington, 28 tackles, three TFLs and two sacks were accounted for.

LBs have led the Terps in tackles in 7 of the 8 games (CB Isaiah Gardner had a team-high 8 vs. Middle Tennessee). Jefferson has led the Terps 4 games in games (W&M, FIU, UVa, NC State), while senior David Holloway topped the tackle chart against West Virginia and Georgia Tech. Henderson topped the tackle chart for the first time this season against FSU, finishing with 13.

Jefferson, who had a career-high 13 against NC State, leads the Terps in tackles (69) and tackles for loss (6.5).

Jefferson (W&M, UVa, NC State), Holloway (GT) and Henderson (UVa, FSU) have posted games in double figures this season.

Turtles in Name Only

The last two years, Maryland has seen an increased level of speed and athleticism among its players as the players on this years team have shown in offseason testing. (Last season was the first year that there were no remaining players from the previous regime'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).

Four of the 11 wide receivers who tested in the spring ran 4.44 or faster and six defensive backs ran under a 4.5.

Some notable times from players other than wideouts and corners who ran well include linebacker Dave Philistin (4.55), quarterback Josh Portis (4.53) and punter Adam Podlesh (4.44).

One other notable time, though it has as much to do with weight as it does speed, was the 4.83 time of 312-pound defensive tackle Dre Moore.

Podlesh Moving Up the Charts

Adam Podlesh is rated by NFL scouts as one of the top senior punting prospects this season. He has earned that distinction with as complete a resume as a punter can possess -- gross average, net average, directional punting and consistency -- and he has done it throughout his career at Maryland.

In 8 games this season, Podlesh is averaging 44.6 yards per punt on 33 attempts with 14 balls inside the 20-yard line and 8 fair catches.

Podlesh is ranked 10th nationally in gross punt average this week.

On 193 career punts, Podlesh has dropped 38 percent (74) inside the opponents' 20-yard line and 16 percent (31) inside the opposition's 10.

Podlesh has earned second-team All-ACC honors in each of his three years at Maryland. In each of those seasons, he was ranked just behind last year's Ray Guy Award winner Ryan Plackemeier of Wake Forest.

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.

Heading into 2006, Podlesh's career average was ninth-best in ACC history and just a half-yard shy of Brooks Barnard's school record of 43.7. Podlesh currently carries a 43.5 career average.

Iron Terps

Maryland's strength numbers over the course of the last six years have been off the charts. This season, 22 players earned "Iron Terp" status, an honor that is based on a player's strength index (determined by a strength/weight formula).

Team averages (in categories used to measure index) this season include an average bench press of 338 pounds; an average squat of 489 pounds; an average clean of 294 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 78 percent of the players on this year's team elevated their personal bests in strength index.

Nine different all-time records were set for players at their given position. Among those records were the 40-yard dash time of punter Adam Podlesh (4.44), the vertical jump of linebacker Rick Costa (42 inches) and the bench press of quarterback Jordan Steffy (355).

Arguably the most amazing record set was by offensive tackle Jared Gaither. At 6-9 and 350 pounds, Gaither posted a 36-inch vertical jump.

ACC Football Power

Now in its second year as a 12-team conference with a championship game, the Atlantic Coast Conference is widely recognized as one of the premier conferences in college athletics.

Last season, eight ACC teams earned bowl bids.

The conference's schools have posted a 21-12 mark in postseason play in the last five years, best among all Division I-A conferences in that span.

With 10 of its 12 teams in the Sagarin ratings final top 45 last season, the ACC was ranked second among all conferences in the final Sagarin poll in 2005. Three of its schools were rated by Sagarin to have among the toughest 20 schedules in the country before the season (UNC, 5th; Maryland, 10th; Georgia Tech, 16th).

Scouting the Tigers

Clemson (7-2, 4-2) is one of five ACC teams ranked in both polls this week. The Tigers are coming off a 24-7 loss at Virginia Tech last Thursday night, in which the Hokies defense was successful in bottling up the Tigers' prolific offense. Clemson gained just 166 yards in total offense and 8 first downs against Tech.

Despite having trouble in Blacksburg, Clemson still tops the ACC in total offense, with its 422.8 yards-per-game average being 60 yards better than Florida State's 2nd-place mark.

The edge is even more pronounced on the rushing offense list, with Clemson averaging 239.4 yards per game on the ground (Georgia Tech 2nd with 159.2), 6.0 yards per carry (GT is 2nd at 4.4) and having 28 rushing touchdowns (Virignia Tech is 2nd with 16). The bulk of the rushing work has gone to James Davis, who has 991 yards rushing this season and 17 touchdowns. He's averaging 6.6 yards per carry. C.J. Spiller averages 6.5 yards per carry and has 564 yards and 7 rushing TDs for the Tigers.

Quarterback Will Proctor has been efficient for the Tigers, having thrown 11 touchdowns this season and averaging 165.9 yards per game. His favorite receiver this year is Chansi Stuckey, who has 28 catches for 359 yards.

Defensively, Clemson ranks 2nd in total defense behind only Virginia Tech, allowing just 241.7 yards per game. LB Nick Watkins leads the Tigers with 70 tackles, while LB Antonio Clay is second with 67. DE Gaines Adams has a team-high 9.5 sacks this season.

A Look Back

Maryland has 45 wins in its five-plus seasons under Ralph Friedgen (in Friedgen's first 5 seasons, the team averaged 8.2 wins per year).

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.

In the 108 years of football prior to Friedgen's arrival, Maryland had never put together three straight nine-win seasons. The Terrapins won 10 games in each of Friedgen's first three seasons (2001-2003).

Since 1892, Maryland has had seven 10-win seasons, three of which have come in Friedgen's five-plus years.

Protecting the House

Despite a sub-.500 record in 2005, the Terrapins are 28-7 at Byrd Stadium under Ralph Friedgen. The Terps are 4-0 at home this season.

The Terps finished the 2003 season with a perfect 6-0 record at home, marking the second time in three years the team finished its home slate unblemished. Maryland is currently 5-0 at home this season.

In 113 previous 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 Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium

Now in its 57th year of operation, Chevy Chase Bank Field at 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.

The Terrapins are 184-104-1 within the friendly confines of Byrd.

With temporary bleachers installed again this season, Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium can hold up to 51,500. 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

For additional info or to order by phone, call (800) 462-TERP.

Dinner with the Turtles

Most Maryland football games are replayed on Comcast SportsNet every Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. Fans can also tune in at 7:00 p.m. Sundays and catch the Ralph Friedgen Show.

Once more this season, the date and time will change for the show and replay -- Miami (Tuesday, 11/14, 7:00 p.m.).

Fans can also see game highlights by tuning in to FridgeTV on the UMTerps.com website every week.

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Players Mentioned

#44 Lance Ball: RB; 5' 9"; Senior

#43 Rick Costa: LB; 6' 1"; Junior

#55 Trey Covington: LB; 6' 3"; Junior

#5 Isaiah Gardner: DB; 5' 11"; Senior

#80 Joey Haynos: TE; 6' 8"; Senior

#1 Erin Henderson: LB; 6' 3"; Junior

#8 Darrius Heyward-Bey: WR; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#21 Keon Lattimore: RB; 5' 11"; Senior

#92 Dre Moore: DL; 6' 4"; Senior

#40 Jeremy Navarre: DL; 6' 3"; Junior

#17 Danny Oquendo: WR; 6' 0"; Junior

#34 Dave Philistin: LB; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#44 Lance Ball
: 5' 9"; Senior
: RB

#43 Rick Costa
: 6' 1"; Junior
: LB

#55 Trey Covington
: 6' 3"; Junior
: LB

#5 Isaiah Gardner
: 5' 11"; Senior
: DB

#80 Joey Haynos
: 6' 8"; Senior
: TE

#1 Erin Henderson
: 6' 3"; Junior
: LB

#8 Darrius Heyward-Bey
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: WR

#21 Keon Lattimore
: 5' 11"; Senior
: RB

#92 Dre Moore
: 6' 4"; Senior
: DL

#40 Jeremy Navarre
: 6' 3"; Junior
: DL

#17 Danny Oquendo
: 6' 0"; Junior
: WR

#34 Dave Philistin
: 6' 2"; Junior
: LB