2006 Football Outlook, Part I
7/13/2006 8:00:00 AM | Football
July 12, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following is the first in a seven-part series previewing the 2006 University of Maryland football team. The Terrapins open fall practice on August 7th in preparation for their season opener against William & Mary at Byrd Stadium on September 2nd.
Today's portion of the outlook for 2006 takes a quick look at the team overall before focusing on the offense in general and the quarterback position specifically. Check back every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the Terrapins' August 7th Media Day 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).
2006 TERRAPIN FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
The song remains the same around College Park as the 2006 football season approaches for the University of Maryland, and so do the questions from those wondering what Ralph Friedgen's sixth year on the job will hold. Phrased as many different ways as there are blades of grass on the Byrd Stadium turf, the query "Do the recent 5-6 campaigns signal a decline in the Terp program?" will continue to be asked until the Terps return to the form of the three seasons under Friedgen prior to 2004-05.
In 2006, Maryland will again field a young team, but unlike in the past two seasons, it will be a youthful team that has seen its share of work on game day. An experienced quarterback, talent and depth on the offensive line and at tailback, and arguably the deepest and most versatile linebacking corps in the Atlantic Coast Conference are among the strengths.
The primary question comes at wide receiver, where the team is extremely talented but equally green, as well as in depth and who will start at several other spots, but there is no arguing that the pieces are in place for significant improvement in the win column.
With the ACC's schedule's strength unquestioned year-in and year-out now, the Terrapins will have to earn their way to a fourth bowl in Friedgen's tenure. And if that is to happen, it will with the man called an "offensive mastermind" at the helm as Friedgen will serve as the team's offensive coordinator for the first time in his current stint with the Terps.
The following is a position-by-position look at the 2006 Maryland Terrapins:
OFFENSE
Despite the loss of its most explosive player (Vernon Davis) a year early to the NFL Draft, the Terrapin offense could be more potent in 2006.
The Terps return an experienced, hard-working senior quarterback and a young talented signal-caller eons ahead of where he was when he took the field as a freshman in 2004. They return an All-ACC back and add one of the school's all-time leaders in touchdowns who returns from injury. They return the most experienced and talented offensive line in years (which also gets back its senior scheduled to have been the top player at the position in 2005 but was also lost to injury). Last, but certainly not least, its offensive coordinator this season will, for the first time, be the man who knows the system best - the man who devised it.
At a glance, there is a single question mark to the entire offense heading into fall.
"I believe the key to our offense right now is the development of our young wide receivers," said head coach/offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen. "We have talent - we are just very young. Our work in the summer and the preseason should help their technique and things like coming out of their cuts. Catching the ball will come with confidence. But how fast they develop will play a big role in what kind of an offense we are."
They are the tallest, fastest, most athletic group of receivers Friedgen has had at Maryland. They are also the youngest and least experienced. And though their progress will be paramount to the team's success, they are not the lone area of focus.
"We also have to get better at quarterback than we have been the last few years," said Friedgen. "We have had the ability to make plays, we need to eliminate mistakes. Heading in, I don't think we are where we have to be, but I don't think we are very far off either."
Quarterback
Sam Hollenbach's first season as the Terps' starter was met with mixed reviews. His gunslinger's mentality gave Maryland the feeling that it could stay in any game, a sentiment not present the season previous.
A second look shows that completing just one pass in the Florida State game (he left due to injury) and interceptions kept him from leading the league in passing yards and quarterback rating. His other numbers were that good (61% completions percentage, 2,539 yards). A year later, he is more comfortable in the offense, an injured shoulder he played the second half of the season with is healed and the hope is that the turnovers will be a thing of the past. It is with these expectations that he enters the season as the clear-cut starter.
Hollenbach's primary competition for the starting job in 2006 will be sophomore Jordan Steffy. Steffy redshirted a year ago and in spring showed that he is clearly improved from a mental and mechanical standpoint. A complete quarterback who throws and runs with equal proficiency, Steffy would be a more viable option as the starter if he had shown that he could consistently move the offense in the spring. That success came in spurts. Regardless, he gives the team the best one-two punch it has had at the position in years.
Behind the top duo will be redshirt freshman Chris Turner, sophomore Bobby Sheahin and true freshman Jeremy Ricker, with all three having the same stumbling block to playing time - experience. Turner is the most comfortable at this point in the offensive system and heads the group. Sheahin, a transfer from West Virginia prior to 2005, throws and runs very well but is still working to pick up the system. Of the three this year, he is the most likely to move closer to the top of the depth chart if he can make progress in that department. Ricker is the highest-recruited quarterback in Friedgen's tenure and will likely redshirt.
The last of Maryland's quarterbacks, Josh Portis, will be sitting out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. Portis spent 2005 at Florida (as a reserve, he was the Gators' fourth-leading rusher) and in his short time at Maryland in the spring, he showed that the running skills he displayed in Gainesville were no fluke. Also possessing a strong arm, this year will serve as a learning experience and if he picks up on things well, expect him to be a serious challenger to the starting role in `07.
"Sam needs to cut down on turnovers, but he knows our offense and I have confidence in him," said Friedgen. "I am encouraged by our depth this year also and heading into future seasons. In the past we have struggled with having a senior quarterback leave and there is no one ready to step in but I feel like the numbers we have now are good for our future at the position as well as for competition this year."
Outlook Schedule on UMterps.com: Offense/Quarterbacks Thursday, July 13 Tailbacks/Fullbacks Tuesday, July 18 Wide Receivers/Tight Ends Thursday, July 20 Offensive Line Tuesday, July 25 Defense/Defensive Line Thursday, July 27 Linebackers Tuesday, August 1 Secondary/Specialists Thursday, August 3Other important dates: ACC Media Kickoff July 22-24 Start of Camp/Media Day Monday, August 7 Season Opener Saturday, September 2 ACC Opener (at Ga. Tech) Saturday, October 7
For season ticket information, please call the Terrapin Ticket Office at (301) 314-7070 or (800) IMA-TERP (8377).
