University of Maryland Athletics

Football Game Notes -- Terps host Golden Panthers

Football Maryland Athletics

Football Game Notes -- Terps host Golden Panthers

Sept. 18, 2006

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -

Terps vs. FIU Game Notes (PDF)
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The University of Maryland football team looks to rebound and return to its winning ways this weekend as it will play host to its final non-conference opponent of 2006, Florida International University, with kickoff coming this Saturday at 6:05 p.m. from Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. The game will be televised nationally live online by ESPN360, tape delay on Comcast SportsNet (Sunday at 7:30 p.m.) 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 4:30 p.m.

  • Maryland (2-1, 0-0 ACC) suffered its first loss last Thursday as it gave up 28 back-breaking first-quarter points to then-No. 5 West Virginia in an eventual 45-24 loss. The Terrapins eventually outscored the Mountaineers in the game's final three quarters but turnovers and the inability to slow down one of the nation's top rushing attacks early doomed the visitors' upset hopes.
  • Florida International enters this week's game winless at 0-3, but could just as well be entering this week's game 3-0. The Golden Panthers, who fell last weekend to Bowling Green, have lost their three games by a combines seven points, losing their first two contests by one point each and their latest by five.
  • Despite their struggles last week, the Terrapins received three votes in this week's USA Today Coaches poll.

    Series Notes -- Terps vs. Golden Panthers

  • This year's meeting is the first-ever between the Terrapins and Florida International.
  • The Terps and Golden Panthers have played one common opponent this season, Middle Tennessee. FIU fell to the Blue Raiders in week one, 7-6, while Maryland beat Middle Tennessee, 24-10, to move to 2-0 on the season.

    Quick Hits -- Week 3

  • West Virginia's 28 first-quarter points were the most scored in a quarter against the Terrapins under Friedgen. It has only happened three times in his tenure on either side of the ball as, ironically, Maryland scored 28 in the first quarter against WVU in 2002 and also against UNC in 2003.
  • Maryland last had 28 points scored against it in a quarter in the fourth quarter of a game at Virginia Tech, September 25, 1993.
  • Kickoff returns were an Achilles heel for the Terps in the first half. On the first kick they received, the Terrapins fumbled a reverse and in the second quarter, they returned a ball from deep in the end zone and fumbled, both times surrendering easy scoring opportunities to the Mountaineers. In addition, the kickoff team surrendered a 96-yard Darius Reynaud kick return with less than a minute to go in the half. Between the two turnovers and the return, Maryland surrendered 17 first-half points on kickoff miscues.
  • With a touchdown against WVU, Lance Ball now has five for the season, one short of his season total last year. The Maryland record for rushing TDs in a season is 17 by LaMont Jordan (1999).
  • Tight end Joey Haynos had a career receiving day, posting eight receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown. His six-yard reception early in the second quarter was his first TD of the season (second career) and first of the day for the Terps. A Maryland player posted eight or more receptions in just two games last year (Vernon Davis (8) vs. NC State and Danny Melendez (9) vs. Virginia).

    Strange Conditions

  • Maryland's inauspicious 0-28 start at West Virginia was part of a game filled with errors and oddities. The Terrapins, usually stout on special teams in nearly all facets, struggled in areas it has not in the past. In addition, in a game where the ball takes unusual bounces, nearly all balls bounced the opponent's way.
  • The Terrapins got a tipped ball go for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Up to that point, the blunders included:

  • A play ruled a fumble on the opening kick -- recovered by Maryland -- where the ruling was changed that the ballcarrier was down.
  • Two fumbled kickoffs recovered by WVU inside the Terp 20-yard line and converted into points.
  • A West Virginia fumble into the end zone, recovered by the Mountaineers for a touchdown.
  • A muffed kickoff with less than 1:00 remaining in the first half, scooped up and returned for a 96-yard Mountaineer touchdown.
  • A deep pass to the WVU 12-yard line where both players came down with the ball, it ended up in the hands of a Terrapin (Heyward-Bey) but was ruled an interception.

    Scouting the Golden Panthers

  • Florida International heads into Saturday's contest with a 0-3 record, including one conference loss to Sun Belt foe Middle Tennessee State. The Golden Panthers are looking for their first win on the road since a 31-29 victory at Louisiana-Monroe on November 5, 2005.
  • Last week, the Golden Panthers fell to Bowling Green, 33-28, in Miami. FIU was outgained 403-332 in total offensive production while committing four turnovers in their home opener.
  • The Golden Panthers have been close in all three of their games, with losses coming by one point in the first two games and five in their most recent contest.
  • FIU's leader on offense is senior quarterback Josh Padrick. The 6-3 native of Merritt Island, Fla., has thrown for an average of 163.33 yards per game while tossing one touchdown. Overall, Padrick is 55-for-94 (58.5 percent) with four interceptions. He is ranked 89th nationally in passing efficiency (99.91).
  • The Golden Panther offense is ranked 92nd overall in the nation (290.0), while FIU's special teams performance has been solid, with its punt and kickoff return units ranked 15th (15.83) and 18th (26.78), respectively.
  • Florida International's defense has been stout, as it is ranked 33rd overall (272.67). Its pass defense is 25th in the NCAA (149.67), while the Golden Panthers are 13th in tackles for loss (8.00) and tied for 30th in sacks (2.67). FIU has allowed an average of 20.3 points per game.

    FIU's Don Strock

  • Don Strock is in his fifth season as the first and only head coach at Florida International. He owns a 15-32 record in his first stint as a head coach in college football. Last season, the Golden Panthers went 5-6, including a 1-5 record away from FIU Stadium.
  • Strock was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year by ESPN.com this past season.
  • As the Golden Panthers' first head coach, Strock came to Miami with a variety of coaching experience. Most recently, he served as quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens from 1996-98. His prior head coaching experience came in the Arena Football League, as he held the reins for the Miami Hooters and the Massachusetts Marauders in 1993 and 1994, respectively.
  • Strock coaches in the city where he first gained national prominence, as a fifth round selection of the Miami Dolphins in 1973. Despite spending almost his entire career as a backup, Strock is in the franchise's top five in most career passing categories and is often credited for the development of Hall of Famer Dan Marino early in his career.
  • His 17-year career in the NFL, including stops in Cleveland and Indianapolis after 14 seasons with the Dolphins, places him in the top-10 list of longevity among quarterbacks.
  • A native of Pottstown, Pa., Strock earned a bachelor's degree in distributive education from Virginia Tech in 1973, where he starred as the Hokies' signal caller.

    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. Three games into the 2006 season, Friedgen is already 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 will need eight more wins this season to match the six-year ACC mark of Ford (51-15-2), a tall order with nine games remaining. His win against Middle Tennessee, however, matched the win total of NC State's Dick Sheridan (1986-91) and moved into the seventh position on the list of sixth-year coaches.

    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. Friedgen has 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 ran up 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 will be a challenging one as its schedule is one of the toughest in the nation this season. An initial look shows that the Terps play just four teams ranked in this week's Top 25, but a second look proves that a midseason stretch will be among the toughest in the nation.
  • Last week, the Terps played at current No. 4 West Virginia (both polls), the first of eight 2005 bowl teams on the Maryland slate.
  • Once Maryland gets through its non-conference slate this week, the team plays two road games (at Georgia Tech and at rival Virginia) to open its ACC season. It returns home for homecoming against NC State; then a matchup against perennial power Florida State; then goes on the road to Death Valley and Clemson before returning home for its first game against Miami since 1987. The season ends at Boston College and then back home for Wake Forest.
  • 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.

    A Look Back

  • Maryland has 43 wins in its five-plus seasons under Ralph Friedgen (in Friedgen's first five seasons, the team averaged 8.2 wins per season).
  • 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.

    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 should be in for a big senior season.
  • Through three games this season, Hollenbach has yet to have a complete performance but has more or less cut down on the mistakes that plagued him a year ago. In 2006, he is 44-of-75 (59 percent completions) for 503 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
  • Hollenbach's career completion percentage heading into this week's game is 61 percent (258-of-424).
  • After going the first two weeks without an interception, Hollenbach threw two against WVU as the Terrapins were forced to pass (45 attempts) in an effort to overcome an early 28-point deficit.
  • In the West Virginia game, Hollenbach moved into the Terps' career Top 10 for yards, surpassing some big names along the way. Now with 3,271 yards, Hollenbach surpassed the career totals of eventual NFL QBs Scott Zolak, Shaun Hill and Bob Avellini to move into the Top 10.
  • Hollenbach finished last season ranked in the top five of three Atlantic Coast Conference offensive categories. He was fifth in the league in pass efficiency (132.75), fourth in total offense 229.2 and second in passing yardage per game (230.8).
  • Hollenbach was 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 8-6 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, Lattimore and Josh Allen, while Humber also has played in both games and remains a possibility to get the ball.
  • Three games into this season, the trio have rushed 92 times for 443 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and six 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 was the ACC's third-leading rusher, doing so mostly behind his push later in the season. He rushed over 100 yards four times in the team's last seven games and was ultimately named second team All-ACC.
  • Ball is currently second on the team in rushing with 194 yards on 41 carries (4.7 avg.). He is tied for sixth in the ACC in rushing (64.7 ypg) and second in scoring (10.0 ppg).
  • Junior Keon Lattimore missed spring recovering from a shoulder injury, but returns as one of the surprises this season. He leads the team in rushing (41 att., 217 yards, 1 TD) and ranks fifth in the ACC with a 72.3-yard average. His 5.3-yard average is tops among the ACC's top five backs.
  • Now completely healed from an injury suffered in the final game of 2004, Josh Allen returns to give the Terps a home-run threat. Allen enters this week ranked sixth on the school's all-time list for rushing touchdowns and just outside of the career Top 10 for rushing yards at 11th with 1,892. With 108 yards, he will become just the ninth 2,000-yard career rusher in Maryland history.

    O-Line Talented and Deep

  • Once a concern at Maryland, the Terps enter 2006 with likely the deepest and most talented offensive lines it has had under Ralph Friedgen.
  • The Terrapins returned four starters from a year ago (Jared Gaither, Andrew Crummey, Donnie Woods and Brandon Nixon), needing only to replace departed center Ryan McDonald, a one-year starter. Though Nixon will not play this year, the Terps will not miss a beat at tackle with the return of its top lineman from 2004, Stephon Heyer.
  • In addition to the returning starters, Maryland's depth and the competition level is even improved as Scott Burley, Jaimie Thomas and Dane Randolph all saw significant time last year and are talented enough to compete to be in the starting lineup. In short, the Terps are in good hands as 2006 opens.
  • In three games this year, the offensive line has allowed just two sacks. Its 0.67 per game average ranks tied for fourth in the NCAA and is best in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

    Receivers Catching On

  • 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 three games, Maryland's top three wide receivers are all second-year players (Oquendo, Williams and Heyward-Bey).
  • 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 career highs in receptions and yards and Williams caught his first career touchdown, a 35-yarder.

    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 19.2 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 is 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, 41 of Maryland's 64 opponents (64%) have been held to 20 points or less.
  • Since 2002, Maryland has held its opposition scoreless in 92 quarters (including five in 2006).
  • 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 15 times. The Terps opened this year holding William & Mary to 86 yards on the ground.
  • 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 2005).

    No Block Party Here

  • 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 76 games, the second-longest streak in college football.
  • The Terps have not had one blocked since November 13, 1999 (Florida State), trailing only Georgia who last had one blocked that same season, September 25 (UCF).

    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.

    Turnover Low in `06

  • 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, 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 tied for sixth in the ACC in tackles with 8.0 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.
  • In his first season as a starter, Henderson is off to a flying start, ranking fifth in the defense-heavy ACC in tackles for loss (1.5 per game).

    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 regimes 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 three games this season, Podlesh is averaging 44.4 yards per punt on eight attempts with five balls inside the 20-yard line and two fair catches.
  • Because he has too few attempts, Podlesh is not ranked in the NCAA or ACC this week. Based on his average alone, he would be ranked 15th nationally and lead the ACC. His net average of 40.0 is 15th-best in the NCAA and leads the ACC.
  • On 168 career punts, Podlesh has dropped 38 percent (65) inside the opponents' 20-yard line and 18 percent (30) 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.

    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.

    Local Ties

  • The Terps have nine players from the state of Florida. TB Josh Allen (Tampa), WR Nolan Carroll (Green Cove Springs/Clay HS), OG Garrick Clig (Port Orange/Spruce Creek), LB Chris Clinton (Lakeland/Evangel Christian HS), TB J.P. Humber (Lakeland/George Jenkins HS), LB Jermaine Lemons (Tampa/Thomas Jefferson HS), WR Terrell Skinner (St. Petersburg/Boca Ciega HS), CB Taji Thornton (Homestead/South Dade HS) and OG Donnie Woods (Dade City/Thomas Jefferson HS) all call the Sunshine State home.
  • Florida International has no players from the state of Maryland. In fact, all but two players on the FIU roster are from the state of Florida.
  • Golden Panther head coach Don Strock coached quarterbacks for the Baltimore Ravens from 1996-98.

    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 (UNC, 5th; Maryland, 10th; Georgia Tech, 16th).

    Protecting the House

  • Despite a sub-.500 record in 2005, the Terrapins are 26-7 at Byrd Stadium under Ralph Friedgen. The Terps are 2-0 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 that the team had finished its home slate unblemished.
  • 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 181-104-1 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

  • Individual game tickets for Terp home games may be purchased locally at any Ticketmaster outlet or by visiting the Maryland ticket office at Comcast Center. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.
  • For additional info or to order by phone, call (800) 462-TERP.

    Dinner with the Turtles

  • 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.
  • Three times this season, the date and time will change for the show and replay -- William & Mary (Monday, 9/4, 7:00 p.m.); NC State (Tuesday, 10/24, 7:00 p.m.); and 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

    Lance Ball

    #44 Lance Ball

    RB
    5' 9"
    Senior
    Scott Burley

    #77 Scott Burley

    OL
    6' 5"
    Senior
    Nolan Carroll

    #14 Nolan Carroll

    DB
    6' 1"
    Sophomore
    Chris Clinton

    #52 Chris Clinton

    LB
    6' 2"
    Freshman
    Rick Costa

    #43 Rick Costa

    LB
    6' 1"
    Junior
    Trey Covington

    #55 Trey Covington

    LB
    6' 3"
    Junior
    Andrew Crummey

    #63 Andrew Crummey

    OL
    6' 5"
    Senior
    Joey Haynos

    #80 Joey Haynos

    TE
    6' 8"
    Senior
    Erin Henderson

    #1 Erin Henderson

    LB
    6' 3"
    Junior
    Darrius Heyward-Bey

    #8 Darrius Heyward-Bey

    WR
    6' 2"
    Sophomore
    Keon Lattimore

    #21 Keon Lattimore

    RB
    5' 11"
    Senior
    Jermaine Lemons

    #50 Jermaine Lemons

    LB
    6' 2"
    Senior

    Players Mentioned

    Lance Ball

    #44 Lance Ball

    5' 9"
    Senior
    RB
    Scott Burley

    #77 Scott Burley

    6' 5"
    Senior
    OL
    Nolan Carroll

    #14 Nolan Carroll

    6' 1"
    Sophomore
    DB
    Chris Clinton

    #52 Chris Clinton

    6' 2"
    Freshman
    LB
    Rick Costa

    #43 Rick Costa

    6' 1"
    Junior
    LB
    Trey Covington

    #55 Trey Covington

    6' 3"
    Junior
    LB
    Andrew Crummey

    #63 Andrew Crummey

    6' 5"
    Senior
    OL
    Joey Haynos

    #80 Joey Haynos

    6' 8"
    Senior
    TE
    Erin Henderson

    #1 Erin Henderson

    6' 3"
    Junior
    LB
    Darrius Heyward-Bey

    #8 Darrius Heyward-Bey

    6' 2"
    Sophomore
    WR
    Keon Lattimore

    #21 Keon Lattimore

    5' 11"
    Senior
    RB
    Jermaine Lemons

    #50 Jermaine Lemons

    6' 2"
    Senior
    LB