Saturday, Sept. 22

Maryland (2-1, 0-0 ACC)

at

Wake Forest (1-2, 0-1 ACC)

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Stadium: BB&T Field

TV: ESPNU - Doug Bell (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (color) have the call.

Radio: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Jonathan Claiborne (color) and Tim Strachan (sidelines) have the call. XM Satellite Radio Channel 191. Pregame with Gary Stein and Scott McBrien begins at 2 p.m. The Terrapin Sports Radio Network (10 affiliates): LIVE 105.7 FM (WHFS) - Baltimore (Flagship); ESPN Radio 1300 AM (WJFK) - Baltimore (Flagship); WJFK 106.7 FM - Washington D.C.; WTBO AM 1450 - Cumberland; WFMD AM 930 - Frederick; WARK AM 1490 - Hagerstown; WMSG AM 1050 - Oakland; WQMR FM 101.1 - Ocean City; WMED 1460 AM - Easton; WPTX 1690 AM - Lexington Park, Md.

In the Red Zone...
• The University of Maryland opens Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday when it travels to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on Wake Forest University. Kickoff from BB&T Field is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET) and game will be telecast on ESPNU. The Terps, who opened the season 2-0, are coming off a 31-14 loss to No. 4 ranked West Virginia, while the Demon Deacons picked up their first victory of the season Saturday, a 21-10 home win over Army. The Terrapin Sports Radio Network will handle the broadcast of the ACC matchup with pregame starting at 2 p.m. The game will be replayed at 7:30 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, Sept. 25 on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.
• Maryland owns a commanding 40-14-1 in the series, though Wake Forest claimed a victory in the 2006 regular-season finale which sent the Demon Deacons to the ACC title game and eventually the Fedex Orange Bowl. Last season's 38-24 win in College Park snapped a seven-game WFU losing streak in the series. The Terps have won four in-a-row in Winston-Salem.
• The Terps offense is led by a solid ground, which features senior backs Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore. Lattimore ranks third in the ACC and 37th nationally in rushing (99.0 ypg), and has tallied a league-high six TDs on the ground. Maryland's 148.3 rushing yards per game ranks third in the ACC. Ball and Lattimore combined to rush for nearly 1,600 yards in 2006 and are on pace to reach that total again. Sophomore WR Darrius Heyward-Bey and tight end Joey Haynos lead a talented receiving corps. Heyward-Bey, a member of the 2007 Biletnikoff watch list, was a freshman All-American and Haynos an All-ACC choice last season. Heyward-Bey ranks eighth in the ACC in receiving yards per game (61.7). Senior guard Andrew Crummey, a preseason All-American and candidate for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, headlines the offensive line which has three new starters. Junior quarterback Jordan Steffy has taken over for two-year starter Sam Hollenbach and has distinguished himself well thus far, ranking fourth in the ACC in passing efficiency (126.9 rating) and first in completion percentage (73.6).
• Despite surrendering over 400 yards to West Virginia, the second-ranked rushing team in the nation, the defense remains first in the ACC (266.0 yards per game). The Terps are also ranked No. 16 nationally this season. They held Villanova to 187 yards of total offense (lowest total by an opponent in three years) in the season opener, and kept FIU to 163 yards. Senior tackles Dre Moore and Carlos Feliciano lead the rush defense, while junior linebacker Erin Henderson is among the top tacklers in the league again, ranking tied for fourth in stops (10.7 pg). He ranked second in the ACC and 31st nationally in tackles (8.8 per game) in 2006. The junior is a preseason All-American and on the watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award and Butkus Award. Moore is tied for seventh in the ACC in sacks (0.67 per game) and junior cornerback Kevin Barnes, in his first season as a starter, is tied for second in the league in interceptions (0.67 pg).
• The Terps have two new kicking specialists as freshman Travis Baltz took over for Adam Podlesh at punter and junior Obi Egekeze replaced Dan Ennis as the place-kicker. Baltz ranks ninth in the ACC in punting average (37.8), while Egekeze has hit 2 of 3 field goals, with his lone miss coming from 52 yards out. Six of Baltz's 17 punts have gone inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Reserve DB Terrell Skinner has averaged 18.5 yards per kickoff return, his first action at the position. Junior Danny Oquendo is lone returning specialist. He ranks ninth in the ACC in return average (8.0 ypr).

Quick Hitters...
• The Terps are opening the conference slate on the road for the second straight season. Maryland lost to No. 18 Georgia Tech, 27-23, in Atlanta last season. The Terps won their two previous ACC road openers, downing Duke 55-21 in 2004 and Wake Forest, 22-12, in 2005.
• Maryland is one of three ACC teams yet to play a conference game (also Miami and Virginia Tech). Boston College, meanwhile, has already played and won three league games.
• Lance Ball needs 166 yards to become the ninth back in school history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards.
• The crowd of 53,107 vs. West Virginia (Sept. 13) was the fifth largest all-time at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Four of the top 14 crowds at Byrd Stadium have watched Maryland play West Virginia, including the last three times the Mountaineers have visited College Park. (2007, 2005, and 2003).
• Three true freshmen - P Travis Baltz, OL Bruce Campbell and DB Dominique Herald - have seen action so far this season.

Wake Forest at-A-Glance...
• Wake Forest, the defending ACC Champion, is 0-1 in the ACC after dropping the season opener to Boston College.
• WFU is ranked eighth in the ACC and 94th in the country in total offense (322.3). The defense is 11th in the ACC and 64th in the country (363.7). The Demon Deacons rush defense has been solid, ranking fourth in the ACC and 26th in the NCAA.
• Wake Forest's Kenneth Moore, who moved from wide receiver to running back last season due to injuries in the backfield, leads the Demon Deacons in rushing yards (124), receiving yards (187), and all-purpose yards (148.0).
• Moore is the ACC leader with 24 receptions. The senior is averaging eight catches a game, tied for 11th most in the NCAA.
• Defensive end Jeremy Thompson has four sacks already this season after recording only one all of last year. He is fifth in the country with 1.33 sacks per game.
• Wake Forest is the second-least penalized team in the nation, averaging only 3.67 fouls per game.
• The Demon Deacons defense has been tough to run against so far this season. Wake is allowing an average of only 86.7 yards per game, 26th best in the country.
• The Deacon feature do-it-all specialist Sam Swank, who doubles as the team's punter and place-kicker. Swank was a Sports Illustrated First Team All American last season and an All-ACC choice as a place-kicker as well. He tied the NCAA record for most 50-yard field goals in a game last year with three against North Carolina State.

Maryland-Wake Forest Series History...
• Maryland owns a 40-14-1 advantage all-time against Wake Forest. The Terps .736 winning percentage against the Demon Deacons is the Terrapins' best mark against any ACC school.
• In games played in Winston-Salem, Maryland leads the series 20-6-1. The Terps have won four straight at BB&T Field, and have lost only once (1997) there since 1979.
• Wake Forest defeated Maryland 38-24 in College Park last season, which snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Terps in the series. Maryland's Keon Lattimore and Wake's Kenneth Moore each had career days on the ground, as Lattimore ran for 119 yards and Moore for 165.
• Maryland is 2-2 against defending ACC Champions under Ralph Friedgen. The Terps upended defending champion Florida State last season in College Park, 27-24. Last year's ACC title was the second for Wake Forest in its history, and the school's first since 1970.
• Maryland owns a 30-18 ACC record under Friedgen, including a 5-3 mark last season.
• The Terps are 9-1 in the state of North Carolina under Friedgen, and have never lost to Wake Forest on the road in his tenure.

Offensive Notes...
• Maryland has done an excellent job holding the ball and keeping it away from their opponents. The Terps are second in the NCAA in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of 34:29 minutes per game.
• In the first quarters of games this season, Maryland is outscoring its opponents 26-7.
• With six touchdowns on the season, running back Keon Lattimore has now doubled his season total from each of the last two seasons (three).

• Lattimore needs only 125 yards to reach the top 20 on the Terps career rushing list.
• When Lattimore finished with 111 yards on 12 carries against Florida International in week two, he became the first Terrapin back to open the season with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Bruce Perry opened with five straight 100-yard games in Maryland's ACC Championship season in 2001. Lattimore now has four career 100-yard rushing games (119 vs. Wake Forest and 114 vs. Virginia in 2006, 106 vs. Villanova and 111 vs. FIU in 2007).
• Prior to the FIU game, Lance Ball was the last Maryland player to record back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances when he did it in three straight games in 2005 (at Florida State, at North Carolina, Boston College).
• In his last five games, stretching back to last season, Lattimore has rushed for 501 yards (119 vs. Wake Forest, 85 vs. Purdue, 106 vs. Villanova, 111 vs. FIU, and 80 vs. WVU.).
• At 12.00 points per game, Lattimore is currently the leading scorer in the ACC, and is tied for ninth in the NCAA. His 99.00 rushing yards per game rank third in the conference and 37th in the country.
• Sophomore wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey has caught a pass in each of the Terps last 15 games, the longest active streak on the team. He has led the team in receiving yards in seven of those contests (Georgia Tech -111, Florida State - 57, Miami - 175, Purdue - 81 in 2006), including every game this season (Villanova - 81, FIU - 48, and WVU - 56).
• Heyward-Bey is currently tied for ninth in the ACC in receptions per game (4.33) and ranks eighth in receiving yards per game (61.67).
• Quarterback Jordan Steffy has been efficient and accurate while directing the Terrapin offense. He completed 69 percent of his passes against No. 4 West Virginia, his lowest completion percentage this season. Steffy is 53-of-72 (73.6 percent) for 489 yards on the year.
• In his first three games as a starter, Steffy owns a pass efficiency rating of 126.91, which ranks sixth in the conference and 53rd in the NCAA.
• Against Villanova, Lattimore also caught six passes for 33 yards, giving him 139 total yards, the second highest total in his career. His career best was 151 yards which came in a 28-26 win over Virginia last year.
• Maryland's dynamic tailback duo of Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball combined for 1,558 yards last season, and have hit the ground running to start 2007. Through three games this year, the pair have combined for 412 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on 88 carries. Lattimore and Ball were one of just five running-back combos in the nation last season to collect over 700 rushing yards apiece.
• In his first game as a collegiate starter, Steffy completed 19 of 24 passes (79 percent) for 174 yards and one interception. The junior's debut was the most efficient effort by a Maryland quarterback starting his first career game since Brian Cummings completed 83 percent of his passes in a 1995 win over Tulane to open the year.
• Steffy also ran for 47 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Steffy's predecessor, Sam Hollenbach rushed for more than 45 yards only once in his more than two-year career.
• Heyward-Bey picked up where he left off last season catching six passes for 81 yards against Villanova, the third highest total of his career. The wideout twice went over 100 yards receiving last season en route to earning freshman All-America honors.
• One of the foremost offensive minds in the collegiate or pro game, head coach Ralph Friedgen is in his second season as the Terps' offensive coordinator.
• Steffy has plenty of skill players to choose from this season as pass-catchers who accounted for 97 percent of the receiving yards return as do rushers who tallied 94 percent of the yards on the ground.
• The Terps return their top seven receivers from a year ago, and lost only three players who even caught a pass in 2006.
• Joey Haynos and Dan Gronkowski form one of the top tight end duos in the nation. Each has started at the position. In fact, even though Haynos was the second-leading receiver on the team in 2006, Gronkowski started more games in the Terps' two-tight end set. Gronkowski opened nine contests, while Haynos started six. Gronkowski, considered the better blocker, had just two catches, though he should see more opportunities in the passing game this season. Haynos is a member of the Mackey Award watch list.
• The Terps return just two starters (C Edwin Williams at center, RG Andrew Crummey) on the offensive line, but still have quite a bit of experience. LG Jaimie Thomas played in all 13 games last season, starting three, while Dane Randolph played in 11 games, mostly at right tackle. Randolph started four games there including the Champs Sports Bowl game. Starting left tackle Scott Burley has played in each of the last three seasons, including eight games as a sophomore in 2005. Junior Jack Griffin, meanwhile, who is penciled in as the No. 2 right tackle, redshirted last season, but did see action as a freshman and sophomore, though that came on the d-line. Griffin is also the primary backup at right guard, while junior Phil Costa serves as the reserve center and left guard. Friedgen considers the Terps to have seven starters along the o-line due to the skill and versatility of this group.
• The Terps' returnees accounted for 28 of their 30 touchdowns a season ago.
• Crummey has started a team-high 31 games, while Williams' 16 consecutive starts lead the offense. Williams is the only offensive returnee to start all 13 games in 2006.
• Sophomore Josh Portis, who was second on the depth chart at quarterback, was ruled ineligible for the year, just prior to the season opener. Sophomore Chris Turner, who was second on the depth chart with Portis for much of preseason camp, will serve as Steffy's primary backup.

Defensive Notes...
• The defense remains ranked No. 1 in the ACC (266.0 yards per game), despite yielding 448 total yards to West Virginia. The Terps are also No. 16 in the nation in total defense. The Mountaineers rolled up 353 rushing yards, though nearly half of that total (151) came on three carries (44 - Owen Schmitt; 31 and 76 by Noel Devine).
• In their first two games of the year, the Terps held back-to-back opponents below 200 yards of total offense for the first time since 2003. In that year, Maryland held The Citadel to 137 yards of total offense in a 61-0 win, and then limited West Virginia to 156 in a 34-7 win the following week.
• Prior to West Virginia, The Terps had not allowed the opposing team to rush for 100 yards in three straight games (Purdue, 21 yards, Villanova, 12 yds, FIU, 82 yds.).
• Maryland's pass defense has been stout thus far, allowing only 117.33 yards per game by opponents, the eighth best figure in the nation, and the best in the ACC.
• The Terps' first-quarter safety against FIU was Maryland's first since 12/30/2002 when E.J. Henderson recorded a sack in the end zone against Wake Forest.
• Kevin Barnes had his second interception of the season late in the fourth quarter against Florida International, following his pick in the season-opener the week before. Paired with the interception early in the game by Adrian Moten, the Terps had three picks in the opening two games. Maryland had eight interceptions in 13 games last season. Before the FIU game, the last time Maryland had intercepted two passes in a game was at home against NC State on 10/21/2006.
• Preseason All-American Erin Henderson, the Terps active career leader in tackles with 146, has again led Maryland in stops in each of its first three games this season. The junior had nine tackles in the season opener against Villanova and eight against FIU, with one tackle for a loss in each game. Against West Virginia he totaled 11 stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss. It was his seventh career game with double-digit stops. He led the team in stops in five of the Terps 13 games a season ago. Henderson is the returning starter at weakside linebacker, where he tallied 8.8 tackles per game last season, second most in the ACC.
• Henderson is currently tied for 23rd in the NCAA in tackles per game (10.67) and 32nd in tackles for loss per game (1.50). He is the fourth-leading tackler in the ACC.
• The four sacks of Villanova quarterback Antwon Young in the season opener were the most by Maryland since posting the same number vs. NC State last season (Oct. 21). Senior Dre Moore had a pair of sacks for 13 yards, setting a new career high. He currently ranks tied for seventh in the ACC and tied for 39th in the nation in sacks (0.67 pg). The senior had 3.5 sacks all of last season.
• One area of strength for the Terrapins in preseason camp was the defensive line, where the Terps return Moore and fellow senior Carlos Feliciano, as well as juniors Mack Frost and Jeremy Navarre. Frost consistently drew praise from Friedgen for his work in preseason practice, while the head coach has stated that Moore is playing the best football of his career. Moore is tied for 14th in the ACC in tackles for loss with one per game.
• Six Terrapin defenders have started more than 12 career games for Maryland and two (Trey Covington and Christian Varner) have started more than 20. Covington has started 24 of the last 25 games at LEO, a hybrid linebacker/defensive end position, while Varner has started 26 of the last 27 at safety, including a team-high 25 straight.
• In the season opener versus Villanova, Dave Philistin got the starting nod at middle linebacker, marking the third consecutive season the Terps have opened the year with a different Mike from the year before. Wesley Jefferson, who manned the middle for the Terps a year ago after replacing D'Qwell Jackson in 2006, graduated early to pursue a career as a state trooper. Jefferson was second on the team in tackles in 2006. Chase Bullock entered the fall No. 1 on the depth chart and remained there until an injury forced him out of the lineup. He did not play Saturday.
• Maryland has had at least one defensive player drafted into the NFL in each of the last 11 seasons, and 17 defensive players overall in that time span, including cornerback Josh Wilson last season. Of the Terps defenders selected, 11 have gone in the first three rounds, including first round picks Chad Scott (1997) and Shawne Merriman (2005).
• Varner and Isaiah Gardner are the only two defensive returnees to start all 13 games last season. Jefferson was the only other defender to start each contest in 2006.
• The Terps suffered a major loss in the preseason when LB Alex Wujciak injured a knee during a practice. He had ACL surgery at the end of August and should return next season. The redshirt freshman was expected to play LEO and possibly at Mike.

Special Teams Notes...
• In punter Adam Podlesh and kicker Dan Ennis, the Terps never had to worry about their special teams last season. Podlesh was a four-time All-ACC punter and two-time semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, while Ennis connected on 20 of 25 field goals last season. Ennis tied for ninth nationally in field goals per game (1.54) in 2006.
• The Terrapins have tapped place-kicker Obi Egekeze and punter Travis Baltz to replace their sensational specialists from 2006, and the early returns couldn't be better. Place-kicker Obi Egekeze has been near perfect in his first season on the job. Through three games Egekeze is 9-for-9 on PATs, and 2-for-3 on field goal attempts. His lone miss came on a 52-yard attempt against FIU. The ball had the distance but sailed left.
• Baltz, a true freshman, has been solid thus far in his brief Maryland career. After averaging 43.0 yards on two punts against Villanova, Baltz averaged 37.9 yards on nine punts against FIU, but pinned the Golden Panthers' inside their 20-yard-line on five of his nine kicks. The five punts inside the 20 were the most by a Maryland punter since Brooks Barnard had six in Ralph Friedgen's first game as head coach, a 23-7 win over North Carolina in 2001. Baltz's nine punts were the most by a Maryland punter since Adam Podlesh booted the ball 11 times in a 13-3 loss to NC State in 2004.
• Egekeze and Baltz will attempt to live up to the Terps' lofty standards. Maryland has a strong history of special teams play in the Friedgen era. Podlesh, as well as Barnard and former kicker Nick Novak, moved on to the NFL. Although Egekeze served as a kickoff specialist last season, neither he nor Baltz had attempted a kick in a game prior to the 2007 opener.
• When Baltz entered the Villanova game in the second quarter, he became the first true freshman to start an opening-day game for the Terps since defensive end Jeremy Navarre in 2005, and only the second of the Ralph Friedgen era.
• The Terps have some big shoes to fill at kick returner as Josh Wilson has taken his game to the NFL. Wilson ranked third in the ACC (11th nationally) last season in kick returns (27.3 ypr) en route to setting a single-season school record for return yards (847). Backup safety Terrell Skinner, who moved from wide receiver in the spring, opened the season as the primary kick returner, and has averaged 18.5 yards on six returns.
• Maryland is fortunate to have the sure-handed Danny Oquendo back to handle punt return duties. Last season, Oquendo ranked eighth in the ACC and 53rd nationally in return average (8.4). Through two games this season, Oquendo has averaged 8.0 yards on seven returns. His average places him ninth among ACC players and tied for 55th in the NCAA. Christian Varner will serve as Oquendo's backup to start the season.

By the Numbers...
0...Career collegiate starts by the Terps' three quarterbacks entering the season.

1...Jordan Steffy ranks first in the ACC in completion percentage.

2...The Terps rank No. 2 in the nation in time of possession, holding the ball an average of 34:29 per game.

2...In six previous seasons, Ralph Friedgen has had his starting quarterback open game one of the next season just two other times (Sam Hollenbach in 2006; Scott McBrien in 2003).

2...Keon Lattimore is the first Maryland back to open the season with consecutive 100-yard games since Bruce Perry in 2001.

7...Number of 2006 bowl teams on this year's Maryland schedule.

7...The Terps return their top seven receivers (in terms of receptions) from last season.

10...Number of broken tackles by Keon Lattimore in the season-opening win over Villanova.

12...Number of returning starters (six on offense/six on defense) from last season.

25...Christian Varner has started a team-high 25 consecutive games.

31...Andrew Crummey has started a team-high 31 games.

35.3...Percentage of Travis Baltz's punts which have landed inside the opponents' 20-yard line (6 of 17).

50...Ralph Friedgen posted 50 victories in his first six seasons, which has been eclipsed by just one other head coach in ACC history. Danny Ford of Clemson had 51 in his first six seasons.

79...Jordan Steffy completed 79 percent of his passes in his first career start, a mark which ranks No. 7 on the Terp's all-time single-game list.

166...Rushing yards needed by Lance Ball to reach 2,000 in his career.