Saturday, Sept. 6

Maryland (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

at

Middle Tennessee State (0-1, 0-1 Sun Belt)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Stadium: Floyd Stadium (30,788)

TV: CSS (Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast)/ESPN360 - Chick Hernandez (play-by-play) and Kelly Holcomb (color) have the call. Locally the game will be telecast live on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. In addition, the game can be seen on ESPN360. Comcast will also re-air the game at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Radio: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Jonathan Claiborne (color) and Tim Strachan (sidelines) have the call. XM Satellite Radio Channel 190. Pregame with Gary Stein and Scott McBrien begins at 5:30 p.m. Click here to Listen Live on-line. The Terrapin Sports Radio Network (14 affiliates): 105.7 FM (WHFS) - Baltimore (Flagship); ESPN Radio 1300 AM (WJFK) - Baltimore (Flagship); WJFK 106.7 FM - Washington D.C.; WCEM AM 1240 - Cambridge; WBEY 97.9 FM - Crisfield; WGOP AM 540 - Crisfield; WTBO AM 1450 - Cumberland; WFMD AM 930 - Frederick; WARK AM 1490 - Hagerstown; WPTX 1690 AM - Lexington Park, Md.; WVMD 99.5 FM - Midland; WMSG AM 1050 - Oakland; WQMR FM 101.1 - Ocean City; WTGM AM 960 - Salisbury.

Terps on the Air...
Maryland's football broadcasting lineup for 2008-09, includes the Ralph Friedgen Radio Show and the Ralph Friedgen Television Show (FridgeTV). The Ralph Friedgen Radio Show airs from 8-9 p.m. each Wednesday during the season on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network which increased from 10 to 14 affiliates this season. The Ralph Friedgen Television Show, which is presented by Outback Steakhouse, airs weekly at 11:30 a.m. Saturday on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. The fast-paced, 30-minute show goes behind the scenes with Friedgen and the Maryland football team. Replays of the show are scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday on Comcast SportsNet, just prior to the rebroadcast of the Terps most recent football game. Comcast SportsNet will carry the official rebroadcasts of all 12 University of Maryland football games. Friedgen also appears each Wednesday during the season on Comcast's SportsNite wrap-up show. Comcast goes live "Inside the Coach's Office" with Friedgen at 6:45 p.m. each Wednesday.

First-and-10...
• After opening the 2008 season Saturday with a home win over Delaware, the University of Maryland takes to the road this weekend for a matchup with Middle Tennessee State. The Terps and Blue Raiders are set to face off at 7 p.m. Saturday from Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The game will be telecast regionally on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS). Locally, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will air the game. The contest can also be heard on any of the 14 affiliates of the Terrapin Sports Radio Network. Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will replay the game at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
• The Maryland offense, which has nine starters back from 2007 and a new coordinator in James Franklin, entered the year concerned about the running game. But after Saturday's performance the Terps may not miss Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore, a duo who averaged nearly 130 rushing yards per game last season, nearly as much as they thought. Led by a solid effort from sophomore Da'Rel Scott, the running game helped fuel Maryland's 14-7 win over Delaware. Scott churned out a career-best 197 rushing yards in his starting debut and freshman Davin Meggett chipped in 52 yards on the ground and added a touchdown. Senior quarterback Jordan Steffy connected with junior Darrius Heyward-Bey four times for 70 yards, including a 36-yarder which set up the Terps' first score. Steffy injured his thumb during the second half of action and was replaced by Chris Turner who is expected to start Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee State. Heyward-Bey scored the first touchdown of the Delware game on a 12-yard run. Opening holes for the running game is a veteran offensive line which returns six (Dane Randolph, Edwin Williams, Scott Burley, Phil Costa, Jack Griffin and Jaimie Thomas) of its top seven performers from a year ago. Heyward-Bey headlines a receiving corps which has its top three pass catchers back (also Danny Oquendo and Isaiah Williams). Junior fullback Cory Jackson will continue open holes for the tailbacks for the third-straight season, while senior Dan Gronkowski, a member of the preseason watch list for the Mackey Award, returns as the starting tight end.
• The Terps, who have five starters back from a unit which ranked 24th nationally in points allowed (21.5 ppg) and 40th in total defense (358.0 ypg), had a solid start to the 2008 season. Maryland held Delaware scoreless for nearly 55 minutes and yielded just 249 yards of total offense. Senior defensive lineman Jeremy Navarre, a three-year starter, continued his inspired play by holding down the interior of the line and notching six tackles vs. the Blue Hens. Sophomore linebacker Alex Wujciak, in his first career start, had a team-high eight tackles, while senior LB Dave Philistin, on a number preseason lists, including the Butkus Award watch list, tallied six stops. The other returning starters include seniors Kevin Barnes, Trey Covington and Moise Fokou. Barnes, the lone returning starter in the secondary, tallied an interception and forced a fumble Saturday. Junior Terrell Skinner and senior Jeff Allen are the new starters at free safety and strong safety, respectively. Each responded in their first career start. Skinner had six stops and pick, while Allen chipped in with five tackles.
• The Terps return all components of its special teams unit from last season, including what may turn out to be one of the top kicking tandems in the ACC. Sophomore punter Travis Baltz and senior place-kicker Obi Egekeze are both in their second seasons as starters. Baltz, a freshman All-ACC choice, averaged 40.9 yards per punt last season, including 43.1 in league games, which ranked second. He was sharp in the opener, averaging 43.0 ypp. Egekeze hit 17 of 23 field-goal attempts last year, including a near-perfect mark in league games (13 of 14/93 percent). He missed three attempts in the opener, but all were from over 40 yards and two hit the goal post. Senior Danny Oquendo is back to man the punt-returning duties for the third straight season. Sophomore Da'Rel Scott was the kick returner last season, but as the starting tailback has given way to Torrey Smith, a redshirt freshman with impressive athleticism.

Quick Hitters...
• Maryland and Middle Tennessee State have faced each other twice with the Terps winning both contests (45-27 in 2000; 24-10 in 2006). The teams have not met in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
• Maryland is 4-0-1 all-time vs. teams currently playing in the Sun Belt Conference. The Terps defeated Florida International twice (14-10 in 2006; 26-10 in 2007) and tied Louisiana Tech, 34-all, in the 1990 Independence Bowl.
• The Terps, who received votes in the USA Today preseason poll, are scheduled to face eight teams this year which reached the postseason in 2007. Delaware reached the Football Championship Subdivision title game. ACC foes Clemson, Virginia, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Boston College all played in bowl games. In addition, California, which reached as high as No. 2 in the 2007 national polls, also played in a bowl and visits College Park for the first time next week.
• Nearly half the 45 returning letterwinners have started at least one game in their career. In all entering the season, 20 Terps have started at least one contest. DL Jeremy Navarre has started a team-high 36 games. C Edwin Williams has the most starts among offensive players with 27.
• Fourteen players made their debuts Saturday against Delaware (RB Davin Meggett, DB Kenny Tate, TE Matt Furstenburg, LB Alex Wujciak, QB Josh Portis, DB Austin Walker, DB Antwine Perez, WR Ronnie Tyler, LB Aaron Ball, LB Hakeem Sule, DL Deege Galt, TE Lansford Watson, WR Torrey Smith and DL Dion Armstrong).
• The Terps have three new coaches on staff this season. James Franklin (asst. head coach/offensive coordinator/QBs), Lee Hull (wide receivers) and Danny Pearman (tight ends/H-backs/special teams) were hired in the off-season. Head coach Ralph Friedgen served as offensive coordinator the last two seasons.
• Junior Darrius Heyward-Bey reached 100 career receptions Saturday with four catches. He currently ranks tied for ninth on the Terps list with Marcus Badgett (1989-92) and Frank Russell (1972-74). Heyward-Bey is also ninth on the career receiving yards list (1,550) and needs three yards to pass Guilian Gary (1999-01) for eighth place.
• Senior linebacker Dave Philistin is top returning tackler in the ACC. He totaled 124 stops last season and his average of 9.5 per game ranked fourth in the league. He had six stops in the season opener vs. Delaware.
• The Terps top six offensive linemen - Edwin Williams (27), Dane Randolph (18), Scott Burley (13), Jaimie Thomas (12), Phil Costa (7) and Jack Griffin (5) - have combined to start 81 games.
• The Terps have an all-time record of 593-516-43 (.533), including a 57-31 (.648) mark under Ralph Friedgen.

MTSU At-A-Glance...
• The Blue Raiders played host to Troy in their season opener Saturday and fell short in a comeback bid, losing 31-17. Middle Tennessee rallied from a 24-3 deficit with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
• Senior quarterback Joe Craddock completed 20 of 32 passes for 200 yards and a 46-yard touchdown pass to true freshman wide receiver Malcolm Beyah in the losing effort.
• Junior RBs Philip Tanner and Desmond Gee combined for 121 rushing yards in the Blue Raiders' season-opening loss, with Tanner adding a 3-yard touchdown run. Gee - the team's leading returning receiver, kick returner and punt returner from last season - is expected to see most of his playing time in the backfield in 2008, and Tanner averaged 4.7 yards per carry last season.
• The Blue Raiders lost 26 players to injuries over the course of the 2007 season. After losing their first four games, they won five of their next six, finishing last season with a record of 5-7.
• The 2008 version of Middle Tennessee State features one of the younger teams in college football, with 19 freshmen and 10 redshirt freshmen on the squad. Still, the team returns 36 letterwinners from last year and 21 players who earned at least one start over the 2007 season.
• The Blue Raiders enter the matchup with Maryland looking for their first win over an ACC opponent. They have played five of the 12 ACC schools and are 0-7 all-time against ACC teams.
• Craddock shared starting responsibilities at QB last season with sophomore Dwight Dasher. Both played in games in which the offense registered more than 400 yards of total offense.
• After having one of the most effective defenses in the Sun Belt Conference during the last two years, the Blue Raiders are looking to replace some of their most effective defensive players this season, but still return 22 letterwinners and five starters to their defensive unit.
• Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill is in his first collegiate head coaching job. During his first two years in Murfreesboro, Stockstill is 12-13 overall, including a 10-4 conference mark.

Maryland-MTSU Ties...
Middle Tennessee State head coach Rick Stockstill and defensive line coach Les Herrin, as well as Maryland special teams coordinator Danny Pearman were on the Clemson staff together in 1989. Stockstill, who was a signal-caller at Florida State (1977-82), served as the quarterbacks coach with the Tigers from 1989-92. Herrin was the d-line coach at the time, while Pearman was a graduate assistant on the staff from 1988-89.

Memorable Debut For Meggett...
True freshman RB Davin Meggett had an outstanding collegiate debut against Delaware. He rushed seven times for 52 yards (7.4 avg.) and caught one pass for 12 yards. His 14-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter gave the Terps a 14-0 lead.

Scott Up and Running...
After playing a reserve role last season at tailback, as well as serving as the primary kick returner, Da'Rel Scott stepped into the spotlight Saturday vs Delaware. In his first start, Scott rushed for a career-high 197 yards on 26 carries (7.6 ypc), including a career-long 40-yard scamper in the first quarter. In one game he surpassed his season totals of 2007 (14 for 135). The rushing yards mark hit a number of milestones:
• School record in a season opener (old record: 177, Charlie Wysocki vs. Villanova, Sept. 6, 1980).
• Fourth-highest total in the nation during the first weekend of action.
• 16th on the school's single-game chart
• Most rushing yards by a Maryland back since Bruce Perry galloped for 237 vs. Wake Forest in 2003.
Scott posted 123 of his 197 yards in the second half and demonstrated big-play ability throughout the game, breaking three carries for more than 25 yards (40, 37, 26).

Heyward-Bey's Blazing Start...
• WR Darrius Heyward-Bey had a strong season opener. Against Delaware Saturday he recorded four catches for 70 yards, including a 36-yarder from QB Jordan Steffy. He also had a pair of rushes for 20 yards, including a 12-yard run with 8:03 left in the second quarter that marked Maryland's first score of the season.
• Heyward-Bey's performance catapulted him up one of Maryland's all-time receiving charts. The junior wideout now has 100 catches to tie for ninth on the all-time list. He tied Marcus Badgett (1989-92) and Frank Russell (1972-74) on the 100-catch milestone. He became the 11th Terrapin in school history with 100 catches. Now with 1,550 yards, he remains ninth on the all-time career receiving list.

Skinner's Pick Seals Game...
DB Terrell Skinner had a crucial late interception Saturday, Maryland's second on the day. Skinner's pick with 3:20 left stopped a potential game-tying drive by Delaware and gave the ball back to the Terps. Maryland sealed the game with three first downs in the final 3:20. Skinner added six tackles, including one tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

Stout D...
• Maryland's defense limited Delaware to 249 total yards - the lowest by an opponent since holding Florida International to 163 yards on Sept. 8, 2007. • Following the first week of the 2008 season, the Terps rank tied for second in the ACC and tied for 14th nationally in scoring defense.

Wujciak in State of Denial...
• LB Alex Wujciak got a hand on Delaware PK Jon Striefsky's 46-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, causing the kick to fall short of the uprights. It marked the first blocked field goal recorded by Maryland since DL Jeremy Navarre blocked one against Florida State on Oct. 28, 2006.
• Making his Terrapin debut after missing last season with a knee injury, Wujciak also led the team Saturday with eight tackles.

Barnes Picking Up Where He Left Off...
CB Kevin Barnes, who led the Terps with four interceptions a year ago, picked off a pass by Delaware WR Aaron Love on a flea-flicker during the opening drive of the second half Saturday.

Baltz's Punting Prowess...
Travis Baltz kicked off his sophomore season by punting four times for an average of 43.0 yards per punt, with a long of 53 yards and two punts inside Delaware's 20-yard line.

Veteran Leadership...
The Terps have a veteran team this season with 30 seniors on the current roster. Last season, Maryland had just 15 seniors on its roster. The 30 seniors are the most in the Ralph Friedgen era (previous high - 21 in 2003). In the season opener vs. Delaware 17 of those seniors started the game.

Offensive Notes...
• Maryland's offense returns nine starters - its most since 1999 - and 23 letterwinners from a unit that ranked fifth in the ACC in 2007 in total offense (340.8 ypg). Only right guard and running back feature players who did not have starting roles last season.
• Despite returning the vast majority of its starting offense, the Terps will be searching for playmakers with the ability to find the end zone in 2008, as the team lost players accounting for 28 of its 37 offensive touchdowns from a year ago.
• During the off-season Ralph Friedgen handed control of the offense over to new offensive coordinator/assistant head coach James Franklin, enabling one of the football's best young offensive minds to have an opportunity to call plays for the Terps. Formerly offensive coordinator at Kansas State, Franklin brings 13 years of offensive expertise to College Park.
• Making his first career start during the Aug. 30 season opener versus Delaware, RB Da'Rel Scott rushed 26 times for 197 yards, including a career-long 40-yard scamper in the first quarter. The 197 rushing yards rank tied for 16th on the team's single-game list (Steve Atkins vs. Clemson, 1978).
• Scott, a sophomore, was not the only Maryland RB to have a memorable game against Delaware. True freshman Davin Meggett had seven rushes for 54 yards and caught one pass for 12 yards. His 14-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter gave the Terps a 14-0 lead.
• In all, Maryland recorded 271 yards on the ground against Delaware, the team's most since it ran for 277 yards against Duke on Sept. 25, 2004.
• Following a hard-fought battle in preseason camp, senior Jordan Steffy emerged as the Terps' No. 1 quarterback heading into the season. Steffy, who started the first five games last season before suffering a concussion, completed 70 of 104 passes for 686 yards and two touchdowns in 2007. He was 10 of 18 for 115 yards in the opener. He suffered a thumb injury in the second half and is out of action indefinitely. Junior Chris Turner, who entered the season as the backup, replaced Steffy in the Delaware game and is expected to make his first start of the season Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee State. Turner started the final eight games of the 2007 season, completing 153 of 241 passes for 1,958 yards. Junior Josh Portis, now the backup signal-caller, took four snaps last weekend. Portis played as a reserve at the University of Florida in 2005 prior to transferring to Maryland.
• The Terps quarterbacks will operate behind a veteran-laden offensive line featuring five seniors who have seen significant playing time. C Edwin Williams, a preseason All-ACC nominee, anchors a line that boasts a collective 81 career starts. He is joined by fellow seniors LT Scott Burley, LG Jaimie Thomas, RG Jack Griffin and RT Dane Randolph. Junior Phil Costa started at right guard in the opener with Griffin subbing at right guard. Reserve linemen Bruce Campbell, Lamar Young, Danny Edwards and Paul Pinegar round out the two-deep for a unit that was decimated by injuries last season but should represent a strength for the offense in 2008.
• Junior All-America honoree Darrius Heyward-Bey provided a spark for the offense in the season opener against Delaware. The speedy wideout had four catches for 70 yards, including a 36-yard reception from Steffy. He also had a pair of rushes for 20 yards, including a 12-yard run with 8:03 left in the second quarter that marked Maryland's first score of the season. Now with exactly 100 career receptions, Heyward-Bey stands tied for 9th on Maryland's all-time list with Marcus Badgett (1989-92) and Frank Russell (1972-74). He became the 11th Terrapin in school history with 100 catches.
• Heyward-Bey, who ranks ninth all-time for the Terps in career receiving yardage, headlines a deep receiving corps that returns its top three players from a year ago. He is joined atop the depth chart at WR by seniors Danny Oquendo and Isaiah Williams. Sophomore LaQuan Williams, a reigning freshman All-ACC nominee, also made significant contributions in 2007. Beneath that veteran layer, a plethora of talented but less-proven WRs awaits opportunities to contribute. Sophomore Adrian Cannon and redshirt freshmen Ronnie Tyler and Torrey Smith each had impressive preseason camps and bolster the unit's depth.
• The performances of Scott and Meggett at RB are helping to ease the loss to graduation of last season's dynamic rushing duo of Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball, a duo which combined for 25 rushing TDs. Senior Rashad Henry and sophomore Morgan Green, who has shown promise but been plagued by injury, round out Maryland's RB corp. Senior FB Cory Jackson open holes for the RBs, with sophomore FB Haroon Brown occupying a reserve role.
• A nominee for postseason honors, senior Dan Gronkowski starts at TE for the Terps after sharing starting duties a year ago. Gronkowski caught seven passes for 66 yards last season, despite being used primarily as a blocking TE. Junior Tommy Galt sits beneath Gronkowski on the depth chart, and Lansford Watson, a redshirt freshman, is atop the depth chart at H-back.

Defensive Notes...
• Maryland returns five starters and 20 letterwinners from a defensive unit that ranked fifth in the ACC last season in both run and pass defense. The unit boasts five players who have made at least 13 starts for the Terps, including 36 and 35 career starts, respectively, for DL Jeremy Navarre and LEO Trey Covington.
• For the first time since 2005, Maryland's entire defensive coaching staff from the previous year remains intact. Chris Cosh, who has served as a defensive coordinator in three of the six BCS conferences, is in his third season running the defense, as well as the inside linebackers.
• During the season opener Aug. 30 against Delaware, Maryland's defense limited the Blue Hens to 249 total yards - the lowest by an opponent since holding Florida International to 163 total yards on Sept. 8, 2007. Following the first week of the 2008 season, the Terps rank 14th in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense.
• Navarre, a DT who leads active Terps with nine career sacks and recorded six tackles in the season opener against Delaware, anchors a defensive line that replaced starters Dre Moore and Carlos Feliciano from a year ago. He is joined in the starting lineup by DE Mack Frost and NT Bemi Otulaja, though Deege Galt, Dion Armstrong and Dean Muhtadi also see action on the defensive line. Junior Travis Ivey is also expected to a fixture inside once he returns from injury. After three seasons at defensive end, Navarre bumped inside to tackle in the spring and has flourished.
• Mike LB Alex Wujciak's collegiate debut proved worth the wait. Seeing his first action Aug. 30 against Delaware after missing all of last season due to a knee injury, the sophomore got a hand on Delaware PK Jon Striefsky's 46-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, causing the kick to fall short of the uprights. It marked the first blocked field goal recorded by Maryland since Navarre swatted one against Florida State on Oct. 28, 2006. Wujciak also notched a team-high eight tackles against the Blue Hens.
• With the addition of Wujciak, depth prevails for the Terrapins at linebacker, where three starters are back from 2007 in Covington, Will LB Dave Philistin and Sam LB Moise Fokou. Covington has started 35 of the last 38 games at LEO, a hybrid defensive end/linebacker position. Philistin ranked fourth in the ACC in 2007 with 124 tackles, and splits time this season with fellow senior Chase Bullock. Fokou added 83 tackles and two sacks a year ago, and shares the strongside with sophomore Adrian Moten, who earned freshman All-America honors in 2007. Redshirt freshman Ben Pooler rounds out the two-deep by backing up Wujciak at Mike LB.
• CB Kevin Barnes, who led the Terps with four interceptions a year ago, nabbed his first of the 2008 campaign when he picked off a pass by Delaware WR Aaron Love on a flea-flicker during the opening drive of the second half of the 14-7 win over the Blue Hens. The senior also recorded a forced fumble in the season-opening game. • FS Terrell Skinner made the most of his first career start during the season opener against Delaware by recording a crucial late interception. Skinner's pick with 3:20 left stopped a potential game-tying drive by Delaware and gave the ball back to the Terps. Maryland sealed the game with three offensive first downs in the final 3:20. Skinner stuffed the stat box against the Blue Hens, adding six tackles, including one for loss, and a pass-breakup.
• Barnes is the lone returning starter in the secondary and is expected to provide leadership for the talented unit. Juniors Nolan Carroll and Anthony Wiseman share starting duties at the other CB spot. Senior Jeff Allen joins Skinner atop the depth chart at safety, having served in a reserve role in 2007. USC transfer Antwine Perez and true freshman Kenny Tate provide depth at safety, and senior Richard Taylor serves as a reserve CB after being sidelined last season with a knee injury.
• The Terps have had at least one defensive player drafted into the NFL in each of the last 12 seasons, and 18 defensive players overall in that span, including DE Dre Moore last year. Of the Maryland defenders selected, 11 have gone in the first three rounds, including first-round picks Chad Scott (1997) and Shawne Merriman (2005).
• The Terrapins will begin a season without a Henderson on their roster for just the second time this decade. Following in the footsteps of his older brother A.J., who earned All-America and ACC Player of the Year honors during his stellar Terp career, Erin Henderson was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2007 after leading the conference with 133 tackles. Both brothers now play for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.

Special Teams Notes...
• After starting the 2007 campaign with an untested punter and place-kicker, Maryland has the luxury of having proven players occupying those positions this season. Senior place-kicker Obi Egekeze and sophomore punter Travis Baltz both provided strong performances during their first season at their respective positions in 2007. Egekeze connected on 17 of 23 field goal attempts and was perfect on all 36 PATs last year, ranking sixth in the ACC in both kick scoring and overall scoring. Baltz earned freshman All-America honors in 2007 after averaging 43.1 yards per punt during conference play.
• Egekeze also handled kickoff duties in 2007 and did so again in the 2008 season-opener versus Delaware on Aug. 30.
• Baltz showed no signs of a sophomore slump with his performance in the season opener against the Blue Hens. The punter booted the ball four times for an average of 43.0 yards per punt, including a long of 53 yards. He twice pinned Delaware inside its own 20-yard-line, helping Maryland to win the battle for field position throughout the game.
• Maryland is fortunate to have WR Danny Oquendo back for his third season as the team's primary punt returner. With four returns for 32 yards in the season-opener against Delaware, the sure-handed senior moved into 8th place on the Terps all-time list with 373 career punt return yards and 9th place with 45 career punt returns. DBs Anthony Wiseman, a junior, and Kenny Tate, a true freshman, also could see time returning punts this season.
• RB Da'Rel Scott set a Maryland freshman record with 566 kickoff return yards in 2007, including a 60-yard return against Florida State. However, Scott has since secured the starting RB role, thus the coaching staff has turned to other players to handle kickoff return duties this season. DB Terrell Skinner and WR Torrey Smith each returned a kickoff against Delaware, and DBs Kenny Tate and Trenton Hughes might also be called upon to fill that role.
• Reliable long-snapper Andrew Schmitt, a three-year starter, is in his final season with the Terps. After handling just long snaps (punts) up to this point in his career, Schmitt is also the short snapper (PAT/FG) this year.

By The Numbers...
1...Sacks surrendered by the Maryland offense during the season-opener against Delaware - the lowest total since last season's opening game against Villanova Sept. 1, 2007.

7...Number of 2007 bowl teams slated to play the Terps in 2008.

8...Over the last eight regular-season quarters, the Terps have surrendered just seven points. Maryland downed Delaware, 14-7, Saturday and shut out NC State, 37-0, on Nov. 24, 2007.

9...Number of current players who have completed their degrees. That list includes PK Obi Egekeze, DL Mack Frost, OL Jack Griffin, TE Dan Gronkowski, DL Dean Muhtadi, OL Dane Randolph, QB Jordan Steffy, DB Richard Taylor and OL Edwin Williams. Each of those players is either enrolled in graduate school or pursuing another undergraduate degree.

14...Returning starters (nine on offense/five on defense) from last season.

17...Number of career carries by the Maryland tailbacks (14 by Da'Rel Scott/3 by Morgan Green) entering the season.

21...Twenty one of the top 27 crowds in Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium have occurred during the last seven seasons.

30...Number of seniors on this season's Maryland roster.

36...Career starts by defensive lineman Jeremy Navarre, which leads the team.

57...The Terps have won 57 games in Ralph Friedgen's seven-plus seasons which is more than they had in the 14 years prior to his arrival (55).

73...The Terps have connected on 73 straight PATs, dating back to 2005 (vs. UNC). Obi Egekeze hit all 36 attempts last season and both this year. Dan Ennis was good on all 32 in 2006.

84.2...All-purpose yards per game averaged by Da'Rel Scott last season, tops on the team.

135...Career rushing yards for RB Da'Rel Scott entering the 2008 season.

197...Rushing yards for RB Da'Rel Scott during Saturday's game against Delaware, the most all-time by a Terp in a season opener.

51,263...The Terps averaged 51,263 fans per game last season in Byrd Stadium, the third-highest amount in school history.