Saturday, Oct. 24

Maryland (2-5, 1-2 ACC)

at

Duke (3-3, 1-1 ACC)

Kickoff: 1:30 ET
Location: Durham, N.C.
Stadium: Wallace Wade Stadium (33,941)

TV: ESPN360 - Dave Weekley (play-by-play) and Jeff Genyk (color) will call the action in the webcast. Comcast SportsNet will air a replay in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore market 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. Pregame with Gary Stein and Scott McBrien begins at 5 p.m. ET The game can also be heard on XM Satellite Radio Channel 191 and Sirius Channel 212. Click here to Listen Live on-line through Terps TV. The Terrapin Sports Radio Network (13 affiliates): WJZ-FM 105.7 - Baltimore (Flagship); WJFK-FM 106.7 - Washington D.C.; WCEM-AM 1240 - Cambridge; WBEY-FM 97.9 - Crisfield; WGOP-AM 540 - Crisfield; WFMD-AM 930 - Frederick; WARK-AM 1490 - Hagerstown; WPTX-AM 1690 - Lexington Park; WVMD-FM 99.5 - Cumberland; WMSG-AM 1050 - Oakland; WQMR-FM 101.1 - Ocean City; WTGM-AM 960 - Salisbury. Click here to view a PDF of the Terrapin Sports Radio Network coverage map.

Terps on the Air...
Maryland's football broadcasting lineup for 2009-10 includes the Ralph Friedgen Radio Show and the Ralph Friedgen Television Show. The Ralph Friedgen Radio Show airs from 8-9 p.m. each Wednesday during the season on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network which has 13 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 matchups.

First-and-10...
• The University of Maryland will try to snap a two-game skid Saturday when it travels to Duke for the first time in five years. The Terps dropped a 20-9 decision to Virginia last Saturday in their annual Homecoming game. The Blue Devils were off last weekend, but won 49-28 at NC State on Oct. 10.
• Offensively, Maryland has been led by quarterback Chris Turner and wide receiver Torrey Smith. Turner, who ranks among the top signal-callers in school history, is averaging 235.9 passing yards per game (fifth in the ACC/34th in NCAA). He had his fourth career 300-yard passing game (307) vs. Wake Forest (10/10) and matched his career-high with three TDs. Smith has emerged as one of the top all-around threats in the nation. He's averaging 79.0 receiving yards per game (second in the ACC) and 207.7 all-purpose ypg (first in the country). No. 1 running back Da'Rel Scott was injured (broken wrist) vs. Clemson (10/3) and is out of action until late next month. He was a first-team All-ACC pick last season and has a 5.63 career yards-per-carry average, which ranks second in school history. Davin Meggett and Gary Douglas have handled the bulk of the carries the last two weeks. Senior center Phil Costa, who has started 25 career games, is the leader of an offensive line which has been in transition with the loss of seven seniors from a year ago. LT Bruce Campbell returned to action vs. Virginia after missing the previous game with a knee injury. The Terps posted 126 rushing yards (highest total in four weeks) vs. the Cavaliers and the o-line allowed just one sack. Besides Campbell and Costa, the rest of the linemen have a total of 24 career starts.
• The Terps have been solid on defense for most of the past four games, allowing an average of 310.0 total yards over that span, including just 210 to Virginia. LBs Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten have been the top playmakers on a defense which has just four starters back from last year. Wujciak, a second-team All-ACC selection last season, has a team-high 77 tackles, including 14 vs. the Cavaliers. Moten has 44 tackles (third on the team), including team highs in tackles-for-loss (7.5) and sacks (5.0). LB Demetrius Hartsfield has been impressive of late, posting a career-high 10 stops vs. Clemson (10/3) and earning ACC Freshman of the Week honors for that performance, but he is out of action with a broken hand. First-year defensive coordinator Don Brown has a veteran secondary, though there have been injuries at that position. Senior Nolan Carroll, the team's No. 1 cornerback, was lost for the season vs. JMU with a broken tibia. Senior SS Jamari McCollough missed two games with a foot injury and played sparingly the following two weeks. CBs Anthony Wiseman and Cameron Chism each have 34 stops, tops among DBs. Seniors Travis Ivey, Jared Harrell and Deege Galt are veterans on the defensive line. Ivey gives the line size and athleticism on the interior, while Galt has 2.5 sacks (third on the team). The Terps have 18 sacks over the last five games and rank first in the ACC in that category (2.5 per game).
• The special teams unit, under the direction of first-year coordinator Charles Bankins, features a pair of preseason All-Americans in Smith and junior punter Travis Baltz. Smith set the ACC single-season record for kickoff return yards (1,089) last season and has confirmed his preseason All-America selection. He returned his second career kickoff for a TD vs. James Madison and set the Maryland career kickoff return yards mark vs. Rutgers. Baltz was a 2008 first-team All-ACC choice after leading the league in punting average (41.1 ypp). He was a preseason consensus first team All-ACC pick and was one of just nine punters on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award. However, he suffered an ankle injury vs. Rutgers and has missed the last three games. True freshman Nick Ferrara has been a bright spot, hitting 11 of 15 field goals and handling the kickoff chores. He's also served as the punter the last three games. He was named the ACC co-Specialist of the Week for his performance vs. Clemson (10/3). Tony Logan was expected to be the No. 1 punt returner, taking over for three-year starter Danny Oquendo, but he missed the first two games with an injury. Logan has resumed his duties as the No. 1 punt returner the last three weeks.

Quick Hitters...
• Maryland is facing Duke for the first time since 2004. The Blue Devils are the only team the Terps have not faced since the Atlantic Coasst Conference expanded in 2005. The teams had met each season since 1972.
• The Terps lead the all-time series with the Blue Devils, 30-18, and have won nine of the last 10 meetings, including the last five. Maryland has a 14-9 record in Durham, N.C., and has not lost there since 1994 (five wins in-a-row).
• Despite being only a sophomore, Torrey Smith is already rewriting both the Maryland and ACC record books. Smith owns the school and league's single-season kickoff return yardage record (1,089 in 2008), as well as the Terps' career kickoff return yards mark (1,926). He also posted a Maryland-record 21.3 yards per touch last season. Smith currently ranks eighth on the ACC kickoff return yardage chart and has a chance to reach first before the end of the season, though he did not return a kick vs. Virginia as the Cavailiers chose to squib kick. He needs 764 more return yards to eclipse the record. In addition, he can better his own ACC single-season kickoff mark with 253 more yards.
• Smith posted a career-high 287 all-purpose yards (165 receiving/109 kickoff/13 rush) vs. Middle Tennessee State (9/19) and had 267 vs. Wake Forest (10/10), the second-highest total of his career. He ranks first in the nation in that category (207.7 ypg). The ACC record is 186.9 ypg by Frank Quayle (Virginia) in 1968. Smith needs to average 120.0 all-purpose yards over the final five regular-season games to eclipse Thomas Jones' (Virginia) league record of 2,054. Smith already has 1,454 all-purpose yards this season after posting 1,425 last year.
• Smith is the only player in the NCAA FBS to post at least 225 all-purpose yards in five games this season. In fact, only one player - Brandon West (Western Michigan) - has done it four times and two others - C.J. Spiller (Clemson), and Damaris Johnson (Tulsa) - have three games over 225 yards.
• Chris Turner, in his third season as the starter, ranks among the top signal-callers in school history. The senior ranks fifth on Maryland's career completion percentage list (59.1), third in career passing yards (6,125), third in total offense (5,960), second in completions (508), second in career pass attempts (859) and fourth in TD passes (29). Turner needs 135 passing yards to move past Boomer Esiason (6,259/1981-83) and into second place on the Maryland career list. Turner also needs 122 yards of total offense to pass Esiason (6,081) on that career chart. Turner needs to average 235.4 yards over the final five regular-season games to set the school's career passing yards record (7,301 by Scott Milanovich, 1992-95).
• Junior linebacker Alex Wujciak entered the season ranked fifth nationally among returning tacklers. He has kept up the same pace this season, averaging 11.0 stops per game (tied for sixth nationally). In fact, Wujciak ranks first nationally (10.5) on the active career tackles-per-game list. Travis Lewis of Oklahoma is second (9.8) on that list.
• The Terps' 10 returning starters (six on offense/four on defense) are the second-fewest in the Friedgen era. Heading into the 2004 season, Maryland had nine starters (five offense/four defense) back from the previous campaign.
• Maryland has played 23 freshmen (nine true/14 redshirts) this season which is the most during Ralph Friedgen's nine seasons. The Terps played 20 freshmen in both the 2001 and 2004 seasons.
• Friedgen is among the winningest coaches in Atlantic Coast Conference history. He ranks 10th all-time in winning percentage (see chart on page 7) with a record of 66-41 (.616). Maryland has made six postseason appearances in Friedgen's eight seasons, including a school-record four bowl wins. The Terps appeared in one bowl game in the previous 15 seasons.
• Maryland is 201-168-4 (.544) all-time in ACC games, including a 38-29 (.567) mark under Friedgen.
• The Terps lost a close friend on Oct. 5 when Jack Heise (dubbed `Mr. Maryland' for his support of the Terps) passed away suddenly. The Terps honored his memory vs. Wake Forest (10/10) by donning an emblem with the initials JH on each player's helmet. That will remain on the helmets throughout the year.

Injuries Taking A Toll...
The Terps have lost a number of key performers to injury so far this season. CB Nolan Carroll (leg) was lost for the season in the second game. Starting left tackle Bruce Campbell has missed three games, punter Travis Baltz has missed the last three contests and tailback Da'Rel Scott is out at least another month with a broken wrist suffered vs. Clemson (10/3). So far this season, the Terps have lost 22 man-games to potential starters (Jamari McCollough - 2; Carroll - 5; Scott - 2; Baltz - 3; Campbell - 3; Tyler Bowen - 5; Tony Logan - 2) and that number will grow with the loss of LB Demetrius Hartsfield (broken hand) for likely the next three games (had surgery Sunday). In addtion, potential key reserves Joe Vellano and Caleb Porzel were on the shelf until recently. Vellano, expected to be a backup at defensive tackle, played for the first time vs. Virginia (10/17) and Porzel was on the field for his first career snaps vs. Wake Forest (10/10).

Defensive Pressure...
Maryland's defense entered the Virginia game (10/17) tied for second in the ACC with 15 sacks on the season. The Terps racked up a season-high five against the Cavaliers. The previous high was four, achieved against Middle Tennessee State (9/19). It also marked the most sacks recorded by the Maryland defense since it had five against California last season. Saturday's performance moved the Terps to first in the ACC and into a tie for 17th nationally in sacks (2.86 per game).

Stopping the Run...
Maryland allowed just 63 rushing yards by Virginia, including two yards in the first half. That marked the lowest total rushing yards accumulated by a Maryland opponent since California had 38 last season. In their previous two games, the Cavaliers had recorded 106 and 231 rushing yards against North Carolina and Indiana, respectively. Overall, UVa finished with just 201 yards of total offense and nine first downs. It was the lowest total offense output by an opponent since the Terps allowed just 163 at Florida International (9/8/2007).

Halftime Adjustments...
The Terps rank 10th in the ACC and 76th nationally in total defense (377.0 yards per game), but they have improved as the season has gone along. Over the last four games, Maryland is allowing just 310.0 yards of total offense to its opponents. The Terps have really had only one bad half among their last eight, allowing 381 yards in the opening 30 minutes of the Wake Forest game (10/10). In fact, Maryland has yielded less than 160 yards of total offense in six of it last eight halves of football (also 203 yards in the first half vs. Clemson, 10/3). The Terps have surrendered an average of 114.0 yards of total offense in the second half of the last four games.

Punt, Kick and Kickoff...
After All-ACC punter Travis Baltz left the Rutgers game (9/26) with a sprained ankle, freshman Nick Ferrara handled kickoff, place-kicking and punting duties. He hit two field goals (38, 34 yards) and averaged 33.7 yards on three punts, putting one inside the 20-yard line. Ferrara has been handling place-kicking and kickoff duties since the beginning of the season, but punted in high school and served as the backup during the first two games of the season. In the Rutgers game, he became the first Terp since Vedad Siljkovic (vs. West Virginia, 09/16/00) to punt and attempt a field goal in the same game. Ferrara has handled all three jobs the last three games and distinguished himself quite well. He had a then career-long 43-yard field goal vs. Clemson (10/3) and punted eight times for a 43.2-yard average. His first punt went 61 yards which was the longest by a Terp since Baltz nailed a 65-yarder vs. Georgia Tech in 2007. Ferrara also landed three punts inside the 20-yard line. He added a career best 50-yard field goal vs. Wake Forest (10/10), the longest since Nick Novak hit a 54-yarder vs. Duke on 10-11-03. He chipped in a career-high three field goals vs. Virginia (10/17), including a 48-yarder, the second-longest of his career.

All-Purpose Performer...
After setting the ACC record for kickoff return yardage in a season (1,089) last year, Torrey Smith has emerged as one of the most explosive playmakers in the country. Smith is averaging 207.7 all-purpose yards per game, which ranks first in the nation (FBS).
• Smith's explosive ability as a kick returner helped make him a consensus preseason All-ACC selection. Smith has proved the voters right all season, returning a kick 81 yards for a TD in the first quarter against James Madison (9/12), the second kick return for a TD in his career (12/30/08 vs. Nevada), and totaled 127 yards on kick returns for the evening. With his first kick return against Rutgers (9/26), Smith set the all-time career kickoff return yards mark, and now has a total of 1,926, which ranks eighth on the ACC career list. Smith returned his first kick of the Wake Forest game (10/10) 85 yards, and totaled a career-best 194 kickoff return yards in the game.
• Smith is the Terps' leading receiver with 34 receptions for 553 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Against MTSU (9/19), he had a career-high 165 yards receiving on five receptions, including a 64-yard TD catch. He has also rushed the ball six times for 54 yards. He made a career-high 10 receptions against Wake Forest (10/10), totaling 70 yards and catching one touchdown pass. Smith ranks second in the ACC and tied for 31st nationally in receiving yards per game (79.0) and tied for third in the league and tied for 62nd nationally in receptions per game (4.9).
• Smith has posted over 100 receiving yards in two of the last five games and has three in his career, all coming over the last nine games. He had a career-high 165 receiving yards vs. MTSU (9/19), which were the most by a Maryland player since Darrius Heyward-Bey had 175 vs. Miami (11/11/06). He also became the first Terp to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Vernon Davis in 2005. Jermaine Lewis (four straight in 1994) is the only player in school history to have more than two straight 100-yard receiving games.
• Smith set a career-high with 287 all-purpose yards (165 receiving, 109 KOR, 13 rushing) against MTSU (9/19). He also totaled 267 all-purpose yards against Wake Forest (194 KOR, 70 receiving, 3 rushing), and is the only player in the NCAA (FBS) to total at least 225 all-purpose yards in five games this season.

Duke At-A-Glance...
• QB Thaddeus Lewis continued to climb the Duke and ACC passing charts with the Blue Devils' win over N.C. State (10/10). He broke the Duke career record for TD passes with 59, which ties him for sixth all-time in the ACC. His career-high 459 passing yards was his second career 400-yard performance, only the 12th in school history, and his seventh career 300-yard game, good for fifth best on the Duke charts.
• Duke's 49 points against N.C. were the most points by the Blue Devils in an ACC game since Oct. 22, 1994. Lewis had five passing TDs and one rushing TD as the offense recorded its first 500-yard game of the season. Duke's passing offense ranks eighth nationally (314.5 ypg) and the scoring offense is 28th (31.8 ppg).
• A potent receiving corp led by junior WR Austin Kelly provides a number of targets for Lewis. Duke has four receivers, Kelly, Johnny Williams, Donovan Varner, and Connor Vernon, with at least one TD catch and reception of over 50 yards this season.
• Duke scored on five of the last six drives of the Virginia Tech game (10/2) before falling 26-34 to the No. 6 Hokies.
• The Blue Devils defense kept NC State (10/10) scoreles in the second half, allowing only 74 total yards and forcing four turnovers.
• Senior linebacker Vincent Rey is averaging 8.2 tackles per game, which ranks fifth in the ACC. Rey also has 4.5 tackles-for-loss on the season.
• Johnny Willliams is one of the better punt returners in the nation. He is averaging 12.3 yards per return which is third in the ACC and 20th nationally.

Misc. Offensive Notes...
• After struggling to get the running game going in recent weeks, Maryland had a good day on the ground against Virginia (10/17). The Terps totaled 126 yards in the game, led by Davin Meggett who had a season-high 52 yards on 11 carries. Gary Douglas also chipped in with a career-best 49 yards on six carries.
• The Terps have been one of the better teams in the ACC in the red zone. They were a perfect 4-for-4 (all TDs) vs. Wake Forest and rank fourth in the ACC in that category (88.2 percent).
• The Terps matched a season-best with five offensive plays of 20 or more yards vs. Wake Forest (10/10). Four Terps also made the longest receptions of their careers: Douglas (50), Ronnie Tyler (49), Kerry Boykins (24) and Tommy Galt (21).
• WR LaQuan Williams recorded his first career TD when he caught a 24-yard pass from Chris Turner in the second quarter against Rutgers (9/26).
• A season-high 10 Terps caught passes vs. Rutgers, led by Adrian Cannon's career-high tying five catches. TE Matt Furstenburg and Douglas also made their first career receptions.
• Meggett ranks fifth on the team with 10 receptions, one more than he had last season.
• Prior to the game against MTSU (9/19), the Terps longest passing play of the season was a 29-yarder from Turner to Torrey Smith in the season opener at California (9/5). Against the Blue Raiders, Turner found Smith on plays of 64, 42 and 37 yards, marking the three longest passing plays of the season to that point. Turner and Smith also hooked up for 45 yards vs. Rutgers (9/26). Smith has accounted for nine of the team's 22 plays of 20 yards or more.
• Of the 20 receptions Tyler posted last season, 11 came on third down. Against James Madison, Tyler had three catches, one of which was on third down. His most crucial reception, however, came on fourth-and-4 with under 6:00 left in the game and the Terps down by seven. Turner found Tyler for a 20-yard gain and the first down, and Maryland scored on the next play to tie the game and send it to overtime. He also tied a career-high with five receptions, including a 4-yard TD catch, vs. Clemson (10/3). Tyler ranks third on the team with 19 receptions.
• Sophomore WR Quentin McCree posted his first career reception in the second quarter of the James Madison game (9/12). He went to haul in four Turner passes for 18 yards.
• Galt (three for 29 yards) and Cannon (five for 30 yards) each posted a career high in receptions vs. Cal (9/5). Cannon matched that with five catches vs. James Madison (9/12) and Galt had three catches vs. Clemson (10/3).
• Cory Jackson has appeared in 45 career games, most on the team.

Misc Defensive Notes...
• Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten have been the leading producers of the defense. Wujciak is averaging 11.0 tackles per game, which ranks first in the ACC and tied for sixth in the nation, while Moten's 7.5 tackles-for-loss leads the team. He ranks eighth in the in the league in that category (1.1 pg). Wujciak has posted double-digit stops in 13 of his last 17 games, including a career-high 17 against Rutgers (9/26).
• Maryland held Virginia (10/17) to just 201 yards of total offense, including only 63 rushing yards. The Cavaliers had totaled a combined 337 rushing yards in their two prior games. It was the lowest total offense by an opponent since the Terps allowed just 163 yards at Florida International on Sept. 9, 2007.
• The Terps defense applied the pressure early and often against Virginia (10/17), totaling 10.0 tackles-for-loss, which tied a season-high (MTSU 9/19), and collected a season-best five sacks. The defense ranks first in the ACC with 20 sacks on the year.
• Richard Taylor got in on the first TFL of his career against Wake Forest (10/10), combining with Moten to stop Brandon Pendergrass six yards behind the line. Taylor had a career-high 23 snaps at cornerback in the game and matched that vs. Virginia (10/17).
• Sophomore LB Ben Pooler posted the first sack of his career against Wake Forest (10/10), dropping QB Riley Skinner for a 4-yard loss in the second quarter. Pooler had another sack against Virginia (10/17) and totaled 2.0 TFLs in the game.
• The defense came up with its first takeaways of the year against MTSU, as Travis Ivey recovered a fumble and Cameron Chism intercepted two passes. The Terps also forced three turnovers vs. Clemson (10/3) and were plus-1 on the day in that category after entering the game -10 in turnover margin on the season.
• Sophomore Kenny Tate earned his first career start vs. James Madison (9/12), opening the game at strong safety for an injured Jamari McCollough. Tate logged career highs in tackles (7) and solo stops (4) in the game.

Misc. Special Teams Notes...
• Tony Logan had a career-long 43-yard punt return vs. Clemson (10/3) which set up a 1-yard TD run by Davin Meggett, extending Maryland's lead to 24-13 in the third quarter. It was the longest punt return by a Terp since Danny Oquendo had a 45-yarder vs. Florida State (10/28/06). Maryland nearly had its first return for a score in six years (76 by Steve Suter vs. West Virginia, 01-01-04).
• In the season opener vs. Cal (9/5), Nick Ferrara became the first Maryland freshman since Nick Novak (20-yarder vs. Florida, 1/2/02) to hit a field goal. Ferrara was also the first true freshman since Brian Kopka (39-yard FG at Georgia Tech, 11/22/97) to nail a field-goal attempt. Ferrara's career-long 50-yard field goal against Wake Forest (10/10) was the longest by a Terp since Nick Novak hit a 54-yarder against Duke on 10-11-03. Ferrara set a career-high with three field goals (48, 30, 29) against Virginia (10/17).
• Maryland has blocked a kick twice this season. DL Deege Galt blocked a field goal against James Madison (9/12) and A.J. Francis blocked a PAT vs. Middle Tennessee State (9/19).
• Kevin Dorsey has a team-best seven special teams tackles.

By The Number...

1...Torrey Smith ranks first in the nation in all-purpose yards per game (207.7).

6...The Terps have had an All-ACC punter in six of the last seven seasons (Travis Baltz - 2008; Adam Podlesh - 2003-06; Brooks Barnard - 2002)

9...Against Virginia, DL Justin Anderson became the ninth true freshman to see action this season for Maryland, joining LB Darin Drakeford, PK Nick Ferrara, OL Bennett Fulper, DL Zachariah Kerr, DL Isaiah Ross, LB Avery Murray, LB Ryan Donohue and RB Caleb Porzel.

9...Number of 2008 postseason participants the Terps will face in the fall. Cal, James Madison, Rutgers, Clemson, Wake Forest, NC State, Virginia Tech, Florida State and BC all played in the postseason.

11.0...Alex Wujciak is averaging 11.0 tackles per game, which ranks first in the ACC and tied for 6th in the NCAA (FBS).

11...Eleven Terps have recorded at least five receptions this season, one of only two ACC teams to accomplish the feat (N.C. State).

14...Number of seniors on this year's squad. Last season Maryland had 30 seniors, which was the most during the Ralph Friedgen era.

14...The Terps have placed a league-best 14 representatives on the Academic All-ACC team over the last two years. Clemson ranks second with 10, while Boston College, Duke and Georgia Tech have eight apiece.

18...Maryland's defense has racked up 18 sacks over the last five games after posting two in the first two games.

26...The Terps' offensive line entered the season with a combined 26 career starts (Phil Costa - 18; Bruce Campbell - 8).

28...The Terps currently have 28 former players on NFL rosters, including eight from last season's team (see chart on pg. 19).

58...Fifty-eight of Maryland's 85 scholarship players have at least three years of eligibility remaining.

79.0...Torrey Smith is averaging 79.0 receiving yards per game, which ranks second in the ACC.

110...Four of Maryland's offensive linemen who departed (Edwin Williams, Jaimie Thomas, Scott Burley and Dane Randolph) combined to start 110 games in their careers.

118...The Terps have not had a punt blocked since Nov. 13, 1999 (Florida State), a stretch of 118 games, which is the longest active streak in the nation.