Terps Open ACC Play Saturday vs. Clemson
9/28/2009 8:00:00 AM | Football
Saturday, Oct. 3
Maryland (1-3, 0-0 ACC)
vs.
Clemson (2-2, 1-1 ACC)
Kickoff: Noon ET
Location: College Park, Md.
Stadium: Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium (54,000). Click here for parking information.
TV: ESPNU - Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and David Diaz-Infante (color) will call the action in the national telecast. Comcast SportsNet will air a replay in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore market at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. ESPNU, which is available to more than 46 million college sports fans across the country, is offered on Direct TV (channel 614) and Dish Network (channel 148), as well as many local cable providers. ESPNU is available on Comcast Cable, airing in most local areas on channel 730 as part of the Digital Classic tier package. For specific availability questions, fans should visit www.comcast.com.
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 10:30 a.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 - Midland; 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.
Tickets: Tickets for home games are available through the Maryland Athletics Ticket Office. Fans my call 1-800-IM-A-TERP or click here.
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, under the direction of ninth-year head coach Ralph Friedgen, opens Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday. The Terps will look to get back on the winning track when they play host to Clemson, which has already played two league games, at the newly-refurbished Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The Terps were downed by Rutgers, 34-13, Saturday. The Maryland-Clemson contest will be telecast on ESPNU and broadcast on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network. Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will show a replay of the game at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
• Offensively, Maryland is led by quarterback Chris Turner, wide receiver Torrey Smith and running back Da'Rel Scott. Turner is coming off a rough outing, but is averaging 242.8 passing yards per game (fourth in the ACC) and completing 60.3 percent of his passes. He had a season-high 288 passing yards and two TDs two weeks ago vs. Middle Tennessee State, and ranks among the top signal-callers in school history. Smith has emerged as one of the top all-around threats in the nation. He's averaging 96.3 receiving yards per game (22nd nationally), 4.5 receptions (t-78th in the nation) and 244.8 all-purpose ypg (second in the country). The sophomore has posted over 100 receiving yards each of the last two weeks and his yard-per-catch average (21.4) ranks fourth in the nation among wideouts with at least 15 catches. Scott, an All-ACC performer last season, ranks fourth in the league in rushing (74.2 ypg) and his 5.69 yards per carry is second in school history. Senior Phil Costa, who has started 22 career games, is the leader of the offensive line. Junior LT Bruce Campbell returned to action last week after being sidelined the previous two games with a foot injury.
• The Terps are coming off their top defensive performance of the season, surrendering a season-best 249 yards of total offense to Rutgers. Linebackers 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 45 tackles, including a career-best 17 stops last week vs. Rutgers (9/26). Moten has 34 tackles (second on the team), including a career-high 13 stops vs. James Madison (9/12) and 11 vs. Middle Tennessee State (9/19). He is also the top sacker producer (2.5). First-year coordinator Don Brown has a veteran secondary to lean on, though there have been injuries in the defensive backfield. Senior Nolan Carroll, the team's No. 1 cornerback, was lost for the season vs. JMU with a broken tibia. Senior safety Jamari McCollough missed two games with a foot injury and played sparingly vs. Rutgers. Senior CB Anthony Wiseman has been the top playmaker in the secondary, posting 20 tackles and a league-best five pass breakups. 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 1.5 sacks (second on the team). The Terps racked up season highs in turnovers forced (3), tackles for loss (10.0) and sacks (4.0) vs. MTSU. They also had three sacks vs. Rutgers and rank tied for third in the ACC in that category (2.25 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 touchdown vs. James Madison and set the Maryland career kickoff return yards mark last week vs. Rutgers. Baltz was a first-team All-ACC choice in 2008 after leading the league in punting average (41.1 ypp). He was a preseason consensus first team All-ACC pick and is one of just nine punters on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award. However, he suffered an ankle injury last week and could be out of action for a couple weeks. True freshman Nick Ferrara won the place-kicking job over redshirt freshman Mike Barbour just before the season opener. Ferrara delivered a pair of field goals vs. Cal (9/5) and the game-winner in overtime vs. JMU (9/12), hitting from 26 yards out. He is 6-for-8 on the season. Sophomore 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 before seeing time vs. MTSU. Wiseman has been the primary punt returner of late.
Quick Hitters...
• Maryland is 200-166-4 (.546) all-time in ACC contests, including a 37-27 (.578) mark under Ralph Friedgen.
• The Terps stand 29-25-1 all-time in conference home openers, including 5-3 under Friedgen, having won their last three. Maryland is meeting Clemson in its ACC opener for the second straight year and third time in the last five seasons (also 2005).
• Friedgen is among the winningest coaches in Atlantic Coast Conference history. He ranks 10th all-time in winning percentage with a record of 65-39 (.625). Maryland has made six postseason appearances in Friedgen's eight seasons, including a school-record four bowl wins.
• 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.
• Sophomore Torrey Smith averaged a school record 21.3 yards each time he touched the ball last season (1,425 yards/67 attempts) and has picked up where he left off. Smith posted a career-high 287 all-purpose yards (165 receiving/109 kickoff/13 rush) vs. Middle Tennessee State (9/19) and ranks second in the nation in that category (244.8). He set the ACC single-season kickoff return yards record (1,089) last season and set the Maryland career mark last week (see chart on pg. 6) when he passed Keeta Covington (1983-86/1,520). Smith has 1,632 kickoff return yards which also ranks 18th on the ACC career list.
• Smith is the only player in the NCAA FBS to post at least 225 all-purpose yards in each of the first four games this season. In fact, only one other player - C.J. Spiller (Clemson) - has done it three times. Darius Marshall (Marshall) and Damaris Johnson (Tulsa) have done it twice.
• Smith's 165 receiving yards vs. MTSU (9/19) 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. Smith hauled in four passes for 112 yards vs. Rutgers and has posted over 100 receiving yards in three of his last six games.
• Chris Turner, in his third season as the starter, ranks among the top signal-callers in school history. The senior ranks fourth on Maryland's career completion percentage list (59.8), third in career passing yards chart (5,445), fourth in total offense (5,232), third in completions (449), third in career pass attempts (751) and tied for sixth in TD passes (24).
• Junior Da'Rel Scott ranks 18th on the Terps career rushing chart. Scott, who has 1,565 career rushing yards, needs 17 more yards to pass Alvin Maddox (1975-78/1,571) for 17th place (see chart on pg. 5) and needs 47 yards to eclipse Bren Lowery, (1986-89/1,611) for 16th. Scott needs another 435 rushing yards this season to become the 10th back in school history to reach 2,000 career yards.
• Junior linebacker Alex Wujciak entered the season ranked fifth nationally among returning tacklers. He has kept up the same pace this season, averaging 11.3 stops per game. In fact, Wujciak ranks second nationally (9.4) to Travis Lewis of Oklahoma (10.2) on the active career tackles per game list.
Maryland-Clemson Series History...
• Saturday's game will mark the 58th meeting between the Terrapins and Tigers. The two teams met for the first time in 1952, and have played every year since, with Clemson owning a 30-25-2 edge in the all-time series. Maryland is 11-13-1 vs. Clemson in games played in College Park. The Tigers have won the last two in Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.
• The Terps are 5-3 against the Tigers under Ralph Friedgen, including a 13-12 win in 2006 in Clemson, S.C. Prior to Friedgen's arrival, Clemson had taken eight straight and 13 of 14 in the series.
• The series has been extremely close in recent years with four of the last five games being decided by four points or less.
• Three years ago, Maryland won 13-12 at Clemson after Dan Ennis nailed a 31-yard field goal as time expired. With the victory over the 19th-ranked Tigers, the Terrapins moved into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division race.
• Clemson won 30-17 during its last visit (2007) to College Park, but the Terps rallied for 20-17 win over the 20th-ranked Tigers last season in Death Valley. Chris Turner threw a TD pass and Da'Rel Scott scored the go-ahead touchdown. Clemson QB Cullen Harper was stopped short on fourth-and-1 with 5:36 remaining.
Punt, Kick and Kickoff...
After All-ACC punter Travis Baltz left the Rutgers game 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. Ted Townsley has been the No. 2 punter since last season, but missed the first two games with a foot injury. He also attempted a punt in the Rutgers game.
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. Through four games, Smith is averaging 244.8 all-purpose yards per game, which ranks second in the nation (FBS).
• Smith's explosive ability as a kick returner helped make him a consensus preseason All-ACC selection. Against James Madison (9/12), Smith proved the voters right by returning a kick 81 yards for a TD in the first quarter, 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 1,632.
• Smith is the Terps' leading receiver with 18 receptions for 385 yards and two 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 five times for 51 yards. Smith ranks first in the ACC in receiving yards per game (96.3) and has recorded back-to-back 100-yard receiving games.
• Against MTSU, Smith set a career-high with 287 all-purpose yards (165 receiving, 109 KOR, 13 rushing). He also totaled 229 total yards against James Madison and 232 against California.
• Smith has also served as a "gunner" on the punt coverage team.
Defense Stepping Up...
The defense has made big strides in the past two games.
• Against MTSU (9/19), they totaled 10.0 tackles-for-loss for 51 yards and 4.0 sacks for 45 yards, both season highs. After posting just two sacks in the first two games, the Terps have come up with seven in the last two contests and ranked tied for third in the ACC in that category (2.25 pg).
• The defense also came up with its first takeaways of the year against MTSU, as Travis Ivey recovered a fumble and Cameron Chism intercepted two passes.
• Against Rutgers, Maryland allowed just 249 yards of total offense, the lowest since the Terps shutout Wake Forest 26-0 on 10/18/08 and allowed 219 yards.
• The defense gave up just 95 yards of total offense in the first half against Rutgers and only 42 passing yards in the game.
• Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten have been the leaders of the defense. Wujciak is averaging 11.25 tackles per game, which ranks first in the ACC and tied for 11th in the nation, while Moten's 4.5 tackles-for-loss leads the team.
Freshmen Seeing Time...
Six true freshmen have already seen time for the Terps with a number of others on the cusp of hitting the field. LB Darin Drakeford, PK Nick Ferrara, OL Bennett Fulper and DL Zachariah Kerr all played vs. California (9/5). There were also 10 redshirt freshmen getting on the field for the first time in that game with WR Kerry Boykins, RB Gary Douglas, WR Kevin Dorsey, DL Masengo Kabongo, LB Demetrius Hartsfield, OL Justin Gilbert, OL R.J. Dill, OL Justin Lewis, DL A.J. Francis and DL Carl Russell seeing snaps vs. Cal. True freshman DL Isaiah Ross made his first appearance vs. James Madison (9/12) and true freshman linebacker Avery Murray saw time on special teams vs. Middle Tennessee State (9/19). In addition, true freshmen DBs Dexter McDougle and Eric Franklin have worked their way up the depth chart, as has DL Justin Anderson, though none of the three have played. Maryland has not played as many as six true freshmen since the 2005 season when seven saw the field.
First-Time Starters...
• Eight Terps made their first career starts in the season opener against California (9/5). Lamar Young, Andrew Gonnella, and Paul Pinegar all got their first starts on the offensive line, while Tommy Galt and Matt Furstenburg started as dual tight ends. A.J. Francis and Deege Galt started on the D-line, while Demetrius Hartsfield started at linebacker.
• True freshman Bennett Fulper made his first career start against James Madison. Fulper, who started at left guard, is one of just two freshmen to start on the offensive line in the last four seasons. Bruce Campbell started one game in 2007 (vs. Clemson, 10/27). Prior to that, the last true freshman to start on the o-line was Jared Gaither in 2005 (vs. NC State, 11/26).
• Redshirt freshman R.J. Dill had his first career start vs. James Madison (9/12), opening the game at right tackle.
• Sophomore cornerback Cameron Chism made his first career start vs. Middle Tennessee State (9/19) and Maurice Hampton started for the first time (left guard) vs. Rutgers (9/26).
Cool Under Center...
Senior Chris Turner has been the Terps starter the last two seasons, though he made his first season-opening start vs. Cal (9/5). Turner has made the most of his opportunities the last two years, leading the Terps to a pair of bowl appearances and six wins in eight appearances (5-2 as starter) vs. ranked teams (AP poll). He also directed three fourth-quarter game-winning drives last season and one in overtime during a 38-35 win over James Madison (9/12). Turner seems to have even taken a step further this year as head coach Ralph Friedgen praised him throughout preseason camp for not only his improved play, but also his leadership. His teammates agreed as he is one of four elected team captains.
• Turner has started under center for wins over No. 20 Clemson, No. 23 Cal, No. 21 Wake Forest and No. 17 North Carolina in 2008, and No. 8 Boston College in 2007. He also played an integral role in another such game (win over No. 10 Rutgers in 2007) during Maryland's winning streak against ranked foes which was snapped at six with last season's loss to Boston College.
• Turner has been on target vs. ranked foes. In eight games vs. the Top 25, Turner has completed 160 of 255 passes (62.7 percent) for 1,803 yards with nine TDs and two interceptions.
Plenty of Skill on Offense...
Despite losing a first-round NFL draft choice in Darrius Heyward-Bey and returning just six starters on offense, Maryland has many of its skilled players back in the fold:
• Junior RB Da'Rel Scott is coming off a year in which he was named first-team All-ACC and MVP of the Humanitarian Bowl. He capped his sophomore campaign by rushing for a Maryland bowl-record 174 yards (all in the second half) on 14 carries (12.4 ypc) vs. Nevada. With that performance, Scott became the seventh player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and the first since Chris Downs in 2002. Scott finished the season with 1,133 rushing yards - the seventh-highest single-season total all-time at Maryland - and a team-best eight TDs. He is fourth in the ACC in rushing (74.2 ypg) and averaging 5.7 yards per rush which ranks third in the ACC.
• Sophomore Torrey Smith emerged as a receiving threat midway through last season and has a chance to be one of the best in the league by season's end. Over the last eight games of his career, Smith has posted 34 receptions for 620 yards (18.2 ypc) with three touchdowns. In his first eight games, he registered just eight catches for 101 yards. He currently ranks first in the ACC in receiving yards (96.3 ypg).
• Junior Adrian Cannon appears to have emerged as a receving threat as well. Cannon demonstrated his explosiveness in last year's bowl game, scoring on a 59-yard strike from Chris Turner on the third play of the game. Cannon ranks second on the team in receptions (15), including a 27-yard TD reception which helped send the JMU game to overtime.
• Sophomore Ronnie Tyler made a number of acrobatic catches last season and had a solid bowl game posting five receptions, including a TD. Tyler has made plays early in the season, catching nine passes for 120 yards, including a number of clutch receptions. Redshirt freshman Kerry Boykins, junior LaQuan Williams and sophomore Quintin McCree have also seen time at wideout. Wiliams had his first career reception vs. Rutgers (9/26), while McCree has posted five receptions on the year.
Youth On the O-Line...
After losing five of his top seven performers from a year ago, offensive line coach Tom Brattan had a busy off-season. Gone are three-year starting center Edwin Williams, two-year starting left guard Jaimie Thomas and two-year starting tackle Scott Burley. Jack Griffin and Dane Randolph also completed their eligibility. In all, those five players combined to start 115 games. LT Bruce Campbell and C Phil Costa return as starters. Campbell started the last six games at left tackle last season, while Costa has played at left and right guard in his career. Costa has taken over as the starting center this year and is the leader of this group. The other three spots were up for grabs entering the preseason. Lamar Young and Andrew Gonnella assumed the No. 1 spots at left and right guard, respectively, for the season opener, with junior Paul Pinegar sliding into the right tackle role. However, a number of other linemen played vs. Cal (9/5). R.J. Dill saw time at right tackle, while true freshman Bennett Fulper, redshirt freshman Justin Lewis and sophomore Maurice Hampton played at the two guard spots. The Terps started two freshmen vs. James Madison (9/12) with Fulper starting at left guard and Dill at right tackle, and Pinegar shifting to left tackle due to an injury to Campbell. In all, eight offensive linemen saw action vs. JMU. Sophomore Tyler Bowen saw his first-career action, getting on the field for 13 plays vs. JMU.
Misc. Offensive Notes...
• WR LaQuan Williams recorded his first career touchdown when he caught a 24-yard TD 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 RB Gary Douglas also made their first career receptions.
• RB Davin Meggett ranks tied for third on the team with nine receptions, the same number 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 Chris 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 after three games. Turner and Smith also hooked up for 45 yards vs. Rutgers (9/26).
• Of the 20 receptions WR Ronnie 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.
• 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.
• TE Tommy 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).
• Cory Jackson has appeared in 42 career games, most on the team.
Revamped Secondary...
The Maryland secondary looked to be the strength of the defense entering the season, though recent injuries have taken a toll. The Terps lost starters Kevin Barnes and Jeff Allen from the 2008 squad, but they returned six players, including four seniors, who saw plenty of action last season. CB Anthony Wiseman and FS Terrell Skinner were returning starters, but Nolan Carroll, Kenny Tate, Jamari McCollough and Antwine Perez each played a number of snaps in 2008. Carroll, Skinner and Wiseman combined to play in 96 career games entering 2009, while McCollough, Perez and Tate played in all 13 games last season. However, Carroll was lost for the season (broken tibia) in the James Madison game (9/12) and McCollough missed the JMU and MTSU (9/19) games, and was on the field only briefly against Rutgers (9/26). Tate was one of the standouts of preseason camp, making plays daily in either practices or scrimmages. Cameron Chism made his first career start against Middle Tennessee State (9/19) and came up big, making two interceptions and finishing the game with a team-high 12 tackles. Trenton Hughes and Richard Taylor are the top backups at cornerback. Hughes played sparingly last season, but was in on a career-high 31 plays vs. MTSU. Taylor is a sixth-year senior who has 24 games of playing experience. He gained a year of eligibility after suffering through two injury-plagued seasons and has played on special teams this season.
Misc. Defensive Notes...
• Junior LB Alex Wujciak has posted double-digit stops in 11 of his last 14 games, including a career-high 17 against Rutgers (9/26).
• Maryland totaled just 6.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks in its first two games, but against MTSU, the defense totaled 10.0 TFLss for 53 yards, along with 4.0 sacks for 45 yards.
• 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.
• FS Antwine Perez registered a career-high eight tackles, including a career-best seven solo stops, vs. Cal (9/5).
• Last season the Terps averaged 3.8 pass breakups per game, and were led by cornerback Anthony Wiseman's 10 PBUs. Against Cal, Wiseman recorded a career-best three PBUs in the game as Maryland had five as a team.
Kicking Game...
With the departure of two-year starter Obi Egekeze, the place-kicking job was fairly wide open entering the preseason. True freshman Nick Ferrara edged out redshirt freshman Mike Barbour to win the starting place-kicking duties days before the season opener against California. Ferrara, who also handles kickoff duties, went 2-for-2 in his debut, hitting from 26 and 42 yards. Against James Madison, Ferrara stood tall in a pressure-packed moment, hitting the game-winning field goal in OT. Ferrara was put in simulated pressure situations throughout fall camp, and that experience was likely a factor in his calmness when stepping on the field to attempt his first game-winning kick. The two kickers went back and forth during the preseason, with Barbour nearly locking up the job early in the second scrimmage before missing his final three attempts in a 4-for-7 day. Ferrara followed that up by hitting all three attempts (45, 48, 48) in the final scrimmage of the preseason. However, Barbour came back and nailed both of his attempts. In fact, they were his two longest field goals of the preseason, both coming from 46 yards out. Barbour was good on 13 of his 20 attempts in the preseason, while Ferrara went 6-for-6. Barbour and Ferrara both hail from St. Anthony's High School in New York.
Misc. Special Teams Notes...
• 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.
• Maryland has blocked a kick in two of the last three games. 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).
• Richard Taylor has a team-best four special teams tackles.
Clemson At-A-Glance...
• Clemson has two of the fastest players in college football in RB C.J. Spiller and WR Jacoby Ford. Both are NCAA track All-Americans, with Ford winning the NCAA indoor 60-meter title in 6.52 seconds. Those two players accounted for 79.6 percent of Clemson's offense in last weeks 14-10 loss against No. 14 TCU.
• Spiller is just the second player in college football history to accumulate at least 2,500 yards rushing, 1,000 yards receiving, 1,500 yards in kickoff returns and 500 yards in punt returns. The first is former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush of USC.
• Ford is Clemson's leading receiver with 20 receptions on the season and an average of 67.5 receiving yards per game.
• Clemson's defense has been the strength of the team thus far this season. In their win over Boston College (9/19), the defense allowed just 54 yards of total offense, the fewest yards allowed by the Clemson defense since 1963.
• The defense ranks first in the ACC and fourth in the NCAA (FBS) in interceptions with eight.
• DeAndre McDaniel's four picks lead the ACC and rank tied for second in the nation. McDaniel also leads Clemson in tackles with 34 on the season.
• Place-kicker Richard Jackson leads all kickers in the ACC in scoring, averging 11.2 points per game. He is 12-for-15 on field goals on the season with a long of 53, and has hit his last nine tries.
By The Numbers...
2...Torrey Smith ranks second in the nation in all-purpose yards per game (244.75).
2...Cameron Chism was the first Terp to have two picks in a game since Jamari McCollough (vs. Eastern Michigan, 09-20-08).
3...Chris Turner ranks third on Maryland's career passing yards chart (5,445).
4...Number of seniors (Chris Turner, Phil Costa, Cory Jackson and Tommy Galt) on the offensive depth chart.
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...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.
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.
17...Junior linebacker Alex Wujciak tallied a career-high 17 tackles against Rutgers.
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. 18).
42...The Terps defense gave up just 42 passing yards in the game against Rutgers.
58...Fifty-eight of Maryland's 85 scholarship players have at least three years of eligibility remaining.
96.3...Torrey Smith is averaging 96.3 receiving yards per game, which ranks first 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.
115...The Terps have not had a punt blocked since Nov. 13, 1999 (Florida State), a stretch of 115 games, which is the longest active streak in the nation.
