Terps Hit Road, Face No. 13 Ga Tech Saturday
10/3/2011 8:00:00 AM | Football
Saturday, Oct. 8
Maryland (2-2, 1-0 ACC)
at
No. 13 Georgia Tech (5-0, 2-0 ACC)
Kickoff: 12:01 p.m. EDT
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Stadium: Bobby Dodd Stadium (55,000)
Gameday Information
• Directions to Bobby Dodd Stadium• Parking
• Gameday Central | Gameday Updates on Twitter | Live Game Blog
Tickets...
Tickets are available for the game. Fans may call 1-800-IM-A-TERP from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or click here.
Broadcast Information
TV: ESPNU - Rob Stone (play-by-play) and Danny Kanell (color) will call the action. Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will air a replay of the ESPNU telecast at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Radio: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Jonathan Claiborne (color), Tim Strachan (color) and Dave Preston (sidelines) have the call. The Toyota Tailgate Show with Gary Stein begins at 11 a.m. Stein also serves as host on the postgame show. Click here to listen on-line through Terps TV Premium. The Terrapin Sports Radio Network: WJZ-FM 105.7 - Baltimore (Flagship); ESPN980-AM - Washington D.C.; WWXX-FM 94.3 - Buckland, Va.; 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-AM 1230 - Midland; WMSG-AM 1050 - Oakland; WWXT-FM 92.7 - Prince Frederick, Md.; WTGM-AM 960 - Salisbury. The Maryland broadcast is not available on XM/Sirius. The Georgia Tech broadcast can be heard on XM Sirius Channel 85.
Game Notes
First-and-10...• The Maryland Terrapins, under first-year head coach Randy Edsall, begin a daunting stretch against three ranked ACC teams. Looking to keep pace in the league, the Terps, who rebounded from a tough loss to Temple by forcing four turnovers in a 28-3 win over Towson Saturday, will travel to Atlanta to face undefeated and 13th-ranked Georgia Tech with its high-powered triple-option rushing attack and the most efficient passing offense in the FBS.
• Offensively, the Terps are led by quarterback Danny O'Brien, the 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year, running back Davin Meggett and wide receiver Kevin Dorsey. O'Brien ranks 49th in the FBS in passing yards per game (228.2) and 52nd in total offense (235.0 ypg), while Meggett, a Doak Walker Award candidate, is averaging 81.8 yards rushing per game (sixth in the ACC). Dorsey has been one of the most productive wide receivers in the league. The junior is averaging 6.5 receptions (fourth in the ACC) and 77.0 receiving yards (seventh) per game. Matt Furstenburg is manning the tight-end position for the second-straight season. The sure-handed junior already has 16 receptions which is four more than his 2010 total last season. His 4.0 reception-per-game average leads all ACC tight ends. Junior wide receiver Kerry Boykins had career highs with eight receptions for 76 yards vs. Temple (9/24) and ranks third on the team in catches (14). Senior wideouts Ronnie Tyler and Quintin McCree returned from a two-game suspension against Towson and combined for four receptions and 39 receiving yards. Left guard Andrew Gonnella is the lone senior on an offensive line which has three starters back from a year ago. Joining Gonnella as returning starters are center Bennett Fulper and right tackle R.J. Dill. The Terps have not yielded a sack in three of the first four games (three vs. Temple) and rank tied for 12th in the FBS (0.75 per game) in that category.
• Senior LB Kenny Tate and junior DL Joe Vellano, two of four team captains, highlight a defense which has forced 12 turnovers (tied for 12th in the FBS), including two returned for touchdowns. Tate, a 2010 first team All-ACC pick and national awards candidate, ranks 11th in the ACC in tackles (8.8 per game). Vellano, who mans the middle of the defensive line, has two fumble recoveries on the season. He returned one fumble 30 yards for a touchdown in the season opener vs. Miami (9/5). Junior Demetrius Hartsfield, who moved from Will LB to the Mike position in the off-season, ranks third in the ACC in tackles (11.8) and has 31 stops over the last two games, including a career-high 17 vs. Temple (9/24). Senior Cameron Chism, who had 70 tackles and eight pass breakups last season, and sophomore Dexter McDougle man the cornerback positions. Junior LB Darin Drakeford was all over the field in his starting debut (vs. Miami), posting a game- and career-high 14 tackles, including one sack, and a forced fumble. The Terps played without three of their starting defenders vs. Towson. DE Isaiah Ross was hurt in the opener, Drakeford has missed two of the last three games with an ankle injury, and safety Matt Robinson is gone for the year. Tate moved to outside linebacker in the off-season, a move made possible due to the emergence of Robinson and junior Eric Franklin, a pair of big, physical safeties. With the loss of Robinson, the Terps will lean more on Franklin, the 10th-leading tackler (9.2 per game) in the ACC.
• Maryland possesses an explosive performer in senior Tony Logan, a 2010 first team All-ACC selection and record-setting punt returner. Logan is off to a slow start (averaging 4.0 yards per return), but he has two career punt returns for touchdowns. Logan and freshman Justus Pickett are handling kickoff return. Pickett is averaging 17.8 yards on a team-high 10 kickoff returns. Logan averaged 26.5 yards on kickoff returns vs. Towson. Nick Ferrara, who was a 2009 freshman All-American, is handling all three phases of the kicking game. The junior did an admirable job place-kicking, punting and kicking off for five games in 2009 when All-ACC performer Travis Baltz was unable to punt due to injury. Ferrara hit a career-best four field goals, including a 32-yard game winner, against Miami (9/5) and is second in the ACC in punting (43.8).
Quick Hitters...
• Maryland is scheduled to face the ACC's division leaders (Georgia Tech - Coastal; Clemson - Atlantic) in its next two games. Head coach Randy Edsall is a former Yellow Jackets' assistant coach, having served as the defensive coordinator in 1998, the year before be took over at UConn.
• The Terps surrendered just three points to Towson which marked the fewest by an opponent since Oct. 18, 2008 when Maryland shut out Wake Forest, 31-0.
• Maryland had a season-high 11 tackles for loss vs. Towson (10/1). Joe Vellano led with 2.5, while David Mackall and Demetrius Hartsfield had two each. Both of Mackall's TFLs were sacks, which matched a career-high for the sophomore (also against Miami, 11/6/10). Mackall is now tied for seventh in the ACC in sacks (0.75 per game). Since the start of the 2003 season, the Terps have recorded double digit tackles for loss on just six occasions (10 vs. Wake Forest, 11/27/04; 10 at NC State, 11/26/05; 10 vs. Nevada, 12/30/08; 10 vs. Middle Tennessee St., 9/19/09; 10 vs. Virginia, 10/17/09)
• Senior Davin Meggett cracked the top 15 on the Maryland career rushing yards list with his 102-yard day against Towson (10/1). Meggett now has 1,842 yards, which ranks 14th. He posted his third career 100-yard game and second this season (against West Virginia 9/17/11).
• With his 5-yard TD run in the third quarter of the Towson game, Justus Pickett became the first true freshman running back to score a touchdown since Meggett in 2008. Pickett had season highs in carries (14) and yards (82). True freshman fullback Tyler Cierski also had a 5-yard TD reception.
• The Terps currently have four of the top 11 tacklers in the ACC. Matt Robinson (out for the season) is averaging 12.0 tackles per game (second), Demetrius Hartsfield is third (11.8), Eric Franklin is 10th (9.2) and Kenny Tate is 11th at 8.8 pg.
• Danny O'Brien became the 15th QB in school history to throw for more than 3,000 yards with his 289-yard performance vs. West Virginia (9/17). Despite just 14 starts, O'Brien ranks 12th in school history (3,351) in career passing yards.
• Tony Logan's career punt-return average of 13.0 yards ranks fourth in the FBS among active players.
• The Terps have just nine seniors (Andrew Gonnella, Davin Meggett, Maurice Hampton, Kenny Tate, Austin Walker, Cameron Chism, Trenton Hughes, Ronnie Tyler and Quintin McCree) listed among the 44 players on the offensive and defensive two-deep. Seniors Tim Downs (long snapper) and Tony Logan (punt return) are listed as starters on special teams.
Tough Stretch Coming Up...
Based on this week's national rankings, Maryland is scheduled to face three consecutive top 25 teams - Georgia Tech (No. 13 in AP), Clemson (No. 8) and Florida State (No. 23). Those programs are a combined 12-2. Maryland last faced three straight top 25 foes in 2004 (No. 5 FSU, No. 12 Virginia and No. 15 Virginia Tech). The Terps faced only four ranked opponents during the 2009-10 seasons, though they played five during the 2008 campaign.
D-Line Adjustments...
With Isaiah Ross, Justin Anderson and Andre Monroe on the shelf with injuries, the Terps have adjusted the rotation along the defensive line. Junior and team captain Joe Vellano and sophomore David Mackall have started all four games, but the other two spots have changed hands. After posting a career-high five stops as a replacement for Monroe vs. Temple, Maurice Hampton, the lone senior on the defensive line, earned the first start of his career at tackle against Towson (10/1). The Terps also moved sophomore Cody Blue from the offensive to defensive line to serve as the backup to end Keith Bowers who became the first Maryland true freshman defensive lineman to start since Jeremy Navarre in 2005. Bowers started in place of Ross vs. West Virginia (9/17) and has remained in the starting lineup the last two games.
Wet Behind the Ears...
With Tyrek Cheeseboro, A.J. Hendy and Cole Farrand all seeing their first-career action against Towson (10/1), the Terps have now played eight true freshmen this season (also Keith Bowers, Tyler Cierski, Marcus Leak, Alex Twine and Justus Pickett). The Terps played as many as eight true freshmen (high of nine) during six of the last seven games in 2009. Prior to that, Maryland hadn't played as many as eight true freshman since 2002 (vs. UNC, 11/2).
Freshmen Starters...
So far this season, four freshmen (DL Keith Bowers, LB Lorne Goree, DL Andre Monroe and DB Titus Till) have started for the Maryland defense, but Saturday was the first time that at least three were in the opening lineup. In fact, the Terps have not had three freshmen start on defense in 11 years. On Nov. 11, 2000, cornerback and current graduate assistant Curome Cox, LB Michael Whaley and DT Scott Smith started vs. North Carolina. Earlier that year against Wake Forest (10/21), Cox, Whaley and DE Landon Jones were in the starting lineup.
No Laundry on the Field...
After setting a school record for most penalties (102) last season, Maryland has been one of the least flagged teams in the nation this season. The Terps rank tied for 12th in the FBS in penalties per game (4.25). They had just two penalties for 11 yards against Towson (10/1), the fewest flags the Terps have received in a contest since 2009 (1 for five yards vs. Virginia Tech, 11/14)
Red Zone Improvement...
So far this season the Terps have gradually improved their red zone offense. After scoring just one touchdown on seven possessions in the season opener vs. Miami (9/5), Maryland has posted nine touchdowns in its last 13 attempts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Cashing In...
Maryland ranks tied for seventh in the FBS in turnover margin (+1.50 per game). The Terps forced four turnovers vs. Miami (9/5) and surrendered the ball just once to the Hurricanes. Maryland scored 16 points off the four Miami miscues, but did not allow the Hurricanes to score off its lone turnover. Despite turning the ball over three times vs. West Virginia (9/17), the Terps allowed just seven points off those miscues. Conversely, WVU turned the ball over three times and the Terps scored 10 points. On Sept. 24, Temple scored a touchdown off a Danny O'Brien interception. Maryland forced four Towson turnovers (two interceptions, two fumble recoveries) and scored 14 points off them. The Terrapins committed one but didn't surrender any points off the turnover. Since the beginning of the 2010 season Maryland has scored 140 points off turnovers (41) while the opposition has been held to 34 points (19).
What to Look for vs. G-Tech...
• Two Maryland linebackers are within reach of 200 career tackles. Demetrius Hartsfield needs one more and Kenny Tate three.
• Danny O'Brien (3,351) needs 60 passing yards to move from 12th to 11th on the Maryland career list. Dick Shiner (3,410/1961-63) is currently 11th.
• Davin Meggett, who ranks 14th in school history in career rushing yards (1,842), needs 51 yards to pass Ed Modzelewski (1,893/1949-51) and reach 13th place.
• Nick Ferrara, who has 104 career points, needs six more to reach No. 13 on the Maryland all-time kick scoring chart.
• Ferrara, who has 23 career field goals (11th in school history) needs four more to reach the all-time top 10. Dale Castro (27/1979-80) ranks 10th on the Maryland career chart.
• Tony Logan (729) needs 79 yards to crack the top 15 on the ACC's career punt return yards list.
• Georgia Tech, which has won the last two vs. the Terps in Atlanta, has the top-ranked rushing offense in the nation (378.2 yards per game) and Maryland ranks 90th nationally in rushing defense (177.5 ypg).
• Each team has been solid this season in both rushing and protecting the passer. Georgia Tech ranks tied for 19th in the FBS in sacks (2.80 per game) and Maryland is tied for 31st (2.50 pg). The Yellow Jackets are tied for 10th nationally (0.60 pg) in sacks allowed and the Terrapins are tied for 12th (0.75 pg).
Georgia Tech At-A-Glance...
• Georgia Tech enters the game 5-0 (2-0 ACC) coming off a 45-35 victory against NC State. Head coach Paul Johnson is in his fourth year with the Yellow Jackets with a record of 31-14.
• Running the vaunted triple-option attack, the Yellow Jackets lead the nation in rushing offense (378.2 ypg) and rank second in scoring (51.6 ppg). Georgia Tech is led on the ground by junior A-back Orwin Smith who is fourth in the ACC in rushing yards (84.6 ypg). Smith is tied for the lead league with seven TDs. B-back David Simms has also helped carry the load rushing for 349 yards and three touchdowns.
• Under center for Georgia Tech is junior quarterback Tevin Washington. Washington has passed for 938 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, and has also added four rushing scores. He is ranked eighth in the ACC in total offense (225.4 ypg), and has rushed for 189 yards.
• Leading the receiving corps for the Yellow Jackets is junior Stephen Hill. The wide receiver ranks third in the ACC in receiving yards with 502 on only 15 receptions (33.5 ypc). His biggest game this season came against Western Carolina when he had four catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns.
• Georgia Tech boasts a strong linebacking group in junior Julian Burnett and sophomores Jeremiah Attaochu and Brandon Watts. Burnett ranks sixth in the ACC in tackles (9.6 pg), Attaochu is second in sacks (0.8 pg) and Watts has three sacks on the year.
• Safety Isaiah Johnson is also off to a great start this season, recording three interceptions. He returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown against NC State.
MD-Ga Tech Series History...
• Georgia Tech owns a 13-6 advantage in the all-time series, and has taken three of the last four from Maryland, including the last two in Atlanta.
• The Yellow Jackets joined the ACC in 1983 and the teams first met in 1988. They played each other for 17 straight seasons (1988-04) before league expansion necessitated a rotating schedule.
• Four of the last six games in the series have been decided by four points or less.
• Maryland's win in 2007, the last meeting between the teams, snapped a three-game Georgia Tech winning streak. In his first career start, Chris Turner threw for 255 yards, and Lance Ball ran for three touchdowns as Maryland held on for a 28-26 victory over Georgia Tech. Travis Bell sent a 52-yard field goal attempt wide right with 54 seconds remaining.
• Georgia Tech edged Maryland 27-23 in a 2006 thriller in Atlanta. The Terps had the ball at the Yellow Jacket 7-yard line with only seconds remaining, but were stopped shy of the winning score.
• Maryland's Lance Ball and Tech's Tashard Choice had 116 and 138 rushing yards, respectively, in that game, as the two dueled it out on the ground. The Yellow Jackets' Calvin Johnson had 133 yards receiving and Terrapin wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey had 111 to provide Maryland's yards through the air.
Former Terp Earns NFL Accolades...
Former Terp D'Qwell Jackson was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month on Sept. 29. The sixth-year pro missed 26 games in 2009 and 2010 due to pectoral injuries, but worked his way back to the field and registered a team-leading 30 tackles, 22 solo stops and 2.5 sacks for 19 lost yards in the first three games. In addition, Torrey Smith, who ended his Maryland career last season, was nominated for AFC Rookie of the Week after posting five catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns in Baltimore's 37-7 win over the St. Louis Rams on Sept. 25. He is the first rookie in NFL history to record three touchdowns in the first quarter of a game.
By The Numbers...
0... The Terps have held the oppostion without a sack in three of four games (three vs. West Virginia, 9/17).
0... Number of games running back Davin Meggett has missed in his career.
1... Andrew Gonnella is the only senior offensive lineman on the Maryland roster.
2... So far this season Maryland has seen two of the top eight crowds in the history of Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. There were 52,875 fans in stands for the Miami game (No. 8) and 53,627 for the West Virginia contest (No. 5).
2... Former head coaches (Gary Crowton, Greg Gattuso) on Randy Edsall's staff.
4... Number of full-time punters (Brooks Barnard, Adam Podlesh, Travis Baltz and Nick Ferrara) the Terps have employed in the last 13 years. Barnard (1999-02), Podlesh (2003-06) and Baltz (2007-10) were all four-year starters. Ferrara punted for an injured Baltz in 2009 and took over the starting job this year.
5... Joe Vellano has recovered a pair of fumbles this season. His average of 0.50 per game is tied for fifth in the FBS.
4... Randy Edsall has taken his teams to bowl games in each of the last four seasons.
7... Matt Furstenburg's career-high seven receptions vs. WVU (9/17) were the most by a Maryland tight end since 2008 (eight by Joey Haynos vs. WVU, 9/14).
11... The Terps have 27 former players on active NFL rosters, a number which ranks 11th nationally (see chart on page 5).
14... D.J. Adams has scored 14 rushing touchdowns in just 11 career games. He is already tied for 18th on the Maryland career rushing TD chart.
15... Number of seniors on Maryland's 96-player roster.
17... Seventeen of the season-high 57 players who saw action vs. Towson (10/1) were freshmen. Since the start of the 1999, the Terps have played 17 or more freshmen in a game just seven times (20 vs. Virginia Tech, 11/14/09; 17 vs. NC State, 11/7/09; 17 vs. Clemson, 9/10/05; 18 vs. The Citadel, 9/13/03; 18 vs. Eastern Michigan, 9/8/01; 20 vs. Wake Forest, 10/21/00)
21... Number of freshmen (13 redshirts; eight true) who have played this season.
