Quotes from Tuesday's News Conference
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Saturday, Nov. 19
Maryland (2-8, 1-5 ACC)
at
Wake Forest (5-5, 4-3 ACC)
Kickoff: 3:09 p.m. EST
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Stadium: BB&T Field (31,500)
Gameday Information
• Parking and Directions
• Gameday Central | Game Day Updates on Twitter
Tickets...
The game is sold out.
Broadcast Information
TV: Regional Sports Networks (RSN) - Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Keith Jones (color) and Jenn Hildreth (sidelines) will call the action. Locally, the game can be viewed on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. In the ACC region, it will be shown on Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Carolina, Sun Sports and NESN. Outside the ACC footprint, the game can be viewed on FOX Sports Tennessee, FOX Sports Southwest Plus and FOX Sports Houston Plus. Click here for a complete list of affiliates. The game can also be viewed over the internet on ESPN3 or outside the region through ESPN Gameplan.
Radio: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Gary Stein (play-by-play), Jonathan Claiborne (color) and Tim Strachan (color) have the call. The Toyota Tailgate Show with Glen Younes begins at 2 p.m. Younes will also serve 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. Sirius (92) and XM (192) will carry the Wake Forest broadcast. The Maryland broadcast will not be available on either Sirius or XM.
Game Notes
First-and-10...
• The Maryland Terrapins return to ACC play Saturday when they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in an Atlantic Division game. The Terps were knocked off by Notre Dame, 45-21, Saturday at FedExField. The Demon Deacons were eliminated in the division race Saturday with a 31-28 loss at Clemson, but they need one win in their final two games to gain bowl eligibility.
• While most of the injuries this season have occurred on the defensive side of the ball, the Terps were dealt a blow in Saturday's Notre Dame game when sophomore QB Danny O'Brien suffered a broken left arm and is lost for the season. O'Brien, the 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year, started seven games this season, including against the Fighting Irish. Sophomore C.J. Brown, who has started three games this season and came on in relief of O'Brien Saturday, will start the final two contests. Brown has two 100-yard rushing games this year and is second on the team in rushing (387), trailing just senior Davin Meggett (714). Meggett ranks sixth in the ACC in rushing (71.4 ypg) and ninth (2,247) on the Maryland career rushing list. After posting 25 receptions in the last four games, senior Quintin McCree now leads the team in catches (35). Junior WR Kevin Dorsey, who missed two games with an injury, is second with 34 receptions (and 408 receiving yards), while fellow junior Kerry Boykins is third with 32. Matt Furstenburg is manning the tight-end position for the second-straight season. The sure-handed junior has 28 catches (fourth on the team) and ranks third in the ACC among tight ends in both receiving yards (32.4 pg) and receptions (2.8 pg). The offensive line lost its leader in left guard Andrew Gonnella last month. The senior captain suffered a season-ending knee injury against Georgia Tech (10/8). However, junior Justin Gilbert, out of action since early last season, started at right guard last week after returning to the field against Virginia (11/5).
• The defense has been in a state of transition due to a number of injuries which has seen as many as seven potential starters on the sideline, including four (LB Joe Vellano, one of four team captains, has been the leader of a defense which has forced 23 turnovers (tied for 14th in the FBS), with three being returned for touchdowns. Vellano also has two fumble recoveries on the season (30-yard return for TD vs. Miami, 9/5) and leads the FBS in tackles by a lineman (8.0 pg). Junior Demetrius Hartsfield, who moved from Will LB to the Mike position in the off-season, ranks third on the team in tackles (76) despite missing three games with an injury. He returned to lineup vs. Virginia (11/5) and has 25 tackles over the last two contests. Fellow starting linebacker Darin Drakeford returned from injury against Florida State (missed previous three games) and has averaged 8.8 tackles over the last four contests. The Terps started five freshmen defenders vs. Clemson (second most in the FBS in 2011 - see chart on pg. 5), including the entire linebacking corps. Senior Cameron Chism and sophomore Dexter McDougle are tied for the team lead with three interceptions apiece. Chism has two interception returns for touchdowns this season (one of just three MD players with two in a year). Junior Eric Franklin, who ranks fifth in the ACC in tackles (9.2 per game), has picked up the slack at safety with the loss of Robinson.
• Nick Ferrara, a 2009 freshman All-American, is handling all three phases of the kicking game. The junior ranks sixth in the ACC in punting (39.6 ypp) with nearly one third of his attempts (16 of 50) landing inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Ferrara is 11 of 16 on field goals, including a career-best four field goals against Miami (9/5). Senior Tony Logan, a 2010 first team All-ACC selection and record-setting punt returner, ranks fifth in the league (7.2 ypr). Freshman Justus Pickett is averaging 17.8 yards (ninth in the ACC) on 21 kickoff returns.
Quick Hitters...
• The Terps will be playing game No. 1200 in their 119-year history Saturday when they take on Wake Forest. Only two teams in the ACC - Virginia (1226) and North Carolina (1212) - have played more games.
• Maryland has not ended a season with three straight road games since 1990 when it played the final four away from College Park.
• With 24 rushing yards vs. Notre Dame, C.J. Brown moved into second place (387) on the Maryland QB single-season rushing list. Brown is the only signal-caller in school history to post two or more 100-yard rushing games. His 162-yard effort vs. Clemson (10/8) set a single-game school record for a quarterback and ranks eighth all-time in ACC history. He also rushed for 124 yards vs. Georgia Tech (10/1) when he relieved Danny O'Brien.
• Offensive lineman Justin Gilbert made his first start of the season Saturday against Notre Dame. Gilbert opened the game at right guard where he played as a reserve vs. Virginia (11/5). Gilbert, the starter at left tackle last season, has been sidelined with a knee injury since the 2010 West Virginia game.
• Junior safety Eric Franklin has six double-digit tackle games this season which leads the team.
• Junior LB Darin Drakeford, who has missed four games due to injury, is averaging 8.7 stops in six contests. That mark would rank sixth in the ACC with enough games played this season. Drakeford has started at Star, a hybrid outside linebacker position, the last two games.
• Drakeford also has a team-high three forced fumbles. His 0.50 forced fumbles per-game average would rank tied for fifth in the FBS, but he has not played in 75 percent of the games.
• Lorne Goree has started four games at Mike LB and is third among ACC freshmen in tackles (5.3 pg).
• A.J. Hendy earned a start at safety against Notre Dame. Hendy, one of three freshmen defenders (also DL Keith Bowers and LB Alex Twine) to open the Irish game, is the first true freshman to start at safety for Maryland since Lamont Gore on Nov. 20, 1993, against Wake Forest. Hendy responded with a career and game-high tying 13 tackles, including one TFL.
• With the loss of Andrew Gonnella (season-ending knee injury vs. Georgia Tech, 10/8) and Kenny Tate (season-ending surgery), the Terps have just seven seniors (Davin Meggett, Maurice Hampton, Austin Walker, Cameron Chism, Trenton Hughes, Ronnie Tyler and Quintin McCree) listed among the 44 players on the offensive and defensive two-deep. Tony Logan (punt return) and Tim Downs (long snapper) are listed as starters on special teams.
• Nearly 50 percent of the players (10 of 22) listed on this week's defensive two-deep are freshmen (four true/six redshirt).
• A sell-out crowd of 53,627 attended the West Virginia game (9/17), marking the largest turnout at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium since Oct. 20, 2005, when 54,838 saw the Virginia Tech game. The WVU crowd was the fifth-largest in Byrd Stadium history. Maryland also had a sellout vs. Miami (9/5) with 52,875 fans in attendance. The Terps averaged 42,355 fans in their seven home games, an increase of more than 3,000 from last year.
O'Brien's Milestone...
Before his season ended due to injury in the Notre Dame game, Danny O'Brien went 14 of 21 for 132 yards and became just the ninth QB in school history to reach 4,000 career passing yards. He now has 4,086 in his career. The sophomore moved past Brian Cummings (4,080,1994-97) for eighth all time.
McCree On A Roll...
Senior WR Quintin McCree has posted more than 100 receiving yards in two of the last four games. McCree started his hot streak against Florida State (10/22) when he had career highs in catches (9) and receiving yards (177). He also posted seven catches for 117 yards against Virginia (11/5). Over the last four games, McCree is averaging 6.3 receptions and 101.3 receiving yards. McCree had 31 receptions for 269 receiving yards in his first 31 career games, and 25 catches for 401 yards in his last four.
New Game, Different Lineup...
The Terps have trotted out a different defensive starting lineup every game this season. Trenton Hughes made his first start of the season at defensive back and A.J. Hendy made his first career start at safety against Notre Dame (11/12).
Doubling Up...
Quintin McCree (117) had his second career 100-yard receiving game (both coming over the last four games) and Kerry Boykins (101) notched the first of his career in the Virginia game (11/5). McCree and Boykins are just the second Maryland duo in the last 16 years to post 100 receiving yards in the same game. Danny Oquendo (111) and Torrey Smith (115) both went over 100 receiving yards vs. Boston College on Nov. 29, 2008. Prior to that, the feat hadn't occurred since 1995 when Geroy Simon (124) and Jermaine Lewis (102) went over 100 receiving yards vs. Florida State (11/18).
Mash Unit...
The Terps have lost a number of key performers to injury this year with the defense getting hit especially hard. In all, seven potential starters, including the entire linebacking unit, have been sidelined for at least three games. So far this year, the Terps have lost 41 man-games to potential defensive starters (DL Justin Anderson - 10; LB Darin Drakeford - 4; LB Demetrius Hartsfield - 3; DL Andre Monroe - 3; DB Matt Robinson - 7; DL Isaiah Ross - 9; LB Kenny Tate - 6).
Leading the Nation...
Junior Joe Vellano is averaging 8.0 tackles per game, a mark which is first among defensive linemen in the FBS.
Tough Opening Stretch...
With three top 20 teams and two others (FSU and Notre Dame) which have been in the polls among the first 10 foes of the season, Maryland's strength of schedule ranks seventh in the FBS according to NCAA.org. The Terrapins' first 10 opponents have posted an aggregate record of 58-32 (.644). When you factor in upcoming opponents, the schedule is still tied for 16th toughest in the FBS at this point in the season. Maryland's 2011 opposition currently has an aggregate record of 68-42 (.618).
Leadership Lost...
The Terps have lost two of their four team captains (Joe Vellano) to injury in recent weeks. Gonnella suffered a season-ending knee injury against Georgia Tech (10/8). The senior and three-year starter had 26 career starts at left (18) and right guard (8). Sophomore Pete White replaced Gonnella in that game and has started the last five games at left guard. Tate, a 2010 first team All-ACC safety, started the first four games at Star, an outside linebacker position, but the senior missed the next three games due to injury. He had season-ending surgery on Oct. 28 and hopes to gain a medical redshirt season in order to play in 2012. Redshirt freshman Mario Rowson started four games at Star before Darin Drakeford played there the last two weeks. Rowson averaged 5.5 tackles in his starts, while Drakeford totaled 18 tackles the last two weeks.
Wake Forest At-A-Glance...
• Wake Forest enters Saturday's game vs. Maryland 5-5 (4-3 ACC) after falling on the road to Clemson 31-28 on Saturday. The Demon Deacons have lost three straight and four of five after starting the season 4-1.
• Head coach Jim Grobe is in his 11th season with the Demon Deacons, compiling a 67-65 record.
• Wake Forest is led on the ground by running back Brandon Pendergrass, who has 551 rushing yards with seven scores this season. The redshirt senior has also caught 16 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Josh Harris has also been a threat in the running game for the Demon Deacons, with 432 yards and three touchdowns, though he has been hampered recently by a hamstring injury.
• Sophomore QB Tanner Price ranks sixth in the ACC in passing efficiency (138.4) and fourth in passing yards (232.6 pg). Price has thrown 16 touchdowns to six interceptions.
• Leading the receiving corps for Wake Forest is junior wide receiver Chris Givens. Givens has totaled 1,016 yards receiving this season, and has scored eight touchdowns. Givens ranks third in the ACC in receptions per game (6.2) and second in receiving yards (101.6 pg). Sophomore Michael Campanaro has also been heavily involved in the passing game, making 50 catches for 580 yards. Campanaro ranks fifth in the ACC in receptions per game (5.6), eighth in yards per game (64.4) and has two touchdowns.
• Senior safety Cyhl Quarles leads the Demon Deacons in tackles and ranks 10th in the league (7.9 pg). Senior free safety Josh Bush has six interceptions on the season, which ranks second in the conference. Freshman Merrill Noel leads the nation with 16 PBUs.
• Senior Kyle Wilber leads the linebacking corps with 55 tackles this season, including 8.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore nose guard Nikita Whitlock is third in the league with 1.2 TFLs per game.
Maryland-Wake Forest Series History...
• Maryland owns a 42-16-1 advantage all-time against Wake Forest. The Terps' .724 winning percentage against the Demon Deacons is the Terrapins' best mark against any ACC school.
• In games played in Winston-Salem, Maryland holds a 21-8-1 advantage. The Demon Deacons, however, have won the last two meetings there, including a 42-32 victory in 2009.
• The Terps have won nine of the last 12 in the series. Last season in College Park, the Terps won 62-14 behind Danny O'Brien's four touchdown passes and interceptions for touchdowns by Kenny Tate and Ryan Donohue.
What to Look for vs. Wake Forest...
• With 62 rushing yards, C.J. Brown would set the school's single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
• Davin Meggett, who is ninth in school history in career rushing yards (2,229), needs 48 more to move into eighth place, currently occupied by Louis Carter (2,266; 1972-74).
• Tony Logan (782) needs 13 yards to crack the top 15 on the ACC's career punt return yards list.
• Maryland ranks tied for 21st in the FBS (+0.60) in turnover margin, while Wake Forest is t-27th (+0.50). Wake has committed just 11 turnovers, tied for seventh fewest in the country, while Maryland's 23 turnovers gained is tied for 14th nationally.
• Nick Ferrara, currently tied for 18th (136) on the Maryland career scoring chart, needs two more points to reach Torrey Smith who is 17th (138/2008-10).
• Maryland has the fifth-ranked rushing offense in the ACC (160.4 ypg) led by Davin Meggett's 71.4 ypg (6th in the conference). QB C.J. Brown is second on the team with 48.4 rushing ypg and is averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Wake ranks sixth in the conference in rushing defense (142.9 ypg).
• The Demon Deacon offense is fourth in the league in passing yards (256.4 ypg). QB Tanner Price is completing 62.3 percent of his passes and has thrown 16 touchdowns with six interceptions. Maryland's pass defense ranks eighth in the ACC giving up an average of 222.3 ypg.
By The Numbers...
0...With Andrew Gonnella is on the shelf with a season-ending knee injury, the Terps are without a senior on the offensive line.
1...Maryland is the only team in the nation to start four or more freshmen on defense in at least four games (see list on page 5).
2...Maryland ranks tied for second in the FBS in fewest fumbles lost (3). Davin Meggett had the only one over the first eight games before the Terps committed two vs. Virginia (11/5).
2...Maryland has recovered 13 opponent fumbles which ranks tied for ninth in the FBS.
2...Number of Maryland team captains (Andrew Gonnella and Kenny Tate) who are out for the season with injuries.
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.
5...Number of freshmen who started on defense against Clemson (10/15) which is the second most this season in a single game for any FBS team.
5... C.J. Brown is one of just five QBs in ACC history to post 150 or more rushing yards in a single game (see chart on pg. 6).
5...Maryland ranks tied for fifth in the FBS in fewest penalties committed per game (4.1).
11...The Terps have 27 former players on active NFL rosters, a number which ranks 11th nationally (see chart on page 5).
16...Sixteen of Nick Ferrara's last 33 punts have been fair caught. Only one of his first 17 punts were fair caught.
17...Seventeen of the season-high 57 players who saw action vs. Towson (10/1) were freshmen. Since the start of the 1999 season, 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)
22...Number of freshmen (14 redshirts; eight true) who have played this season.
