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Saturday, Sept. 24

Maryland (1-1, 1-0 ACC)

vs.

Temple (2-1, 1-0 MAC)

Kickoff: 12:29 p.m. EDT
Location: College Park, Md.
Stadium: Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium (54,000).

Gameday Information

• Directions to Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium
• Parking
• Terp Town (Opens at 9:30 a.m.)
• Gameday Quick Facts (Tickets, Parking, etc.)
• Tailgating Tips
• Gameday Central | Gameday Updates on Twitter | Live Gameday 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. The Comcast ticket office will not be open Saturday. The ticket booths at Byrd Stadium will open at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Digital Ticketing...
Maryland Athletics introduced digital ticketing this season at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. This system will provide fans greater convenience and security by scanning bar-coded tickets. With the new system in place, Maryland Athletics requests that fans arrive early to the gates for the first few home games. Arriving early will ensure all fans quick access to their seats by avoiding the last-minute rush to the gates.

Broadcast Information

TV: ACC Network - Steve Martin (pbp), Dave Archer (color) and Scott Przywansky (sidelines) will call the action. Locally, the game can be viewed on WJZ-TV (Channel 13) in Baltimore and WDCA-TV (My 20) in Washington, D.C. Click here to view the complete ACC Network affiliates list or click here to view on-line or through the ACC app. The game can also be viewed over the internet on ESPN3 or outside the region through ESPN Gameplan. Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will air a replay of the telecast at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

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 game can also be heard on XM Sirius Channel 91. The Terrapin Sports Radio Network (14 affiliates): WJZ-FM 105.7 - Baltimore (Flagship); WJZ-AM 1300 - 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.

Game Notes

First-and-10...
•After nearly making a miraculous comeback vs. West Virginia, the Maryland Terrapins now gear up for another non-conference foe as the Temple Owls visit Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium Saturday. While the Terps, under the direction of first-year head coach Randy Edsall, rallied from a 21-point deficit vs. WVU last Saturday and had a chance to go ahead in the final minutes, the Owls suffered a heart-breaking loss to Penn State as the Nittany Lions scored with less than 3:00 left to claim a 14-10 victory.
•QB Danny O'Brien, the 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year, and three linemen headline the five starters back on an offense which ranked 29th in the FBS in scoring (32.2 ppg) and tied for fifth nationally in fewest turnovers (15) in 2010. O'Brien picked up where he left off last season by completing 31 of 44 passes for 348 yards, the second-highest total of his career, in the season-opening win over Miami. He's averaging 318.5 passing yards per game (10th in the FBS) and 337.0 yards of total offense (seventh in the FBS). Davin Meggett, a Doak Walker Award candidate who posted a team-high 720 rushing yards in 2010, has taken over as the No. 1 tailback and is averaging 102.5 ypg which ranks third in the ACC. Matt Furstenburg is manning the tight-end position for the second-straight season. The sure-handed junior has 11 receptions (eight for first downs) which is just one shy of his 2010 total. The receiving corps entered the season looking to replace its top two options in Torrey Smith, a 2010 first team All-ACC pick, and Adrian Cannon. Juniors Kevin Dorsey and Kerry Boykins are now the top two options (seniors Quintin McCree and Ronnie Tyler played vs. Miami, but have been indefinitely suspended). Dorsey leads the ACC (t-10th in FBS) in receptions per game (8.5) and is fourth in receiving yards (101.5 ypg), while Boykins leads the team with 16.8 yards-per-catch average.
•Senior Kenny Tate along with juniors Joe Vellano and Demetrius Hartsfield highlight the seven starters back on a defense that scored four times (tied for sixth in the FBS) and ranked 38th nationally in points allowed (22.2 ppg) last season. Tate (100), a 2010 first team All-ACC pick, and Hartsfield (88) are the top two tacklers back for the Terrapins. Tate, who is on the watch list for a number of national awards, moved from safety to outside linebacker in the off-season and has posted 21 tackles (second on the team), an interception and a forced fumble this season. Hartsfield moved from Will LB to the Mike position in the off-season and recorded 13 tackles in the opener. Vellano was also a 2010 all-league pick after posting a team-best 5.0 sacks. He spearheads a defensive line which has just one senior in the two-deep and helped add to the Terps' defensive scoring prowess by returning a Miami fumble 30 yards for a touchdown. 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, posting a game- and career-high 14 tackles, including one sack, and a forced fumble. Tate's move to outside linebacker was made possible due to the emergence of sophomore Matt Robinson and junior Eric Franklin, a pair of big, physical safeties. Robinson (13) and Franklin (15) each had career highs in tackles vs. West Virginia.
•Maryland's special teams is in a state of transition this season. Senior Tony Logan, a 2010 first team All-ACC selection and record-setting punt returner is back, but the Terps have to replace Travis Baltz, who handled punting and place-kicking chores in 2010, and Smith, the ACC's all-time leader in kickoff return yards. 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 Baltz was unable to punt due to injury. Ferrara hit a career-best four field goals, including a 32-yard game-winner, against Miami. He's averaging 43.0 yards per punt. With Smith gone to the NFL, the Terps have turned to freshman Justus Pickett at kickoff return. He's averaging 18.1 yards per attempt and will be joined by Logan as the deep men on KOR.

Quick Hitters...
•A sell-out crowd of 53,627 attended the West Virginia game, marking the largest turnout at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium since Oct. 20, 2005, when 54,838 saw the Terps play Virginia Tech. Saturday's 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 are one of just five teams (also Boise State, Texas A&M, Middle Tennessee State and UAB in the FBS) which has not allowed a sack this season. Maryland has the most pass attempts (96) of this group. The Terps did allow a sack in back-to-back games for the first time since 2000 (WVU, MTSU).
•The Terps have four of the top 12 tacklers in the ACC. Matt Robinson is averaging 11.5 tackles per game (second), Kenny Tate is fourth at 10.5 pg, Eric Franklin is seventh (9.5) and Demetrius Hartsfield is tied for 11th (8.0).
•Danny O'Brien became the 15th quarterback in school history to throw for more than 3,000 yards with his 289-yard performance vs. West Virginia (9/17). Despite just 12 starts, O'Brien ranks 15th in school history (3,075) in career passing yards.
•Tony Logan's career punt-return average of 13.3 yards ranks third in the FBS among active players.
•Despite starting just eight career games, Davin Meggett ranks 16th in school history (1,720) in rushing yards. He had a career-high 113 rushing yards vs. West Virginia (9/17).
•Not only are the Terps in their first year under the direction of head coach Randy Edsall, but so are the team's first three opponents. Al Golden took over Miami after spending five seasons at Temple and Dana Holgerson is in his first season with WVU. Steve Addazio took over the Owls from Golden in December.
•The Terps have just seven seniors (Andrew Gonnella, Davin Meggett, Maurice Hampton, Kenny Tate, Austin Walker, Cameron Chism and Trenton Hughes) 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.
•There are 14 freshmen (five true/nine redshirts) listed on the 44-man offensive and defensive two deep. Two spots - fullback (Tyler Cierski) and defensive end (Keith Bowers and Clarence Murphy) - have freshmen manning them. In addition, true freshman Nathan Renfro is listed as the No. 2 punter and redshirt freshman Michael Tart is the No. 2 place-kicker. Bowers made his first-career start vs. WVU (9/17), becoming the first Maryland true freshman defensive lineman to start since Jeremy Navarre in 2005. Redshirt freshman Lorne Goree made his first career start vs. WVU, subbing for an injured Darin Drakeford.

Edsall to Support Coach to Cure MD...
Head coach Randy Edsall is pledging his support in the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by wearing an armband Saturday vs. Temple as part of the Coach to Cure MD program. Edsall is joining football coaches across the country in wearing a customized arm band to advocate Coach to the Cure MD, a nationwide charitable project sponsored by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Football fans can donate to life-saving research by either going online at www.CoachToCureMD.comor by texting the word CURE to 90999 on their mobile phones to charge $5 on the next phone bill. Duchenne is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during early childhood. A progressive muscle disorder that causes loss of muscle function and independence, Duchenne affects approximately one out of every 3,500 boys and 20,000 babies born each year worldwide. The disorder manifests primarily in boys because the affected gene is found on the X-chromosome. Duchenne knows no other boundaries, touching all races and cultures. To date, there is no cure or treatment to stop the progression of Duchenne, and young men with Duchenne typically live only into their 20's. The AFCA is joining with the Parent Project for Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) to make Coach to Cure MD a reality and generate support for research using the one-day, gameday event. Since the AFCA launched this partnership in 2008, college football's backers have generously given roughly $1 million in cash and other donations.

Terps to Flip One For 'the Gipper'...
•Saturday Maryland joins thousands of football teams across America by participating in the Reagan Centennial National Football Coin Toss.
•In honor of President Reagan's 100th birthday, nearly 5,000 high school, college, and NFL football teams will "flip one for the Gipper" by tossing a special Reagan Centennial Commemorative Coin at the start of each game played this weekend.
•This national movement, driven by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, is part of a historic year-long Centennial Celebration honoring the life and legacy of a legendary football player and fan.

Making His Mark...
Junior widout Kevin Dorsey recorded 17 catches over the first two games of the season. Torrey Smithis the only other Terp in the last 16 years to post that many over a two-game span. Smith had a combined 21 receptions (seven vs. FSU, 11/20; 14 vs. NC State, 11/27) last season. Geroy Simon had 22 catches over the last two games of the 1995 season.

Cashing In...
Maryland ranks tied for 11th 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. Since the beginning of the 2010 season, Maryland has scored 126 points off turnovers (36), while the opposition has been held to 27 points (17).

Sudden Change...
After going 41 games without scoring via a fumble or interception (Erin Henderson in 2006 vs. Virginia), Maryland has registered eight defensive touchdowns in the last 18 contests, including a pair vs. Miami (9/5). Joe Vellano returned a fumble 30 yards for a score and Cameron Chism had 54-yard interception return for a TD. Late last season, Alex Wujciak had a 60-yard pick for a TD against Miami (11/6). Kenny Tate and Ryan Donohue both had interceptions for scores against Wake Forest (10/30/10). Demetrius Hartsfield'spick-six in the second quarter of the Morgan State game (9/11/10) was Maryland's first defensive score since Wujciak scored on a 70-yard interception return on 11/14/09 at NC State.

Piling Up the Yards...
Maryland's no-huddle, hurry-up attack, which debuted vs. Miami (9/5), produced the biggest offensive output in almost six years. The Terps racked up 499 yards of total offense, the most since putting up 524 against North Carolina on Nov. 12, 2005. Quarterback Danny O'Brien accounted for 385 of those yards (348 passing, 37 rushing) while running back Davin Meggett, a Doak Walker watch-list member, had 92 rushing yards and 34 receiving yards. O'Brien's total offense output ranked third in the FBS on the opening weekend of the season. The Terps followed up the Miami performance by posting 477 yards of total offense vs. West Virginia (9/17). Dating back to the 2010 Military Bowl, the Terps have averaged 484.7 yards over the last three contests.

Spreading the Ball Around...
Over the first two games of the season, the Terps have had at least five players catch four or more passes with Kevin Dorseyleading the way in each contest (eight vs. Miami, 9/5; career-high nine vs. West Virginia, 9/17). Last season, only once did the Terps (vs. NC State, 11/27) have four players catch at least four passes.

What to Look for vs. Temple...
•The Terps will be looking for their seventh all-time win over Temple. Maryland has won each of the team's previous six meetings. The teams first met in 1997 and the last matchup occurred in 2005.
•Maryland's passing offense ranks 15th in the FBS (318.5 yards per game), while Temple has the 14th-ranked pass efficiency defense (92.80 rating).
•The Terps rank tied for first in the FBS in fewest sacks allowed (none this season), while the Owls rank eighth nationally in sacks per game (4.0). Temple has eight players who have recorded at least one sack this season.
•Temple ranks 11th in the FBS in kickoff returns (30.71 ypr) and seventh in punt returns (16.0 ypr). Maryland has punted just three times this season and has not allowed a return. The Terps rank 62nd in the FBS in kickoff return coverage (20.8 ypr).

Streaks and Trends... •The Terrapins have averaged 38.0 points over their last eight home games. •Since the beginning of the 2010 season, Maryland is 9-2 when winning the turnover battle. •Danny O'Brien has averaged 298.8 passing yards over the last six games. •CB Cameron Chism has started 25 consecutive games which leads the team. OT R.J. Dillhas started 20 straight times which leads the offense. •The Terps have recorded 28 picks over the last 19 games. They had at least one interception in 11 of 13 games last season, two in the season opener vs. Miami (9/5) and one vs. West Virginia (9/17). •The Terps turned the ball over just 14 times (10 interceptions/four fumbles) in 2010 and just four of those (two vs. Navy, 9/6; one vs. Miami, 11/6; one vs. FSU, 11/20) occurred in the red zone. Maryland was tied for fifth in the FBS in fewest turnovers. The Terps have four turnovers so far this season.

Temple At-A-Glance...
•Steve Addazio is in his first season as the Owls' head coach. He previously served as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Florida where he won two national championships.
•With victories over Villanova and Akron, the Owls are 2-1 (1-0 MAC), coming off a 14-10 loss to Penn State in which they allowed a TD with under 3:00 left to give up the lead for the first time all game.
•The Owls are led offensively by running back Bernard Pierce, a 2010 first team All-MAC selection. Pierce rushed for 728 yards in 2010 to go along with 11 total touchdowns. This year Pierce has already run for seven touchdowns, which ranks second nationally, and his 115.7 rushing ypg average ranks 17th nationally.
•Senior quarterback Mike Gerardi has completed just over 50 percent of his passes (30 of 59) and is averaging 141 yards per game through the air. He has thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions.
•The Temple defense has been stingy, allowing just 8.0 points per game, which is tied for fourth nationally. It has also given up just 284 yards per game, which ranks 22nd in the FBS. Additionally, the Owls rank tied for eighth in sacks (4.0 pg), ninth in interceptions (five) and 20th in turnovers gained (seven).
•Senior linebacker Tahir Whitehead has a team-high six tackles for loss, including two sacks, as well as two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Senior defensive back Kevin Kroboth, meanwhile, has a pair of interceptions and ranks second on the team with 17 tackles.

By The Numbers...
0... Number of games running back Davin Meggetthas missed in his career.

1... Joe Vellanohas recovered a pair of fumbles this season. His average of 1.0 per game is tied for first in the FBS.

1... Andrew Gonnellais 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'sstaff.

3... Number of full-time punters (Brooks Barnard, Adam Podlesh and Travis Baltz) the Terps have employed in the last 10 years. Baltz started the last four seasons with Nick Ferrarataking over in 2011.

4... The Terps had just four penalties vs. Miami (9/5), marking the fewest since the 2010 season opener vs. Navy (also four).

4... Randy Edsallhas taken his teams to bowl games in each of the last four seasons.

4... The Terps scored four times on defense in 2010 which was tied for sixth in the FBS.

4... Maryland tied for fourth nationally in turnover margin (+1.15 pg) last season. The Terps, plus-15 on the year, won the turnover battle in 10 of 13 games. They are +1.50 through two games.

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 Haynosvs. WVU, 9/14).

7... The Terps have seven of their top 10 tacklers back from last season.

10... The Terps have 29 former players on active NFL rosters, a number which ranks 10th nationally.

13... D.J. Adamshas scored 13 rushing touchdowns in just 10 career games. He is already tied for 19th on the Maryland career rushing TD chart.

15... Number of seniors on the Maryland's 96-player roster.

16... Number of freshmen (11 redshirts; five true) who have played this season.