Maryland Gears Up For Towson
9/29/2011 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 29, 2011
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Looking to bounce back after the Temple loss Saturday, Maryland capped off its on-field preparation Thursday afternoon with a 90-minute workout at the on-campus facility.
The Terps (1-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) turned their attention this week to an undefeated Towson Tigers squad (3-0, 1-0 Colonial Athletics Association) which is ranked as high as No. 23 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) polls.
Maryland will look for improvement in all three phases of the game Saturday, but the defensive side of the ball will be key since the Terps face a team which has averaged 460 yards of total offense (eighth in the FCS) behind a quarterback (Grant Enders) who has completed 73.3 percent of his passes (44 of 60) and ranks fourth nationally in passing efficiency (167.95).
"It's really just executing, knowing exactly what your responsibilities are," head coach Randy Edsall said to reporters on his Thursday conference call. "Again, I think what happens is we have some young guys and we're not making excuses, but we have also had some injuries to key people."
The Terps have already started three freshmen on defense and 40 percent of the players (nine of 22) listed on the defensive two-deep are first-year performers (true or redshirt freshmen).
"I think anytime that you have inexperience and you're learning new techniques, sometimes you don't execute as well as you would like," Edsall said. "Those are the things we're just working hard, each and every day, to get better to help our guys to play at the highest level they can and execute at the highest level they can."
The Terps and Tigers are scheduled to face each other for the first time ever at 3:30 p.m. Saturday from Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.
Terp Notes:
Injury Updates: As expected linebacker Darin Drakeford and Andre Monroe will not play Saturday vs. Towson which Edsall confirmed on his Thursday call with reporters. There is no time frame for the return of defensive lineman Justin Anderson (foot) and offensive lineman Justin Gilbert (knee). Anderson, who had surgery in August, just began running, while Gilbert, who had surgery in the spring, could return at the end of October or early November.
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 is expected to be joined Saturday by Maurice Hampton as a starting defensive tackle. Hampton saw extensive action against Temple after Monroe exited with an injury. Hampton racked up a career-best five tackles, including a pair for a loss. As the lone senior on the defensive line, Edsall is hoping he can build off last week's performance. "I think it's a credit to Maurice in terms of him listening to what I told him [during a meeting in the spring], him working hard and listening to Coach [Greg] Gattuso and what Coach Gattuso told him," Edsall said of Hampton getting an opportunity for more playing time. "Now we hope he can continue to have consistency from a week to week basis." The Terps also moved sophomore Cody Blue from the offensive to defensive line. Blue is penciled in as the backup to freshman Keith Bowers at one of the defensive end spots.
Scout Team Players of the Week: Each Thursday during the season Edsall will announce the scout team players of the week. This week's honorees are offensive lineman Nate Clarke (offense), defensive lineman Marcus Whitfield (defense) and linebacker Desmond Kearse (special teams).
Flag Bearers: Maurice Hampton (American) and Tim Downs (Maryland) will carry out the flags during Saturday's introductions.
Inside Maryland Football: The third edition of Inside Maryland Football will air at 11 a.m. Saturday on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. The 30-minute coaches show goes behind the-scenes with the team. The first two shows are available on Terps TV Premium. The show airs each Saturday during the regular season (there was no show on Sept. 17) until Dec. 3.
