Previewing The Clemson Game....
University of Maryland Terrapins (4-4, 2-3 ACC)
at Clemson University Tigers (4-3, 3-2 ACC)
Nov. 2, 1996, Memorial Stadium (81,473),
Clemson, SC 3:30 p.m., ET ABC Television
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"We had to do this for the family, and by that I
mean the Maryland family. Today was a very big win. It was a must win.
Right now, we are in a situation where we can't go tap on people's
doors and ask, 'Can we get a win?' We have to knock the door down and
take the win, and that's what we did." - Maryland senior safety Lamont
Gore after the Terps' 22-19 win over Duke last Saturday.
NOTES OF THE WEEK
--Buddy Rodgers' 176 yards rushing was the
highest rushing total by a Terp since Alvin Blount gained 186 yards
versus Virginia in 1985.
--The Terp defense has held five of eight 1996
opponents to 250 total yards or less. Maryland limited Duke to 46 total
yards in the second half last week.
--Eric Barton's career-high 14 total
tackles against Duke improved his team leading tackles total to 77
(sixth best in the ACC).
--Senior inside linebacker Ratcliff Thomas needs
eight tackles to move into third place on the school's all-time tackles
list.
--Maryland's come from behind victory versus Duke was the largest
deficit it overcame since the Terps trailed West Virginia by 10 after
the first quarter in 1994 and went on to win 24-13.
CLEMSON 1996 STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING GP-S CAR YDS AVG TD
Raymond Priester 7-7 145 720 4.9 4
Emory Smith 7-7 47 146 3.1 3
Kelton Dunnican 7-0 31 134 4.3 0
PASSING GP-S COMP ATT YDS PCT TD INT
Nealon Greene 7-7 69 128 984 53.9 4 6
Billy Luckie 3-0 11 17 141 64.7 0 0
RECEIVING GP-S REC YDS AVG TD
Tony Horne 5-3 20 339 17.0 1
Kenya Crooks 7-6 18 290 16.1 1
Joe Woods 7-7 17 272 16.0 2
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
Eric Barton is attempting to become only the second
player in school history to lead the team in tackles as a sophomore.
Barton posted a career-high 14 tackles last week versus the Blue Devils,
including eight unassisted tackles. His 77 total tackles through eight
games rank him sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
This year he:
1) was Maryland's leading tackler in three games;
2) recorded at least eight tackles six times;
3) averages 9.6 tackles per game.
TACKLERS
Here's a comparison between Barton and what Maryland's top five
tacklers of all-time achieved in their sophomore campaign.
Name(All-time Rank) So. Yr. Tot. Tackles
1. Ratcliff Thomas(4) 1994 137
2. Chuck Faucette(2) 1984 120
3. Eric Wilson(1) 1982 98
4. Eric Barton (NA) 1996 77*
5. Mike Jarmolowich(3) 1990 50
6. Brad Carr (5) 1975 19
*ongoing
SO, WE MEET AGAIN
Maryland quarterback Brian Cummings and
Clemson signal caller Nealon Greene are very familiar with one another.
Not only were they the only two quarterbacks in the Atlantic Coast
Conference with starting experience at season's inception, but their
relationship goes all the way back to middle school. Cummings and
Greene were teammates in seventh and eighth grade on the Eastchester
Blue Devils Pee Wee football team coached by Mr. Bell. Cummings played
quarterback, naturally; Greene lined up in the back field at running
back. Cummings has thrown for five touchdowns and 693 yards in six
games played in leading the Terps to three of their four victories. He
threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns by halftime against Wake Forest
two weeks ago before exiteding the game after suffering his second
concussion of the season.
BUDDING TAILBACK
Maryland junior tailback Buddy Rodgers
rushed for a career-high 176 yards rushing on a career-high 31 attempts
in Maryland's 22-19 victory at Duke last weekend. The Parade
All-American from East Providence scored the winning touchdown on an
11-yard run against the Blue Devils with 14:38 remaing after breaking
two would be tacklers in the backfield. The 176-yard effort was the
most by a Terp tailback since Alvin Blount rushed for 186 yards against
Virginia in 1985. One of his 31 rushes was good for a 39-yard gain, his
best effort of the season. It was also the second highest total by an
ACC tailback this season. Rodgers has rushed for 282 of his 446 season
rushing yards (63%) in the last two games. He did not play at 100%
health until the Wake Forest game two weeks ago.
TOTAL EFFORT
Maryland is ranked 21st in the nation
in total defense, allowing an average of 297.5 yards per game. The
Terps completely shut down the Blue Devils in the second half last week,
allowing only 46 total yards in the final 30 minutes. The Blue Devils
possessed the ball six times in the final two quarters, but the Terps
held them to an average of 1.4 yards per play and 7.6 yards per
possession. The Terps have held five of their eight opponents to 250
total yards or less.
OHHH-BAH-GU
Defensive end Eric Ogbagu produced perhaps
the best game of his careeer last week versus the Blue Devils. Ogbagu
blocked John Kreuger's punt with 18 seconds remaining in the third
quarter to set up Maryland's eventual game-winning touchdown. Ogbagu
crashed through the line and actually blocked the punt with his face
mask. The ball traveled backward 35 yards to the Duke 27. Three plays
later, the Terps took advantage of the special teams play when Buddy
Rodgers found the endzone from 11 yards out. The junior, who was named
honorable mention All-ACC last year despite starting only one game, also
contributed two sacks and two tackles for losses. He leads the team in
sacks with five.
THOMAS ENTERS THE 400 CLUB
Senior inside linebacker
Ratcliff Thomas' 10 tackles versus Duke boosted his career total tackles
to 407. He became only the fourth Terp in school history to record more
than 400 tackles in a career. He has led the team in tackles the last
three seasons and is attempting to become the first player in school
history to lead the team in tackles four years.
THOMAS' TACKLES - YEAR BY YEAR
Year UT AT Total Tackles Avg./game
1996 34 26 60 10.0
1995 63 40 103 9.4
1994 82 55 137 12.5
1993 77 30 107 9.7
Total 256 151 407 10.4
TERPS' TOP ALL-TIME TACKLERS
Rank Player, Year Tackles
1. Eric Wilson, 1981-84 481
2. Chuck Faucette, 1983-86 466
3. Mike Jarmolowich, 1989-92 414
4 Ratcliff Thomas, 1993-Present407
CREATING TURNOVERS IN BUNCHES
Maryland is tied for 10th in the
country with a + 1.13 turnover margin per game average through eight
contests. The Maryland defense generated two turnovers last week on one
interception and a last minute fumble recovery that preserved the
victory. The Terps have picked off their opponent 10 times and
recovered 11 fumbles while surrendering the ball only 12 times.
Fumble Rec. Int. Total
Maryland 11 10 21
Opponent 3 9 12
Difference 8 1 9
COOL AS A CUCUMBER
Third string quarterback Keon Russell
was forced into his first collegiate game under extraordinary
circumstances last weekend. With the Terps down by one in the third
quarter, Terp starting quarterback Ken Mastrole was knocked out of the
game with a broken right clavicle with 14:17 remaining in the third
quarer. Maryland's starting quarterback, Brian Cummings, did not dress
for the game, still feeling the effects of a concussion from the
previous week. Russell entered the game and showed great poise, taking
control of the huddle immediately. He completed his first career pass
on his second attempt and also rushed for six attempts. Russell calmly
guided the Terps and led the team as it ran the clock out on its sixth
and final possesion of the half. He was actully recruited by Maryland
as a receiver out of American International College, but impressed
coaches so much in last year's Spring practice he worked his way to
second on the depth chart by April's conclusion.
OUT FOR THE SEASON
Back-up quarterback Ken Mastrole
suffered a fractured right clavicle last Saturday in the victory over
the Blue Devils. The redshirt freshman underwent surgery Sunday morning
and will miss the rest of the 1996 campaign. Mastrole was in the midst
of his best game of the season, leading the Terps to 16 unaswered points
in the second quarter. The Terps posted 16 points on three of their
final four possessions of the first half. He finished the day passing
for 106 yards, completing five passes on 17 attempts. He hooked up with
Kendrick Walton from seven yards out with 3:06 remaining in the first
half for his first career touchdown pass.
EASY AS ONE, TWO, THREE?
Buddy Rodgers rushed for over 100
yards for the second time in as many weeks. This equals his effort of
last year when he rushed for 112 yards against West Virginia and 103
yards against Duke over consecutive weekends. He is attempting to
become the first Terp to rush for 100 or more yards in three consecutive
games since Charlie Wysocki rushed over the century mark four
consecutive weeks in 1980. Last week's effort placed him in fifth in
school history for career 100-yard rushing games.
100-Yard Rushing Games Years Total
1. Charlie Wysocki 1978-81 18
2. Steve Atkins 1975-78 14
3. Louis Carter 1972-74 7
3. Willie Joyner 1981-83 7
5. Buddy Rodgers 1994-Pres 5
IN A ZONE: THE ENDZONE
Buddy Rodgers leads the team in touchdowns
with six. His rushing TD versus Duke improved his career touchdown
total to 17 (16 rushing, 1 receiving) and moved him into sixth place
all-time in school history.
Touchdowns Yrs Total
1. Rick Badanjek 82-85 44
2. Steve Atkins 75-78 31
3. Louis Carter 71-74 28
4. Charlie Wysocki 78-81 26
5. Tommy Neal 83-86 18
6. Buddy Rodgers 94-Pr. 17
7. Chet Hanulak 51-53 16
THREE TIMES A LADY
Senior place kicker Joe O'Donnell kicked a
career-high three field goals in one game versus the Blue Devils last
Saturday. O'Donnell connected from 38, 24, and 42 yards out. He is
second on the team in total points scored with 34 and only trails
tailback Buddy Rodgers by two points.
AND THE NOMINEE IS
Senior defensive end Al Wallace is Maryland's CFA
scholar-athlete nominee. With a current 3.0 GPA, the health education
major has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (above 3.0)
for four consecutive semesters dating back to Fall 1994. Wallace also
volunteers as a student teacher at William Wirt Middle School and is a
two-time participant in National Student-Athlete Day. He plans to
student teach at a local high school this Spring. The three-year
starter currently sits 11th all-time on the school's career sack list.
He was named co-captain for his off the field leadership.The 6-4, 244-lb
end bench presses over 400 lbs. and squats nearly 600 lbs.
INSIDE THE RED ZONE, FIRST SIX GAMES
Maryland's offense
enjoyed another stellar day inside of the 'compete' or 'red zone' versus
Duke as it scored points all three times it reached the Devils' 20 yard
line. For the season, Maryland's offense has been very productive once
it enters the 'red zone' having scored points 88 percent of the time.
Included in those numbers are 12 touchdowns and two field goals in 16
chances.
Opponent Times inside
20 TD FG % of scores
vs. Northern Illinois 4 3 1 1.00
vs. Alabama Birmingham 4 4 0 1.00
vs. Virginia 1 0 0 0.00
vs. West Virginia 0 0 0 0.00
vs. N.C. State 2 1 0 50.0
vs. North Carolina 0 0 0 0.00
vs. Wake Forest 2 2 0 1.00
vs. Duke 3 2 1 1.00
Total: 16 12 2 87.5
CUMMINGS IN THE ALL-TIME COMPLETION PERCENTAGE TOP 10
Quarterback
Brian Cummings is currently ranked eighth in pass completion percentage
in school history.
Rank .Pct Comp./Att. Player, Years
1. .662 650/982 Scott Milanovich (1992-95)
2. .629 132/210 Frank Reich (1983-84)
3. .590 231-394 Bob Avellini (1972-74)
4. .5882 180-306 Larry Dick (1975, 77)
5. .5881 387-658 Neil O'Donnell (1987-89)
6. .582 127-218 Dale Betty (1958-60)
6. .571 52-91 Ben Kinard (1973-74)
7. .568 305-537 John Kaleo (1991-92)
8. .561 151-269 Brian Cummings (1994-present)
BILETNIKOFF AWARD CANDIDATE SIMON ON THE ACC
AND MARYLAND CAREER RECEPTION LISTS
Rank Atlantic Coast Conference Recpts.
1. Jermaine Lewis, Maryland, 1992-95 193
2. Clarkston Hines, Duke, 1986-89 189
3. Ricky Proehl, Wake, 1986-89 188
4. Geroy Simon, Maryland, 1993-Present 178
Rank University of Maryland Recpts.
1. Jermaine Lewis, 1992-95 193
2. Geroy Simon, 1993-Present 178
BILETNIKOFF AWARD CANDIDATE SIMON ALSO ADDS TO CAREER YARDAGE TOTAL
Senior Biletnikoff Award Candidate Geroy Simon had one catch for 12 yards versus Duke. He now has 1,943 career receiving yards which places him second all-time at the University of Maryland and 19th all-time in ACC history in career receiving yards.
SIMON ON THE MARYLAND CAREER RECEIVING YARDAGE LISTS
Rank University of Maryland Yards
1. Jermaine Lewis, 1992-95 2,932
2. Geroy Simon, 1993-Present 1,943
SIMON PRESSING 2,000 CAREER RECEIVING YARDS MARK
Senior Biletnikoff
Award Candidate Geroy Simon needs only 57 yards to become only the
second player in Maryland history and the 18th player in ACC history to
gain 2,000 or more career receiving yards. He currently stands in 19th
place all-time in ACC history with 1,943 career receiving yards and
needs only 25 yards to pass Walter Jones of Duke who accumulated 1,968
career receiving yards from 1988-91.
SIMON ON THE ALL ACC CAREER RECEIVING YARDAGE LISTS
Rank Atlantic Coast Conference Yards
1. Clarkston Hines, Duke, 1986-89 3,318
2. Ricky Proehl, Wake Forest, 1986-89 2,949
3. Jermaine Lewis, Maryland, 1992-95 2,932
18. Walter Jones, Duke, 1988-91 1,968
19 Geroy Simon, Maryland, 1993-Present 1,943
TEX MARKS THE SPOT
Kendrick "Tex" Walton made quite an impression
with his first collegiate reception. Subbing for an injured Geroy
Simon, Walton caught a seven-yard screen pass from Ken Mastrole for a
touchdown on his first-ever catch. The redshirt freshman hails from
Dallas, Tex., hence the nickname.
BLITZ!!!!!!
Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle sent senior defensive
back AJ Johnson on his first blitz of the season with 3:22 remaining in
the game. The risk paid off as Johnson blind-sided Duke QB Dave Green
and forced a fumble. Maryland's Eric Hicks recovered the fumble and the
Terps proceeded to run out the rest of the game clock to preserve its
fourth victory of the season.
KICKER O'DONNELL ON ANOTHER ROLL
Senior place kicker Joe
O'Donnell has kicked 13 consecutive point after touchdowns. After missing his first two of the season, he
has not missed since the fourth quarter of Maryland's victory over
Northern Illinois on August 31. O'Donnell is no stranger to long point
after touchdown streaks as the Terps' kicker. During his first season
in College Park, 1994, he was successful on 33 consecutive attempts
after missing his first of the season versus Duke. As a junior in 1995,
he split the uprights 13 consecutive times before missing.
Att. Made .Pct Long Streak
1994 34 33 97.0 33
1995 18 16 88.8 13
1996 15 13 86.6 13
Totals 67 62 92.5 33
O'DONNELL KICKING UP HIS HEELS
Senior place-kicker Joe O'Donnell,
with a 80.0 percent success rate on his career field goals during his
three-year career at Maryland, is the most accurate kicker in school
history. He has connected on 24 of 30 attempts during his career. He
became only the eighth kicker in school history to kick 20 or more
fields goals during his career as he split the uprights in the third
quarter of Maryland's game versus Virginia on September 7. He ranks
sixth on the all-time list of field goals made while his 30 career
attempts rank him ninth all-time.
Rank Player, Years FGM FGA .PCT
1. Joe O'Donnell (1994-Present)24 30 .800
2. Dan Plocki (1985-88) 47 63 .746
3. Dan DeArmas (1988-91) 32 43 .744
4. Jess Atkinson (1981-84) 60 82 .731
5. Kambiz Behbahani (1970-71) 12 19 .631
COMEBACK
Maryland's come from behind victory was the
largest deficit it overcame since the Terps trailed West Virginia 10-0
after the first quarter on September 17, 1994. The Terps went on to
beat the Mountaineers 24-13 two years ago; the Terps overcame a similar
10-point first quarter deficit to rally past the Blue Devils, 22-19,
last Saturday in Durham.
FIRST DOWN GEROY
Each of senior wide receiver Geroy Simon's last ten catches have been for first downs. The Terps leading receiver now has 28 catches on the season for 418 yards. For the season, Simon has caught 28 passes and 22 (nearly 80 percent) have resulted in first downs.
Recpts 1st Downs Pct.
vs. Northern Illinois 2 1 .500
vs. UAB 9 7 .778
vs. Virginia 4 3 .750
vs. West Virginia 3 1 .333
vs. N.C. State 3 3 1.00
vs. North Carolina 2 2 1.00
vs. Wake Forest 4 4 1.00
vs. Duke 1 1 1.00
Totals 28 22 .786
CLEMSON FACTS
OVERALL: MD trails, 20-22-2.
LAST YEAR: MD 0, CU 17.
LAST MARYLAND WIN: 1992, 53-23.
LAST MARYLAND WIN AT MEMORIAL: 1985, 34-31.
CU 7 7 3 0 -- 17
MD 0 0 0 0 -- 0
PASSING: Cummings- 15-35-2, 135 Yds., 0 TD.
CU Greene- 3-7-28.
RUSHING: Rodgers- 7-24, 0 TD.
CU Priester- 22-163, 1 TD.
RECEIVING: Lewis- 4-63, 0 TD.
CU Wyatt- 3-47, 1 TD.
Attendance: 43,603.
