Maryland Terrapins

Head Coach

Ralph Friedgen	8th year
07-08	6-7
ACC	3-5
FCR	64

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Ralph Friedgan enters his 8th season and he’s has a solid career mark of 56-31 but his Terps are coming off a disappointing 6-7 mark from a year ago. Maryland has hired James Franklin to run the offense and will be using West Coast attack this fall, they return nine starters on offense and are solid at receiver and on the O-Line. Much of the success of the Terrapins and the new offense will depend on the quarterback situation, who starts and how quickly they can adapt.

Quarterback - The first two options at quarterback are junior Chris Turner and senior Jordan Steffy, they were both starters last year although under different circumstances. Steffy was the starter when the season began but suffered a season ending injury; he had 686 yards passing with two TD’s and four interceptions in five games. Turner stepped in and finished the year with 1,958 yards and 7 TD’s and 7 interceptions in the season’s final eight contests. If Turner is the starter he’ll have to perform because Steffy appears to be a better fit in the West Coast attack and showed this spring he’ll be ready if he gets the call.

Running Backs - At running back will be sophomores Da’Rel Scott and Morgan Green, the have different skills with Scott the more explosive and Green the between the tackles pounder. Scott has the bigger upside and with his blazing speed will be utilized more out of the backfield in the new attack.

Receivers - The Terps will be going three-wide and they’re led on the outside by junior Darrius Heyward-Bey, he’s an All-ACC wide receiver who had 51 receptions for 786 yards with three scores and will flourish in the new attack. Senior Isaiah Williams returns on the outside and he’ll be at the X while senior Danny Oquendo will step in and be in the Slot. A couple of players who will be given the chance to contribute this fall are sophomores LaQuan Williams and Emani Lee-Odai; they both possess good size and speed. At tight end will be senior Dan Gronkowski who should see his involvement increase this fall.

Offensive Line - They return four starters, their experienced, big and have depth, this is the strength of the offense and they’re one of the better O-Lines in the ACC. Returning are four senior starters in left tackle Scott Burley, right tackle Dane Randolph, left guard Jaimie Thomas and at center Edwin Williams. The newcomer will be junior Phil Costa or senior Jack Griffin at right guard, waiting in the wings is the future upfront for the Terps in sophomore Bruce Campbell.

Defensive Line - Lots of uncertainty upfront, but at defensive tackle will be senior Jeremy Navarre, he’s started 35 games in his career but will be on the inside for the first time, great quickness and applies pressure upfield but will he be tested against the run. On the nose will be junior Travis Ivey or senior Olugbemi Otulaja or put himself in the mix with his play this spring. On one of the ends will be senior Mack Frost and on the other side at the LEO will be senior Trey Covington who had 43 tackles and two sacks, he’ll need to become a bigger presence in the backfield this year.

Linebackers - Solid, senior laden group and the strength of the defense, they’re led in the middle by Dave Philistin, on the strongside Moise Fokou and Chase Bullock will be manning the weakside. Philistin put up huge numbers last year posting a team leading 124 tackles, while Fokou added 84 and two sacks. They also have a couple of solid sophomores who will be worked into the mix in Adrian Moten and Alex Wujciak.

Defensive Backs - Holes to fill in the secondary but lots of pieces available, the only returning starter is senior Kevin Barnes at cornerback, at the other corner will either junior Anthony Wiseman or junior Nolan Carroll. Barnes is a lockdown corner who’ll be in line for All-ACC honors and both juniors showed this spring they’ll be ready. Junior Terrell Skinner will be the free safety and at strong safety it’ll be senior Jeff Allen, also in the mix is sophomore Antwine Perez who started his career at USC he’ll find his way onto the field this fall. Quality athletes and good depth here, the Terps will be fine in the defensive backfield.

Special Teams - Both senior Obi Egekeze at placekicker sophomore punter Travis Baltz return, they were solid in 07’ as Egekeze was 17-23 with good range and Baltz averaged 40.9 yards. Junior Anthony Wiseman and junior Danny Oquendo will be called upon to handle the returns.

Schedule - They’ll be 2-0 when Cal visits on September 13th, look for Maryland to prevail and be undefeated when they travel to Clemson to close the month. Seven home games but road games at Va Tech and Boston College in November will determine whether their .500 team or an ACC title contender. The Terps will be up and down this season and going south as the year ends, expect Maryland to be an also ran team in the ACC and win only 6 games this year.