Duke wide receiver Austin Kelly runs past Maryland's Isaiah Ross, one of the 10 true freshmen to play for the Terps this season. (McClatchy-Tribune photo by Chuck Liddy / October 24, 2009) |
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COLLEGE PARK -
- Its bowl-game aspirations all but gone with four games remaining, Maryland's season-long goals have shifted.
The Terps (2-6, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had aspired to play for the ACC title and qualify for an upper-echelon bowl, still hope to minimize turnovers and end the season on a high note. The best they can hope for is .500, and that doesn't seem realistic given the matchups that lie ahead.
But Maryland isn't just playing for this season now. The Terps will also devote more attention to assessing and developing talent for future years that hold more promise than this one.
"Obviously, we want to win football games," coach Ralph Friedgen told reporters Sunday, the day after a 17-13 defeat at Duke that marked the first time Maryland had lost to the Blue Devils since 1999.
At the same time, Friedgen said, "we've got to try to get some young guys getting some experience. To me, the more depth we can build for the future, the better."
With Maryland headed into its bye week, it's too soon to know exactly how this shift will play out. Friedgen has indicated that he hopes to blend the two goals - trying to win and developing young talent - without sacrificing one for the other.
Maryland has already played more freshmen - sacrificing redshirt seasons - than Friedgen had hoped to do when the season began.
Stockpiling ample redshirts is a luxury the Terps have been unable to afford this season because of injuries.
Maryland has played 10 true freshmen - mostly on defense. The list comprises linebackers Darin Drakeford, Avery Murray and Ryan Donohue; defensive linemen Zach Kerr, Justin Anderson and Isaiah Ross; offensive lineman Bennett Fulper; running back Caleb Porzel; kicker Nick Ferrara; and defensive back Eric Franklin.
It's the most true freshmen to play in Friedgen's nine-year Maryland tenure, the school said. The previous high was eight in 2004.
"That's definitely more than we would have liked," Friedgen said Sunday. "The positive thing about that is they've played pretty well."
Franklin became the 10th freshman to play after safety Antwine Perez was injured against Duke. Franklin recorded a sack of Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.
"Obviously we would have liked to hold his redshirt, but he came in and played in a tough situation," Friedgen said.
Coaches have varying philosophies about redshirting players. Some believe it's useful to give players game experience early rather than redshirt them.
But other coaches, such as Wake Forest's Jim Grobe, have made ample use of redshirts. Grobe has practically redshirted entire classes, allowing players to mature and grow stronger.
This is one of Maryland's youngest teams in years. Fifty-eight of Maryland's 85 scholarship players have at least three years of eligibility remaining.
While Friedgen anticipated growing pains, he could not have predicted the extent to which his team would struggle. The Terps have lost five of six games and have yet to win on the road.
Maryland is among the nation's worst teams statistically in turnovers. The Terps committed two late turnovers in the rain against Duke, dooming their comeback bid. They are minus-12 in turnover margin.
"I'm disheartened right now, but I've got to be strong," Friedgen said. "I've got to go back to work."
The Terps appeared ready for the bye week. They play next at North Carolina State on Nov. 7.
"I don't know what to say," linebacker Adrian Moten said. "Everything is just going against us right now. We need a bye week."
Said quarterback Chris Turner: "I just want to enjoy myself, get away from football. Have some alone time, I don't know."
On Saturday, Turner passed Boomer Esiason for second place on the school's career passing list and now trails only Scott Milanovich.
But Turner could hardly celebrate.
"It's bittersweet," he said. "It's tough to get a loss and have someone say, 'Oh, you passed Boomer Esiason.' "
Erase: With Duke leading 10-6, Blue Devils receiver Conner Vernon caught a 44-yard sideline pass to the 1-yard line after appearing to bump with Chism. It set up a Blue Devils scoring pass.
Fast forward: The Terps (2-6, 1-3 ACC) have a bye week before facing North Carolina State (3-4, 0-3) on Nov. 7 in Raleigh. The game time will be announced today.
The Terps (2-6, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had aspired to play for the ACC title and qualify for an upper-echelon bowl, still hope to minimize turnovers and end the season on a high note. The best they can hope for is .500, and that doesn't seem realistic given the matchups that lie ahead.
But Maryland isn't just playing for this season now. The Terps will also devote more attention to assessing and developing talent for future years that hold more promise than this one.
"Obviously, we want to win football games," coach Ralph Friedgen told reporters Sunday, the day after a 17-13 defeat at Duke that marked the first time Maryland had lost to the Blue Devils since 1999.
At the same time, Friedgen said, "we've got to try to get some young guys getting some experience. To me, the more depth we can build for the future, the better."
With Maryland headed into its bye week, it's too soon to know exactly how this shift will play out. Friedgen has indicated that he hopes to blend the two goals - trying to win and developing young talent - without sacrificing one for the other.
Maryland has already played more freshmen - sacrificing redshirt seasons - than Friedgen had hoped to do when the season began.
Stockpiling ample redshirts is a luxury the Terps have been unable to afford this season because of injuries.
Maryland has played 10 true freshmen - mostly on defense. The list comprises linebackers Darin Drakeford, Avery Murray and Ryan Donohue; defensive linemen Zach Kerr, Justin Anderson and Isaiah Ross; offensive lineman Bennett Fulper; running back Caleb Porzel; kicker Nick Ferrara; and defensive back Eric Franklin.
It's the most true freshmen to play in Friedgen's nine-year Maryland tenure, the school said. The previous high was eight in 2004.
"That's definitely more than we would have liked," Friedgen said Sunday. "The positive thing about that is they've played pretty well."
Franklin became the 10th freshman to play after safety Antwine Perez was injured against Duke. Franklin recorded a sack of Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.
"Obviously we would have liked to hold his redshirt, but he came in and played in a tough situation," Friedgen said.
Coaches have varying philosophies about redshirting players. Some believe it's useful to give players game experience early rather than redshirt them.
But other coaches, such as Wake Forest's Jim Grobe, have made ample use of redshirts. Grobe has practically redshirted entire classes, allowing players to mature and grow stronger.
This is one of Maryland's youngest teams in years. Fifty-eight of Maryland's 85 scholarship players have at least three years of eligibility remaining.
While Friedgen anticipated growing pains, he could not have predicted the extent to which his team would struggle. The Terps have lost five of six games and have yet to win on the road.
Maryland is among the nation's worst teams statistically in turnovers. The Terps committed two late turnovers in the rain against Duke, dooming their comeback bid. They are minus-12 in turnover margin.
"I'm disheartened right now, but I've got to be strong," Friedgen said. "I've got to go back to work."
The Terps appeared ready for the bye week. They play next at North Carolina State on Nov. 7.
"I don't know what to say," linebacker Adrian Moten said. "Everything is just going against us right now. We need a bye week."
Said quarterback Chris Turner: "I just want to enjoy myself, get away from football. Have some alone time, I don't know."
On Saturday, Turner passed Boomer Esiason for second place on the school's career passing list and now trails only Scott Milanovich.
But Turner could hardly celebrate.
"It's bittersweet," he said. "It's tough to get a loss and have someone say, 'Oh, you passed Boomer Esiason.' "
Terps rewind Duke 17, Maryland 13
Replay: Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis had a string of 130 consecutive passes without an interception. But that ended when Maryland cornerback Cameron Chism picked off a pass to set up a Terps field goal in the second quarter.Erase: With Duke leading 10-6, Blue Devils receiver Conner Vernon caught a 44-yard sideline pass to the 1-yard line after appearing to bump with Chism. It set up a Blue Devils scoring pass.
Fast forward: The Terps (2-6, 1-3 ACC) have a bye week before facing North Carolina State (3-4, 0-3) on Nov. 7 in Raleigh. The game time will be announced today.
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Let's hope that Ralph really does what he says and plays his young QBs. Turner has been a bust this year, so it surprises me that he's played this late into the year. What I fear is that he hasn't played the backups because he knows they are not up to the task, As someone else has mentioned, our QB recruiting has been less than spectacular to say the least.
mga94000 (10/27/2009, 9:11 PM )