Maryland Terrapins 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Maryland 2008 Record: (8-5, 4-4)
Maryland 2008 Bowl: Humanitarian Bowl vs. Nevada (W 42-35)
Maryland Coach: Ralph Friedgen (64-36 at Maryland, 64-36 overall)
Maryland Offensive Coordinator: James Frankling
Maryland Defensive Coordinator: Don Brown
Maryland Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Da’Rel Scott, RB, 1,133 yards
• Passing: Chris Turner, QB, 2,516 yards
• Receiving: Torrey Smith, WR, 336 yards
• Tackles: Alex Wujciak, LB, 133
• Sacks: Jared Herrell, DE, 2.0
• Interceptions: Jamari McCollough, S, 4

Notable Maryland Returning Players: P Travis Baltz, G Phil Costa, OT Bruce Campbell, DT Travis Ivey, RB Cory Jackson, S Terrell Skinner, CB Anthony Wiseman

Maryland Key Losses: S Jeff Allen, CB Kevin Barnes, OT Scott Burley, LB Trey Covington, LB Moise Fokou, DE Mack Frost, TE Dan Gronkowski, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, DT Jeremy Navarre, WR Danny Oquendo, LB Dave Philistin, G Jaimie Thomas, C Edwin Williams

I had Maryland pegged pretty well last season, predicting them to finish 4-4 and 3rd in the division. Well, that’s exactly what they did! Terps fans better hope that I don’t have the same success picking their team this year because I don’t like a lot of what I’m seeing in College Park. Their eight returning starters are the lowest in the ACC and there are major questions along both lines of scrimmage. After beginning his career with a 31-8 mark in his first three seasons, can head coach Ralph ‘The Fridge’ Friedgen avoid a 3rd losing season in his last six years?

Offensively, things look fairly decent at the skill positions. Senior quarterback Chris Turner is solid but unspectacular and threw for 2,500 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall against 11 picks. Backfield mate Da’Rel Scott was a 1 st team All-ACC choice after running for 1,100 yards and 8 touchdowns and also added 21 catches. However, the offensive line returns only two starters and could feature a lot of sophomores and freshmen this season. Ask Clemson how well that worked for them last year. Furthermore, they lost three of their top four receivers from last fall, two of which were NFL selections. Sophomore Torrey Smith will have to step up after making 24 catches as a freshman. Simply put, I think that the Terps will have trouble protecting Turner and opening up holes for Scott. Furthermore, there is no deep threat like 1st round pick Darius Heyward-Bey on this year’s squad. That means that the Terps will struggle to move the ball this season and I think that this could be their worst offense in the last five years.

Defensively, there are only three starters returning from last season’s solid unit. Up front, senior tackle Travis Ivey was solid with 26 tackles and a sack before being injured in the second half last season but he is the top returning player on the line! Uh oh. The Terps will probably start at least two sophomores next to him and that could be trouble. This might be one of the thinnest lines in the ACC. Junior middle linebacker Alex Wujciak is the team’s top returning player after he earned 2nd team All-ACC honors last fall and lead the team in tackles with an impressive total of 133! He will have to hope for some help on the line and at ‘backer for him to repeat those impressive numbers. The Terps gave up nearly 150 yards per game on the ground last fall and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were beaten for even more this season. In the secondary, seniors Terrelle Skinner and Anthony Wiseman are solid contributors and combined for 112 tackles last season. However, Maryland has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete over 60 percent of their passes in each of the past two seasons while barely picking any off so I think that they could actually be improved this fall with as many as four senior starters in the lineup. Overall, I’m very concerned about Maryland stopping the run but their pass defense looks somewhat improved. Expect Maryland to finish in the bottom half of the league defensively.

The schedule is a mixed bag. The non-conference portion features a trip to Cal and a visit from Rutgers, two very tough opponents, though the other two are very winnable games. In conference play, their Coastal draw includes Virginia and Duke, both of whom aren’t expected to be very strong this fall. However, they have three division road games and a stretch in early November against NC State, Virginia Tech and FSU looks very difficult indeed. Simply put, when a team is expected to field sub-par lines on each side of the ball, they usually aren’t very successful. Maryland probably has the least experienced lines in the entire conference! I simply don’t think that the Fridge is going to be able to avoid a losing season this fall, though my one win prediction would be the worst season during his tenure. I don’t expect Maryland to compete in their division or earn a bowl berth this season.

Maryland Big Games: Oct. 3rd vs. Clemson, Oct. 10th @ Wake Forest, Nov. 7th @ NC State, Nov. 14th vs. Virginia Tech, Nov. 21st @ FSU, Nov. 28th vs. BC

Maryland’s Strength:

Coach Ralph Friedgen hopes that the consistency will come from another year of experience from quarterback Chris Turner. Turner is certainly not the model of consistency, but now he is a senior and he has to keep the turnovers down and move the offense a little more efficiently. Even without Darrius Heyward-Bey, Turner has some quality targets to pass to. Torrey Smith is the most experienced option, but Ronnie Tyler, Emani Lee-Odai and LaQuan Williams could all emerge as dangerous pass catchers. But Maryland does not have to rely on the passing attack. In fact, they will mostly use the pass to set up the ground game. Da’Rel Scott had a great sophomore campaign, tallying 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns. But it is not just Scott. Davin Meggett and Morgan Green are more than capable backups and that three headed ground attack could be the best in the conference.

Maryland’s Weakness:

The defense lost seven starters from a unit that was not that good to begin with. Alex Wujciak is a solid linebacker and will have to be the team’s leader. One of the main reasons for the lack of defensive production was due to the poor pass rush. Hardly anybody on the front line was a consistent rusher last year and the prospects of finding a new one are slim. That leaves a ton of pressure on the secondary, especially since they are now without Kevin Barnes. Corners Anthony Wiseman and Jamari McCollough and safety Terrell Skinner are quality players, but none of them could keep up with Barnes. Unless Maryland finds a way to get into the opposing backfield, the secondary will once again rank towards the bottom of the conference in pass defense.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Terrapins:

In the end, the success or failure of this season will depend on the offense. If Turner can take a step up and have a good senior year, the Terps could be in for a good season. However, his success will depend on the play of the offensive line. Guard Jaimie Thomas, center Edwin Williams and tackle Scott Burley are all gone and it could take a while for the line to adjust. Bruce Campbell and Phil Costa are a good duo to work around, but can they make big enough holes for the talented running backs and protect Turner.

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