Maryland Terrapins O:6 D:7
Head coach Ralph Friedgen and the Maryland Terrapins have had a strange tenure thus far. In his first three seasons, the Terrapins went 31-8 and played in three straight bowl games and won two of them. However, they've put forth consecutive 5-6 campaigns and haven't been to a bowl game since. Friedgen has had it, and stated "He's tired of losing. It's time to start winning again." This is not that easy to correct after losing a number of key players, with only 13 returning starters.
Quarterback Sam Hollenbach will lead the offense, but the talent around him is very young having lost 5 of last years wide receiver. So they have to rely on running back Josh Allen who returns after missing all 2005 and second Team ACC running back Lance Ball who last year rushed for nearly 1,000 yards. They might just have the deepest team in the NCAA on the offensive line which is a plus. This means the Terps should have one or two 1,000 yard rushers this season. A lot hinges on the quarterback Hollenbach not throwing as many picks and increasing their offense in the red zone. If so, look for Maryland to be a dominant offensive team.
Defensively, they are far from perfect, but 7 returnees will be sure to help the cause. Head coach Friedgen thinks this squad could be as good as his 2003 team that held opponents to 16 points per game and 308 yards per game. Special Teams showcases an excellent punter in Adam Podlesh whose been 2nd Team ACC three straight years, and upgraded at the kicker position.
In the first month of the season it will be easy to measure the success of the program. Only a trip to Morgantown looks to be a loss in the here and now, but it will get the team ready for the ACC road with games at Virginia, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Boston College. Head coach Friedgen has shown that he can win in College Park, but Maryland's football future in this division have been called into question after two bad seasons. The Terps should be a .500 team which might be hard to swallow, but could develop into a force in the near future.
