Is Maryland Last-Place Bad?

by Ben Broman on Jul 9, 2009 11:09 PM EDT in Football

I know Maryland football isn't going to be great next year, but are the Terps last-in-the-ACC-Atlantic bad? Tony Barnhart looked at every major football magazine preview and listed their predictions. He then threw his own into the hat. The consensus? Maryland will finish dead last.

Athlon: Florida State, N.C. State, Clemson, Wake Forest, Boston College, Maryland

Lindy's: Florida State, Wake Forest, Clemson, N.C. State, Boston College, Maryland

Phil Steele: Clemson, Florida State, Boston College (tie 3rd), N.C. State (tie 3rd), Wake Forest, Maryland

Sporting News: Florida State, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Clemson, Maryland, Boston College

The Kickoff: N.C. State, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, Boston College

Then, when you throw in Barnhart's prediction (yet another last placer), Maryland is easily the last team in the conference, at least according to these guys. Barnhart had this to say:

Maryland: The Terps have their offense back on track with James Franklin calling the plays for QB Chris Turner and RB Da'Rel Scott (1,133 yards in 2008). But the issues last season were on defense and veteran Don Brown has been called in to fix it. He'll have to work some magic, which includes replacing seven starters, in order to keep the Terps out of the cellar.

I understand the issues at hand on the team, but he doesn't present a very convincing argument. The defense should see an improvement, not a drop. I'd be surprised if Travis Ivey and Dion Armstrong don't perform to Navarre and Bemi's level. Kevin Barnes can scarcely be called a starter, as he missed half the season anyway. Jeff Allen's departure isn't a big deal, as Kenny Tate and Antwine Perez are still there. Add in a defensive coordinator who knows what he's doing, and the defense won't be worse. Maybe not a big improvement, but probably not a decrease. The bigger issue is on the offensive line, which was mediocre last year and will be even younger now. Outside of Bruce Campbell, the entire line scares me.

Is Maryland really that bad this year? I don't think so - I'm actually expecting another bowl. But these kind of thoughts aren't exactly good omens.

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Comments

Unless we plan on getting a good quarterback

I can’t see how anything better than 6 – 6 and 5th place is a possibility. We easily have the worst quarterback play in the conference, and arguably had it before we lost the top receiving threat in the conference. Will the team have a strong running attack? It’s a likelihood, but opponents will be able to play 8-in-the-box (or 9, that’s how bad our QBs are), and deal with them before long.

I hate to say it, but I agree with the projections. I’ll be rooting for 12 – 0, of course. We can dream :)

Is Clint Hurdle fired yet? YES
Is John Paxson fired yet?
Is Ralph Friedgen fired yet?
Is Vinny Del Negro fired yet?
Is Dan O' Dowd fired yet?
Is Jerry Angelo fired yet?

by ES46NE10 on Jul 10, 2009 2:14 PM EDT reply actions

Sorry Es46NE10

…but I disagree. Surner’s passing rating last year was 119.31, which puts him 6th in the ACC. Passing yards he was #2, less than 100 yards behind Cullen Harper. The kid is a gamer. Does he have a lot to improve on? Sure thing and I’d say decision making might be one of those. But no way the Terps finish last and no way is Turner as bad as you make him think.

by Dave Tucker on Jul 10, 2009 3:42 PM EDT reply actions

Turner et al

Turner will do just fine if he isn’t constantly being chased out of the pocket. I actually think Don Brown’s defense will make the offense better. Practice should be much more like actual game situations as Brown installs that aggressive defense. Hopefully our read and react days are over. As to how good or bad the Terps will be, I just don’t see last place. I think they’ll go to a bowl and if Brown does wonders, they could have a very good year and an even brighter future.

by wmterp on Jul 11, 2009 1:10 PM EDT reply actions

Turner, Defense

If Turner gets pass protection he will be golden. Turner is actually one of the better QBs in the conference; there’s no way he’s the worst. I think there are a few who are probably better QBs in the ACC (Russell Wilson is probably one — he was a freshman, so we will see), but none are head and shoulders above Turner. He’s got good game IQ, decent arm strength and accuracy, and he’s resilient. I highly doubt any other ACC QB would have exceeded his performance with the uneven offensive line play we had last season.

Another thing that hurt us the last year or two was the defense was on the field too much. In 2008, we always seemed to be at a pretty significant disadvantage in time of possession, even in games that were wins. That’s because oftentimes the offense either went three-and-out or scored almost immediately. On top of that, we often entered into a “prevent defense” to cling to a lead.

by JC1 on Jul 13, 2009 12:11 AM EDT reply actions