A Sad Day for MD Football
by Ben Goldstein on Sep 19, 2009 9:00 PM EDT
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It's hard to find the words that accurately describe how I'm feeling right now. And I'm sure that whatever I'm feeling can't be as bad as what Mr. Ralph Friedgen is going through. There's no way to put a positive spin on this one; nothing really great to take away from today's game. It is simply a sad day for MD Football. Four turnovers. 400 yards given up. Getting driven on 60 yards with two minutes left and the game on the line in your stadium. All against a team from the Sun Belt conference that "upset" you the previous year. I'm sorry but there's simply no excuse. There's no excuse for losing to Middle Tennessee State. Not twice. Not two years in a row. Not now. Not ever. We are Maryland. They are Middle Tennessee State. It just shouldn't happen. Fridge can pull the all too familiar "we're young" excuse. He can tell us that he just doesn't know how to get through to his guys. He can say whatever he wants. The bottom line is that we have been a subpar football program in the ACC for the last five or six years. And at the moment, we're one of the worst, if not the worst, in the ACC. One reason for the team's dreadful start this year is the horrid play of the "young" offensive line. But at the end of the day, who's fault is that? Fridge does the recruiting. He knew that the majority of the line was going to graduate last season. Did he just forget to recruit linemen from 2005 through 2008. Does any other ACC O-line have two walk-ons starting? The fact that his line is young and inexperienced falls solely on his shoulders. Though the line has been horrible this season, it is not the reason for this program's decline over the last six years. In fact, it has little to do with a lack of talent. We've had numerous first round draft picks the last six years and we bring in decent recruiting classes. Our football team is certainly more talented than Middle Tennessee State's and they're more talented than JMU. Our players are at Maryland, and not a Sun Belt or 1-AA school, for a reason. We have an All-ACC back, a 5th year senior starting Quarterback, a potentially explosive group of wide receivers, a Bednarick nominee at linebacker, and a few other solid playmakers on defense. The problems of this program run much deeper than talent. They stem from the inability of the coaching staff to get any team to live up to its potential, and the inability of any Terps team in the last six years, to maintain some sort of consistency. Love ya Ralph, but that falls on you. I'm not calling for his head just yet. And I'm trying hard not to overreact from one loss. But I think it's pretty evident that this program has been in a steady decline since 2001. We're not the same Terps that hoisted the ACC Championship trophy, or competed in an Orange Bowl, or even made it to a halfway respectable bowl game each year. No, now we play in the Humanitarian Bowl. Actually, this year, we probably won't be playing in a bowl. We are undoubtedly going in the wrong direction and someone needs to put a stop to the slide. Otherwise, this school will simply fade back into College Football oblivion. Yes, today was definitely not a great day to be a Terp. Last week wasn't either. And neither was the 52-13 Cal thrashing from Week 1. I'll continue to go to games, cheer loudly, and support this team, because I am and always will be a Terp. But something needs to change and it needs to change soon. This University and its fans deserve better.
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I agree with everything you’ve said here. and I want to add this: if things continue like this for the remainder of the season, and the Terps don’t sho improvment, ralph will have to go.
Now, i’m not saying that it’s a done deal. if the Terps improve this year and play to their potential, there may be no reason for him to go. but after three lackluster (if not embarrassing) performances this season, it could be time for a change. when it comes to head coaches, i’ve always believed that there is always, eventually, “a time for a change.” even if the team finishes 7-5 and makes a bowl game, sometimes you just need to make a change, because whatever worked before simply isnt working any more.
Mike Shanahan is a perfect example. the Broncos were good for a long time under him, and the last few years that hadn;t been great, but they werent god awful. but players weren;t responding to him, and his strategies were ust not working anymore.
now again, i’m not calling for ralph’s head yet, but if it continues flike this or a whole season, I’ll be the leader of the fire ralph campaign this offseason.
+1
Great post, as usual. Made all the more salient by the fact that the author is not one of those hyperventilating lunatics who call for a coach’s head on a whim.
A few things:
1—Their problems are systemic and lasting. Despite last year’s good record “on paper,” if you watched their weak wins (Miami) and definitive losses (Virginia) it pointed to major issues.
2—You’re spot on about the offensive line. What could they possibly have been thinking? (“Honey, I Forgot to Recruit Offensive LInemen!”)
3—A guy on the radio last night was saying that their problems stem from a lack of good players in the trenches—along the O- and D-lines—which is an obvious but fairly good point. They don’t lack the sexy skill players (as you listed above) but the lunchpail guys are sorely inadequate.
I have a vivid memory of the Georgia Tech game in Fridge’s magical first season. GT was attempting a punt and E.J. Henderson just exploded through the line with such violence, I remember being amazed that it was Maryland football I was watching.
That group played with some real heat that’s been mostly lacking ever since.
Bagold, I have a somewhat different view of what is wrong with the program
I agree in part with much of what you say. However, I don’t think the program has been in a steady decline since 2001. I think the decline with the program began when Gary Blackney left. Within a season we couldn’t hold opponents under three TDs a game. It is tough to win consistently under those circumstances. Ralph’s coaching produced a 9-4 season in 2006 but it was his offense that did it. When the offense struggled in 2007, the problems with the defense were exposed. I don’t know if Don Brown can rebuild the defense, but if he can we can win consistently again. Plus, there is a lot of defensive talent in our 2009 class including two badly needed DEs ( I am including Mackall) that should be able to contribute soon. However, unlike the situation with Cosh, Brown shouldn’t be given several years to get this done. If we don’t see real progress by the latter part of this season, Ralph needs to get someone else in here.
Ralph and Debbie also have to make winning the highest program priority. Winning has taken a backseat to other AD program objectives. Ralph is not going to let graduation rates decline. What he needs from the AD and fans is a constant reminder of what is expected of the program in wins. I particularly dislike the $300K budget reduction at a time when football needs a boost. It is the wrong message for the team and fans. And you are right about the excuses from Ralph. It is his job to deal with the rebuilding the team, the injuries,and all the other diversions but still produce wins.
By the way, as to the guys in the trenches, we have DeSouza, White, Fulper, Klemm, Kerr, and Blue in the 2009 class. We just have to be more consistent from year to year.
Replies
Josh – I think you’re absolutely right about the “time for a change” thing. Another good example is Brian Billick and the Ravens two years ago.
Knoxbox – Appreciate the compliment. The lack of trench players is definitely evident in this year’s squad but the good news is that our ’09 class is filled with some decent ones.
Wmterp – Just based on W/L record, the Terps have technically been declining since 2001 but I agree with your general point. Looking back over the records, the decline really accelerated in 2004 (we went 5-6 that year after going 10-3 in 2003). I also agree with about Blackney. The D has been notably worse ever since he left.
Amen
It isn’t one game. It is the pattern from 2004 through 2009.
Ralph took the program up a notch, but now he needs to step aside and give it to someone who can carry it farther. Not sure if that means Franklin or Brown.
Again, a slightly different view about W/L's and the decline of the program
I thought ‘01 was kind of an aberration. “Everything” went our way. It was great fun but not something we should expect. Realistically, I thought we were a 10-3 or 9-4 team…a solid contender. Then we had QB problems in ’04 and ’05, but by ’06 we were back at 9-4 with a good bowl win over Purdue. I was really encouraged by how we came back. To me, every team can have bad years but the test of the program is whether a team can get back to winning quickly. I thought we had recovered by ’06 so I still believed in the program. However, since Blackney left, we haven’t had a good defense. We are into our fourth year and we’ve had some big losses. Is the program still sound? We’ll see. If Don Brown turns it around, we can write off the Cosh years to a judgment error in hiring him. If Don Brown also fails, we know the program is declining.
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