Just A Victory Not Enough for Maryland

If there's one school that needs to make a statement this Saturday, it's Virginia. And after that, it's probably Duke. Probably Oregon after that, and then Oklahoma. But if you keep following that list down, you'll eventually hit Maryland.

And truly, Maryland needs to make a statement against James Madison. The Terps cannot come out with another 14-7 win over an FCS team, like last year against Delaware. Even a 27-14 game - like that against William and Mary in 2006 - wouldn't ease most fans' concerns.

To settle minds, the Terps needs to come out and shut down an inferior opponent. Doing so may show that the California game was an abnormality, not what should be expected the rest of the year. At the very least, both players and coaches need to show that they have made adjustments and are working toward a good position.

It seems Demetrius Hartsfield and Adrian Moten concur. Of course, Hartsfield had the same thing going before Cal, but that's one of the reasons I - and many others - think he'll be a great Terp, possibly on a Henderson level.

Regardless, one thing is clear - this team has to play with a chip on their shoulder and make a statement. Last year, they did it twice - first against Cal after losing to Middle Tennessee State, and then against Wake Forest after getting shut out against Virginia. It has to be done again - there's a lot of worrying about Maryland football right now, and beating James Madison by 10 won't quell those fears.