Terrapins Insider

Greetings, everyone. It’s finally game week in College Park after Maryland’s bye week. I’m back after a 10-day battle with pneumonia that caused me to miss the victory over Duke. I did get to watch a lot of it on the much-maligned ESPN3.com. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with it. The picture quality was fine. I tuned out the broadcasters for the most part. But what I enjoyed the most were the statistics available on the same screen.

I will have information and insight from Maryland and Clemson throughout the week. At 4-1, Maryland is one win better than most people thought they’d be at this point, but the jury is still out on this team. Clemson, however, is 2-3 and is better than its record indicates. The Tigers have lost three straight games, to Auburn, Miami and North Carolina. Make no mistake, this is a dangerous team. But it also is a team capable of beating itself, so I fully expect Clemson to give Maryland some chances to remain in the game Saturday.

Another issue in this game is that Maryland has not won a road game in two years – since the comeback at Clemson in 2008. Hard to believe it has been that long. The question I have is this: While playing in Death Valley is difficult, is it a more hostile environment than West Virginia? My vote goes to West Virginia. I don't remember Clemson fans being particularly hostile.

Clemson, Maryland's next opponent, suffered a 21-16 loss to North Carolina on Saturday.

From the Associated Press:

Johnny White rushed for two touchdowns and gained 179 total yards, and North Carolina held on to beat Clemson 21-16 on Saturday for its third straight victory.

White caught six passes for 90 yards, finished with 89 yards rushing and scored on runs of 4 and 26 yards.

T.J. Yates was 18-for-34 for 164 yards with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jheranie Boyd for the Tar Heels (3-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). They coaxed just enough production out of the offense to beat the Tigers for the first time since 2001.

Kyle Parker's 74-yard TD pass to Jaron Brown with 5:31 left pulled the Tigers (2-3, 0-2) within five, but they couldn't convert the two-point attempt and didn't get the ball back until only 13 seconds remained. Parker then threw three deep passes, all incompletions.

He finished 21-for-38 for 214 yards for the Tigers, who were held to a season-low 305 total yards and lost their third straight.

The Tar Heels - who finished with 255 total yards and were held to 15 total yards in the third quarter - certainly needed both of White's scoring runs. Two plays after his 12-yard catch from Yates on fourth-and-4, White bounced off a series of tacklers on his way to the end zone. That 26-yarder came with 6:53 to play, when he bounced off a series of tacklers and scored from 26 yards out to extend North Carolina's lead to 21-10.

Jamie Harper pulled the Tigers to 14-10 with a 10-yard touchdown run with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third. Clemson drove into North Carolina territory on its next possession, but the drive stalled at the 24 and Chandler Catanzaro's 42-yard field goal was wide right.

Brown finished with 107 yards receiving on four catches for the Tigers.

On a day safety Deunta Williams returned to the Tar Heels following a four-game suspension, the school also announced a few hours before kickoff that reserve fullback Devon Ramsay - who had played in the previous four games - would sit out after additional information turned up in the ongoing NCAA investigation of the program. The school also said safety Jonathan Smith - who had been held out - would not play this season, but didn't specify why.

That had the potential to create yet another distraction in a season full of them for the Tar Heels, but they certainly came out looking focused. White powered in from 4 yards out to cap their opening drive - a 12-play, 48-yard march during which Yates was 6 of 7 for 35 yards.

North Carolina's offense was stuck in neutral for much of the rest of the half, with Yates misfiring on 7 of 9 attempts during a rough stretch that preceded his pretty 51-yard strike to a streaking White down the left sideline. That kept alive an 80-yard drive that the senior quarterback capped with his scoring pass to Boyd with 54 seconds before the half, putting the Tar Heels up 14-3.

Clemson had pulled to 7-3 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half on Catanzaro's 48-yard field goal.

Joe Harrington, Maryland’s director of men’s basketball student services, remains in that position. A team spokesman told The Post on Thursday that the former teammate of Coach Gary Williams had left the post to pursue other interests. That information was incorrect.

Harrington, who coached at George Mason from 1980 to 1987, played alongside Williams at Maryland under Bud Millikin. He joined Williams’ staff in November 2007, following head coaching stints at Long Beach State and Colorado. He also served as an assistant on the staff of the Toronto Raptors.

Joe Harrington, Maryland’s director of men’s basketball student services, has left the coaching staff to pursue other interests, a team spokesman confirmed Thursday.

Harrington, who coached at George Mason from 1980 to 1987, was a teammate of Coach Gary Williams at Maryland under Bud Millikin. He joined Williams’ staff in November 2007, following head coaching stints at Long Beach State and Colorado. He also served as an assistant on the staff of the Toronto Raptors.

Maryland center Jordan Williams is among the 50 college basketball players named as pre-season favorites to win the John Wooden Award, the sport’s top individual honor.

The 6-10 Williams, of Torrington, Conn., is among 10 sophomores and among eight players from the Atlantic Coast Conference named to the list Monday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Williams averaged 9.6 points and led the Terrapins with 8.6 rebounds last season.

Other ACC players named to the pre-season list: Malcolm Delany, Virginia Tech; John Henson, North Carolina; Kyle Singler, Duke; Chris Singleton, Florida State; Nolan Smith, Duke; Tracy Smith, N.C. State; and Joe Trapani, Boston College.

In addition, Austin Freeman of Georgetown drew pre-season honors.

Injuries: While Coach Ralph Friedgen was obviously pleased to head into the bye week 4-1, he said he was even more grateful for the opportunity to get his players healthy.

Saturday’s 21-16 victory over Duke added to the ranks of the ailing, with Friedgen citing the following: linebacker Adrian Moten (ankle), free safety Eric Franklin (hamstring pull) and tight end Dave Stinebaugh (knee). It was unclear how serious those injuries were.

Meantime, receiver Torrey Smith remains limited, used sparingly against Duke (2 catches for 50 yards, including the 44-yarder that keyed the first-half touchdown). But quarterback Danny O’Brien said he’s fully recovered from the high ankle sprain and wore a brace only as a precaution.

“What we need to do is get well,” Friedgen said. “I think our kids need to get away from football for a little bit. They were here all summer, had a week off before we came back. And we’ve been pounding it pretty good.”

Maryland returns to action Oct. 16 for the first of two consecutive road games, against Clemson and Boston College.

Signs of progress, room for improvement: With twice as many victories as they managed last season, the 2010 Terrapins are clearly a better squad than the 2009 bunch. The key difference, in Friedgen’s view, showed itself late in the fourth quarter against Duke, with the Blue Devils driving for what could easily have been the game-winning score. The Terps’ defense stood tall and squelched the drive with tremendous effort by linebacker Alex Wujciak and safety Antwine Perez in breaking up quarterback Sean Renfree’s final throw to the end zone.

“We’re learning how to finish games,” Friedgen said. “Last year they would have gone downfield and scored the winning touchdown.”

Another point of pride: It was the second consecutive game without a Terp turnover.

Still, penalties continue to be a concern (against Duke, seven for 53 yards). And the rushing game isn’t as consistent as it should be. Entering Saturday’s game, Duke has been surrendering 229 yards rushing per game. Maryland managed just 124 yards on the ground, with Davin Meggett accounting for a team-high 57.

Too much fun: Few of Tony Logan’s teammates were surprised when he celebrating his second sizzling run-back of a punt for a touchdown in as many games by hurling the ball into the stadium wall. Logan had told them in advance he intended to do just that if he scored on a return.

But the antics drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a gentle rebuke from Friedgen, who later confessed he wouldn’t have minded terribly if Logan had brought down the stadium wall with his celebratory throw.

The 84-yard return, just minutes into the third quarter with the Terps trailing, 9-7, sparked the Maryland comeback.

As Friedgen recounted the conversation: “I told him, ‘Great job, but it was kind of a selfish thing you did. Now we’re kicking off from the 15. I understand your enthusiasm, but you can’t do that.’ ”

Later, he said, Logan came up to him and apologized.

Aside from the Morgan State game, this is the easiest game to pick all season: Maryland in a runaway. Duke’s defense can’t stop anyone. Maryland’s defense can at least stop opponents in the red zone. It’s a battle of two promising young quarterbacks, but Maryland’s Danny O’Brien has not yet shown that he is turnover prone. Duke’s Sean Renfree has seven interceptions this season. Maryland’s Tony Logan gives the Terrapins an advantage at punt return, as well. Duke was expected to regress this season, but the fall has been greater than anticipated. It will be a struggle for the Blue Devils to win another game.

Maryland 38, Duke 21

Your thoughts?

Maryland punter Travis Baltz is a semifinalist for this award.

Here is the news release:

Selected as the best and brightest from the college gridiron, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the 121 semifinalists for the 2010 William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), endowed by HealthSouth, and the candidates for the 2010 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.

"This year's Campbell Trophy semifinalists embody the National Football Foundation's mission of building leaders through football," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (1997 Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "They are standouts in the classroom and on the field and have become leaders in their respective communities. Each school should take great pride in being represented by such well-rounded young men who will undoubtedly go on to do great things in life."

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The trophy was renamed last fall in honor of Bill Campbell , the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal.

"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each Campbell Trophy semifinalist for maintaining such high standards throughout their collegiate careers," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell . "We are extremely proud to showcase their achievements, and there is no question that the NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from among this esteemed group."

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 15 finalists and announce the results via national press release on Thursday, Oct. 28. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2010 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Campbell Trophy winner, who will have his scholarship increased to $25,000 and receive a 25-pound bronze trophy, will be announced live at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7 at the prestigious Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. A total distribution of $277,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening, bringing the NFF's all-time scholarship distribution to $9.5 million.

Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to award post-graduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments. The William V. Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and five first-round NFL draft picks. The University of Florida's Tim Tebow was named the 2009 Campbell Trophy recipient and last year's finalists combined for a 3.77 average GPA. The class boasted 14 academic all-conference student-athletes, including seven academic All-America picks; 14 all-conference players, including six All-America picks; 16 team captains; one Heisman Trophy winner; and eight members of conference championship teams.

Maryland is 3-1 because of turnover margin. Duke is 1-3 because of turnover margin.

The Terrapins are tied for 10th nationally in turnover margin this season. Last season, they were tied for 97th and could not hang onto the football. After committing 24 turnovers last season, Maryland has turned over the ball just four times – two fumbles, two interceptions – in four games this season.

Ball security has become an obsession for Coach Ralph Friedgen, who made players carry around bunched-up towels during winter workouts because NCAA rules prohibit them from carrying a football. They carried the towels throughout their workouts, fearful of letting the cloth hit the ground. The commitment continues in practice: The Terrapins start each practice with ball-security drills.

“We do it every day,” Friedgen said. “If I see them getting lax, I’m on the coaches, I’m on [players]. I emphasized it before, but not like I am now. It is a passion with me right now. Hold onto the football, you win games.”

As for Duke, the Blue Devils are tied for 100th in turnover margin this season.

Anyone catch Ralph's radio show last night? How was it?

Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien said Tuesday night that he has not been told yet whether he will start Saturday's game against Duke. He said he and Jamarr Robinson have been splitting reps in practice and that Robinson was still a little banged up because of his sore shoulder.

Whether he starts or not, O’Brien will be facing a familiar face Saturday in Duke Coach David Cutcliffe. Duke was the first school to offer O’Brien a college scholarship. “They have a great coaching staff,” O’Brien said. “I have a lot of great memories from them recruiting me.”

O’Brien earned ACC rookie of the week honors for his performance against FIU in his first career start. He threw two touchdown passes and did not throw an interception. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 250 yards.

“There were several plays I would love to have back,” O’Brien said. “I didn’t play a perfect game by any means. Missing a throw there, missing a hot read there.”

James Franklin, Maryland’s offensive coordinator, grades the quarterbacks after games. O’Brien said Franklin gave him a grade of 1.3 and that a "winning grade" is a 1.5.

“He’s tough,” O’Brien said. “He’s got high standards, but I kind of like that.”