MARYLAND TERRAPINS O:6 D:7

What a strange trip it’s been for Head Coach Ralph Friedgen and the Maryland Terrapins. In his first three seasons as head coach, the Terps went 31-8 and played in three straight bowl games; winning two of three. Since then, they’ve put forth back-to-back 5-6 campaigns and haven’t been able to lace up their bowling shoes. “The Fridge” is sick of it, and stated “He’s tired of losing. It’s time to start winning again.” Easier said then done though as the turtles lose a number of high impact players, and only return 13 starters overall. QB Sam Hollenbach is back to lead the offense, but he’ll be working with a very green yet talented WR corps that loses all five of its top pass catchers from a year ago. Therefore, the offense will rely on RB Josh Allen whose back after sitting out all of 2005 and RB Lance Ball who was second Team ACC last year rushing for nearly 1000 yards. A major plus is that of the O-Line which just might be the deepest in the country. Oh yeah, it’s talented too and the Terps should no doubt have at least one 1000-yard rusher this season if not two. Hopefully QB Hollenbach will be able to limit his INT’s, and the offense can convert in the red zone. If so, look for the Terps offense to be a weapon once again. Defensively, there are some holes to fill, but the unit returns seven starters and HC Friedgen believes this unit could be as good as his 2003 version that held opponents to 16 PPG and 308 YPG. Special Teams boast an excellent punter in Adam Podlesh whose been 2 nd Team ACC three straight seasons, and upgraded at the kicker position as well. The first month of the season will be a great barometer test for this club. Only a trip to Morgantown looks to be a loss right now, but it will gets these guys ready for the ACC road with games at GTECH, Virginia, Clemson, and BC. HC Friedgen has proven he can win in College Park, but the last two seasons have caused concerns about Maryland's football future in the expanded ACC. Look for the Terps to hover around the .500 mark once again, but be solid for years to come as this is still a very young football team.