After what in my opinion was the most heartbreaking loss of the season against Florida State there are rumblings that Ralph Friedgen's era at Maryland might be coming to a close and that the entire staff, including head coach in waiting James Franklin, might be on their way out as well. According to the Washington Post the $4 million buyout of Friedgen's contract and the $1 million payout to Franklin might not be an insurmoutable issue in getting a new head coach for the football program. We'll all know soon enough if Friedgen is to return but there is a feeling that a sea change has occurred in the attitudes among those necessary to make a buyout happen.
As for the game I'll have more on that in my normal Monday roundup. I thought quarterback Jamarr Robinson had an impressive game and the offensive line had the best game of the season by far. Frankly the unit played so much better than they had all year it was hard to believe. The defense will get a great deal of blame for the breakdowns at the end of the fourth quarter but some really poor playcalling and a special teams gaffe were just as responsible. It was a shame because it was a game this team should have won. The poor fundamentals have to reflect on the coaching staff such as punt coverage and tackling. This staff isn't the worst in the ACC but they are probably not that far off either. Unlike Gary Williams they can't make chicken salad out of chicken you know what and the talent level isn't high enough to hide some of the failings of the staff which have become all to evident this season.
Either way the next few weeks will probably see the biggest change in Maryland sports since winning the national title in basketball.
