The thinking going in to last season is that Randy Edsall was going to make Maryland a consistent contender. But after one season, you could have made the argument that Maryland could have let him go. It was that much of a disaster. Players left the school at a rapid rate. The team performed about as well as a car without an engine. Even some of Maryland's biggest supporters were questioning the hire. The Terps finished 2-10, and lost their final eight games by a score of 309-179. Fortunately, the offense has a familiar foe leading it in Mike Locksley, former coach of New Mexico, and a guy who was a big key in Maryland's success at the beginning of the 2000's.
Offense
There is not a lot of experience at the skill positions. The quarterback play was ok, and C.J. Brown was primed to have a nice season until he tore his ACL and will miss the season. He was a strong running quarterback who did need to improve his passing (completed 49% of his passes) Now the quarterback position is a gigantic question mark, one bigger than this screen. It'll be down to two true freshmen in Caleb Rowe and Perry Hills. The pass offense was 110th in the nation in pass efficiency last year, and completed only 53% of their passes.
The depth at running back is not that experienced either. It's top two leading rushers are gone, and the leading returning rusher was Justus Pickett with 274 yards. He only carried the ball 74 times, and averaged 3.7 yards per carry. He's also the most experienced running back as a sophomore. Behind him is a redshirt freshman in Brandon Ross, and another true freshman in Wes Brown, who was very highly touted coming out of high school. While it may not show it this year, this position will be set for years to come.
If there is a plus side to the offense, it's the experience at the receiver position. All three projected starters caught passes last year, led by Kevin Dorsey. The senior was the best of the bunch last year, leading the team with 45 receptions, 573 yards, and three touchdowns. Right behind him is Kerry Boykins with 37 catches and 430 yards as a junior. Marcus Leak started two games and caught 12 passes as well. At tight end, Matt Furstenburg is going to be the quarterback's best friend. He was the fourth leading receiver on the team with 31 catches and 348 yards. With a freshman coming in at quarterback, I think Furstenburg is primed for a big season.
You certainly can't blame the offense's issues last season on the offensive line. This was a pretty strong unit. The running game averaged 4.8 yards per carry, and only allowed 17 sacks, and 10 of them came in a two week stretch against Clemson and Florida State. The line didn't permit a sack in six games last year. Unfortunately, just like the rest of the offense, there are concerns on the line due to defections. Sal Conaboy started the last two games at center in place of Bennett Fulper, who has returned and is slated over at one of the guard spots, along with De'Onte Arnett. Justin Gilbert and Nick Klemm are slated to start at the tackle spots.
Defense
Unlike the offense, the defense is a little more settled. The downside though is that this defense gave up over 34 points per game last year. And it ranked last in pretty much every important defensive category. New defensive coordinator Brian Stewart is transitioning the defense to the 3-4. The front seven is back mostly in tact, led by a really strong defensive line, led by Joe Vellano. Sure, he's a defensive lineman, but he still had 94 tackles last year. He tackles anything that gets near him. Along side Vellano, A.J. Francis started four games last year and had 31 tackles. If you're on twitter, go follow him @The_Franchyze. He's a must follow. Also on the line is Andre Monroe, who only had 18 tackles, but five of them were sacks.
The linebackers for Maryland don't get a lot of publicity because of how bad the team was, but this is a good group of linebackers, which features three seniors. Demetrius Hartsfield led the team with 108 tackles, and was among the team's leaders in tackles for loss with seven.He's started 29 games in three years. Darin Drakeford returns after starting eight games and contributing 68 tackles. L.A. Goree started seven games as a freshman, and performed well. He had 60 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and an interception. The key to the linebacking corps is getting Kenny Tate back healthy. He was an All ACC linebacker two years ago, and was on his way to doing the same when an injury derailed his season. If he returns to pre injury form, he should be an All ACC player again this year.
While the Terps pass defense wasn't too far off from 2010 numbers in terms of yards per game allowed, the completion percentage skyrocketed from 54% in 2010 to nearly 66% last year. The secondary returns one starter at cornerback and safety. At corner, Dexter McDougle returns after starting all 12 games last year and tying for the team lead with three interceptions. Jeremiah Johnson will be the other starter. He played sparingly last year. He should not be confused with the 1972 film of the same name starring Robert Redford. At safety, Eric Franklin was second on the team with 106 tackles. He will have a new starter along side him. Matt Robinson is a redshirt sophomore who started three games last year before getting bit by the injury bug.
Special Teams
Nick Ferrara handled both kicking and punting duties last year, but that will change this year. Between kicking and punting, he kicked over 100 times. His field goal kicking was not that great (12-20, long of 42). His punting was ok (39.5 average). Perhaps handling both wore his kicking foot out a little. He should still handle kicking, but there will be a new punter. Nathan Renfro is a redshirt freshman who has a big leg. The return game will look a little different. Justus Pickett handled them last year, but with him having a bigger role in the offense, he will relinquish those duties. Look for Brandon Ross and Dexter McDougle to handle more of the load.
Fun Fact
Not to harp on how bad last year was so much, but to give you more of an idea of how bad things were, the Terps gave up a minimum of 21 points in every game against their FBS opponents.
Will's Prediction
Year number two under Randy Edsall will be very interesting to watch. With a freshman starting at quarterback and a sophomore at running back, there isn't a lot of experience at these key spots. It'll be up to Mike Locksley to work some magic. Whoever wins the quarterback job will have some weapons to throw the ball to. The defense should be better provided it stays healthy, but this defense is transitioning to the 3-4, and that could take some time to get used too. The schedule is pretty tough. After the opening game against William & Mary, they go to Temple, host UConn, and go to West Virginia before entering conference play. Given the transitions and the schedule, it will still be a tough season to watch for Maryland fans. I think they'll win more than two games, but not much more than that.
