Going into Saturday’s matchup against then-No. 20 Clemson, the Terps were given little chance to escape Death Valley with a victory unless if they played flawlessly. Well, as Ralph Friedgen stated after their 20-17 victory and again reiterated today, the Terps did not play particularly well, but were able to escape with a win in what the Fridge deemed a “weird” game.

Friedgen said he expected better from his offensive line this weekend, a sentiment seconded by center Edwin Williams, and addressed the injury problems on the defense, which seem to worsen each week. Against Virginia, the Terps will be without linebacker Adrien Moten, who had surgery on his injured wrist after the Clemson game. Doctors expect Moten to miss 4-5 weeks, Friedgen said.

Friedgen also spoke extensively about the size of Virginia’s offensive players, particularly their lineman, who average over 300 pounds. “They’re huge,” was Friedgen’s detailed summation. In terms of the Maryland-Virginia rivalry, Friedgen stressed that Virginia has always presented him a challenge, even going back to his days as a guard with the Terps and Cavs coach Al Groh’s days as a defensive end for Virginia.

Friedgen also talked about a “special feeling” he has about this year’s team, but he still worries that his message preaching focus and concentration is being lost amongst the players.

Once Friedgen was done, linebacker Moses Fokou and Williams spoke about the frustration over losing last year’s homecoming matchup against Virginia, particularly the coming-out party reserve tailback Mikell Simpson threw, rushing for 120 yards and two touchdowns and racking up another 152 receiving yards against a bewildered Terps defense. “We didn’t know who this kid was,” Fokou said. “We’re ready to go down and get revenge.”

And just in case the Fridge is among the Terrapin Trail’s loyal readers, Groh is indeed older than you.

So, how does a team get outgained 372 to 295 total yards and still win? Forcing three turnovers and committing none certainly helps. A 76-yard run by Darrius Heyward-Bey on a reverse to set up the Terps’ first touchdown also helped. But in tight games like Saturday’s, every little thing can have a profound impact on the final outcome.
Against the Tigers, Terp punter Travis Baltz averaged a net of 39.4 yards per punt and dropped three of seven boots inside Clemson’s 20-yard line. On the other side, Tigers punter Jimmy Maners averaged a net of only 30.6 on five punts, dropping one inside the Terps’ 20 and one for a touchback.

That’s nearly one additional first down the Terps added onto each Clemson drive, which can take its toll over the course of a long, physical game. Field position was a critical element to last week’s win over Eastern Michigan, and Saturday was no different — the Terps’ average starting field position for the game was the Clemson 35; the Tigers began on average on the Terps’ 24-yard line.

The importance of special teams play peaked in the fourth quarter, though. After the Terp offense failed to convert on third and 10, Baltz recorded his lone touchback of the game when he booted a 42-yard punt into Clemson’s end zone. The Terps’ defense stuffed Clemson at the 20, and Maners responded with a poor 35-yard punt that was returned 10 yards by Danny Oquendo to the Clemson 45.

Given another chance inside Clemson territory, the Terps and Oquendo (who had three catches for 43 yards on the drive) cashed in for the go-ahead touchdown and the game’s final score. In a game as close as this one was, it’s often the small, ignored aspects that make the difference. The Terps were able to overcome an explosive Tigers offense by being opportunistic on defense and forcing turnovers. But they needed Baltz to win the field position game and get them over the hump.

jnewmandbk@gmail.com

Congratulations to poster Scottford Sternberg, who has won the first of seven copies of NCAA Football 09 this week for his comment on the “Goins is Coming”post, which read:

I rate Goins’ bust factor somewhere between Jessica Simpson and Carmen Electra”

Understand that funny posts are not going to win every week. Intelligent posts and comedy posts alike will be judged and each week a new winner will be selected.

A valid e-mail address must be supplied to win, and the winner must then give us his full name before he is eligible to pick up his prize (which must be picked up in the South Campus Dining Hall). Identification must be shown upon pickup.

Anyone may enter, and there are still six more copies (some for Xbox360, others for PlayStation 3) to be had, one given out each week.

ajosephdbk@gmail.com

Some observations compiled while watching the Terps’ 20-17 win against No. 20 Clemson on television…

-Tremendous win for the Terps. They were seriously outplayed in the first half, but figured things out and were clearly the better team after halftime. Holding the Tigers’ offense scoreless for the entire second half is a big accomplishment. The Terps now have a serious case for a spot in the Top 25.

-The Tigers’ defense played with tremendous intensity, and was especially good in the first half. The Terps had a lot of trouble getting anything going in their running game. True freshman defensive end Da’Quan Bowers is a monster.

-Somebody needs to be able to throw a deep ball to Darrius Heyward-Bey. You could overthrow him by about 20 yards, and with his speed, he’d still find a way to get under it. Underthrowing him, as Turner so often does, is unacceptable. Turner wasn’t very good on several shorter throws, too.

-It took a little longer than usual, but Heyward-Bey made his standard huge play with a 76-yard run on a reverse to get the Terps back in it in the third quarter. This was the turning point in the game. He is unbelievable.

-Andrew Schmitt’s recovery of a muffed punt late in the first quarter had to be among the top three moments in the senior long snapper’s life. The Terps needed to get more than a field goal each off that play and Adrian Moten’s heads-up fumble recovery in the second quarter, and are lucky that failing to score touchdowns on those plays didn’t come back to haunt them.

-Chris Turner has completed every pass he’s ever thrown that deflected off Torrey Smith’s back toward Ronnie Tyler.

-It’s suprising none of the Clemson players got hurt when they ran down the hill before the game. It’s a pretty cool tradition, but if one 300-pounder slips at the top of the hill, he could take out half the team.

-I wonder why the Terps haven’t updated their media guide player photos that Raycom showed on its graphics of the Terp starters. When I talked to Dave Philistin this week, he had pretty long dreadlocks. He has a buzz cut in his picture.

-Clemson is apparently a long way from Middle Tennessee…

You know the drill. Here’s the latest on the Terps, Tigers, and the ACC. C’mon, you’ve got nothing better to do than sit at your computer and read all these links.

Terp Links:

• The internets are useful for many things, including, as Scott Keepfer of GreenvilleOnline.com found out, finding a realtor to sell Ralph Friedgen…
• Newsflash: Darrius Heyward-Bey is good, says Greg Swatek of the Frederick News-Post…
• I’m gonna cheat – here’s an old link to a Shawne Merriman link-fest created by ESPN’s Ted Bauer…
• After having a career year with the Minnesota Vikings in 2007, former Terp EJ Henderson is ready to establish himself as one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL…
• Former Terp and current Washington Redskin Stephon Heyer, who supplanted longtime starter Jon Jansen in the preseason, will likely miss Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys with a sore shoulder…

Tiger Links

•  After breaking his ankle last year against the Terps, Tigers wide receiver Jacoby Ford has become Clemson’s go-to guy…
• Will Vandervort of UpstateToday.com says the Tigers’ offensive line is so banged up, it now has former scout-team assistant-coaches starting for it…
• After opening the season with a loss to Alabama, the Tigers still have their doubters. Pete Iacobelli thinks a win against the Terps could go a long way towards silencing them…

ACC Links:

• What’s this? A Virginia Tech player in legal trouble…involving alcohol? Must be a misprint…
• Because that is sooooo Peter Lalich’s métier. His replacement, by the way, also has other talents. Thankfully for Virginia, it isn’t drinking…
• For those curious – yes, Duke still has a football program. They even have a pretty good player…
• Not that Terp fans would know anything about booing their home team, but the Boston Globe’s Mark Blaudschun doesn’t think you should do it…
• ESPN’s Heather Dinich is counting on the Terps to make up for what she deemed her “worst” week of picks this season…

It was fast times at the Gossett Team House this afternoon.

Coach Ralph Friedgen spent a good portion of his time with the media in his office discussing the music the Terps play at the end of practice (today’s featured song was Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer,” by the way), and Friedgen regaled the assemblage with Terp music stories past and present.

Ralph got pretty excited talking about how at Tuesday’s practice “Round and Round,” by Ratt got slipped into the mix.

Chris Turner’s father, John, was the original drummer for that band.

“[Offensive Coordinator] James [Franklin] told me yesterday that Turner came up to him and said ‘You’re playing one of my dad’s songs.’ I didn’t know what song that was, but that’s pretty funny,” Friedgen said with a belly laugh that would have put Santa Claus to shame.

Turner said later he didn’t think it was an accident.

Friedgen also suggested that he hire a “jukebox coordinator” for future practices, and said he was sure the team didn’t want to hear songs that he liked.

He then belted out a few bars of Sinatra to prove his point.

“And now, the end is near…” Friedgen sang.

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Hakeem Sule is a junior linebacker who spend his first two years on the scout team. Now, Sule starts on the kickoff and punt return teams, and is hoping to make it onto all four special teams and earn his first varsity letter before season’s end. Sule played at McDonough High School in Baltimore along with longtime-friend Darrius Heyward-Bey, whom Terrapin fans have become fairly familiar with. Sule sat down with us for this week’s edition of Meet the Player.

TT: The Deleware game was the first time you ever saw the field in a game. What was that first play like?

HS: Oh, it was exciting. It was quite different than practice, going in front of 40,000. In practice you don’t really hear anything. I thought I was going to hear the crowd and get all nervous – I didn’t even hear the snap. I just saw the ball move and just went after that. It happened so fast, a lot faster than practice.

TT: So you and Darrius have been good friends for awhile?

HS: I actually kind of convinced him to try out and play football. He’d never played football, he was really a basketball player.

TT: So all Terrapin fans can thank you for getting him to play football?

HS: Heh, me and a couple of coaches at my high school.

TT: What’s it like playing football with one of your best friends?

HS: It’s great man. It’s really great to watch him have his success. Now, he cheers me on more than I cheer him on. His mom and everybody’s behind me. He knows I work hard and I’m on of the guys that shows up everyday.

TT: So what do you do for fun?

HS: I love to play solitaire and sudoku. I get the Diamondback everyday to get the sudoku. And I’m trying to learn how to cook.

TT: Do you think you’re a sudoku master?

HS: Uh, I’m pretty good when we get to the medium level. Once the hard ones come, it takes me a little longer to do those.

TT: But are you one of those people who has to finish or you can’t put it down?

HS: Oh yeah, I have to finish them.

jnewmandbk@gmail.com

For those of you who don’t check our paper product (this internet sensation is going to cost me a job), TerrapinTrail.com is officially doling out a weekly prize for the best comment.

The prize, an NCAA Football 09 by EA Sports video game for either Playstation 3 or Xbox360 (sorry Wii), will be offered to anyone who provides an intelligent comment to a post on this blog, provides a real e-mail address and is willing to pick the game up from The Diamondback offices.

Everyoone is encouraged to respond, and the winner will be crowned each Sunday.

Thanks!

-Adi Joseph

ajosephdbk@gmail.com