At today’s luncheon, the Fridge addressed the play and health of the defense, particularly in the secondary, and how the team is preparing to play an explosive Clemson offense in Death Valley.

Freidgen had originally planned to redshirt safety Dominque Herald, but was forced to play him against Eastern Michigan because of injuries in the secondary. But Herald only saw the field for a couple plays before he too went down for the season with a torn ACL. Friedgen is still hoping that Herald can redshirt.

Travis Ivey, who at 325 pounds is the Terps’ largest defensive lineman, hasn’t played this season because of a fractured foot, but he will get a chance against the No. 20 Tigers to spell fellow lineman Jeremy Navarre.

“It’s just a question of how fast he’ll be ready,” Friedgen said concerning Ivey. “Jeremy’s been playing 65 to 70 plays a game, so if we can get 10 to 15 plays out of Travis this Saturday to spell Jeremy and play well, that’d be a big win for us.”

Safety Terrell Skinner looked good in practice yesterday and is listed as probable for Saturday. If Skinner returns, Fridgen said safety Antwine Perez will get the first look at replacing linebacker Adrian Moten, should Moten miss the game.

jnewmandbk@gmail.com

Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened at Ralph Friedgen’s weekly press conference today came before the Terrapin football coach stepped to the podium.

The power went out in the dining hall at Gossett Team House while media members sat eating their cheeseburgers shortly before Friedgen was scheduled to appear.

The lights still weren’t on when Ralph walked in at 1 p.m., so he patiently waited off to the side while university officials tried to find an alternative way for the television cameras to pick up the sound from the microphone at the podium.

The workers fiddled with some cords behind the “Terps” backdrop behind the podium as Associate Athletics Director/Media Relations Doug Dull ran a mic check, and one of the workers knocked into the backdrop and it began to fall toward Dull.

Friedgen casually caught the backdrop before it fell on Dull’s head, then quipped non-chalantly “Saved you again.”

When Friedgen began his press conference a few minutes later, I was left wondering when the last time he saved Doug Dull was.

schimmeldbk@gmail.com

Steve Goins, a 6-foot-10 inch, 260 pound freshman center from Chicago, is officially a member of the Terrapin men’s basketball team.

Goins commited to this university in June, but the Terps needed to wait until today before he was deemed eligible to play by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Last season, as a member of Curie Metropolitan High School (IL), Goins scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots per game.

Scout.com ranks him as the 27th best center of the 2008 class.

For more on Steve Goins and the Terps basketball team, read tomorrow’s Diamondback at http://www.diamondbackonline.com/.

mseligdbk@gmail.com

Fifty-one points. Pretty damn fun game to watch.

THE GOOD:

Offense from all over! So many different plays, so many different guys, so many downfield passes. This isn’t the Terp offense I’ve watched drag through games for the last four years. It was simply a fun game and if they can keep the playbook open, they should definitely be able to translate that into more success.

THE BAD:

Did anyone play well on defense? I believe the biggest problem for the Terps’ defense may just be conditioning. These guys seem to really wear down if they have to stay in the game for extended drives. Either the players must toughen up or the rotations must be quicker and more aggressive.

THE UGLY:

The secondary situation is simply attrocious. They need more help than normal from linebackers, which is why the linebackers looked so bad Saturday. Injuries are killing the Terps in the secondary, and Dominique Herald’s knee injury surely won’t help matters.

ajosephdbk@gmail.com

Average starting field position. It’s one of football’s most important and revealing statistics and yet it rarely receives the same attention as total yardage, third down conversions or completion percentage. A team’s SFP serves as a microcosm of it’s performance in all facets of the game – offense, defense, and special teams. The better a team moves, defends and punts the ball, the better its SFP and chances of winning will be.

Against Eastern Michigan it would be safe to say the Terps won the field position battle. On average, the Eagles began each drive from their own 27-yard line, or 73 yards away from the endzone. Conversely, the Terps’ average SFP was their own 43, only 57 yards away from paydirt. This put more pressure on the Eastern Michigan defense to defend a short field and gave the Terps defense more yardage to work with, which came in handy against an Eagles offense that moved the ball pretty well.

Eastern Michigan did not begin a drive in Terp territory and only three times began past their own 30-yard line. Thanks to a blocked punt, midfield interception, turnover on downs, and 57-yard kickoff return by receiver Torrey Smith, the Terps began four drives on the Eagles’ side of the field – three of them inside the 35-yard line – which resulted in two touchdowns and two field goals.

The Terps could use the advantage of short fields this Saturday against Clemson, which will boast a more talented and athletic defense than Eastern Michigan did.

jnewmandbk@gmail.com

Some observations compiled during the Terps 51-24 win against Eastern Michigan…

-That was a pretty interesting running style for Dominique Herald while he tried to find his balance returning a blocked punt in the first quarter. Adrien Moten’s block was the first of several huge plays by the Terps’ defense and special teams.

-That a boy, Obi! Terps kicker Obi Egekeze got off the snide with a 24-yard field goal on the Terps’ opening drive, then kicked two more later in the game. He deserved that big ovation he got after the first one. I wonder if he kept the ball.

-The Terps’ defense looked soft again on several Eastern Michigan drives and gave up way too many big plays. Not good.

-Good to see Morgan Green get his first career touchdown on a 1-yard run late in the first quarter. It hasn’t been easy for Green recently as he has dealt with a quadriceps injury.

-That trick play the Eagles ran on fourth and 2 early in the second quarter had about as good a chance to work as it would have if I was the running back trying to throw the ball.

-Another week, another touchdown for Darrius Heyward-Bey. No. 8 made a great adjustment on Chris Turner’s deep ball late in the second quarter, turning his body in stride to make the catch in the endzone and give the Terps a 24-7 lead.

-Torrey Smith looked very good this week both as a receiver and a kick returner. His 57-yard return set up Heyward-Bey’s touchdown and he made a couple of great catches of his own.

-Three different receivers touched the ball on Danny Oquendo’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Williams in the fourth quarter, easily the offensive play of the season so far. Oquendo got the ball on a reverse from Heyward-Bey who took a handoff from Josh Portis on an end-around. Oquendo proved he is the best left-handed quarterback on the Terps’ roster.

-On to the ACC…

schimmeldbk@gmail.com

Typically, halftime at Byrd Stadium is a droll, a time to get up and relieve oneself of all the ‘apple juice’ consumed during – and well before – the first half of play. But boy did the fans stumblin’ and bumblin’ to and fro from the restroom ever miss a show during today’s halftime. In a completely non-sequitur moment, video of Guitar Hero flashed up on the Jumbotron and the marching band formed into, get this, a guitar!

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in my shock. Only moments before, the Terps had just finished a solid half of play in which they led Eastern Michigan 24-14, so of course all I could think was, “Man, I want to play Guitar Hero!” To my surprise and delight, I instead got to watch as some faceless Guitar Hero-god shredded away at his plastic green, red, yellow, blue and orange frets during Foghat’s “Slow Ride,” while the marching band tooted the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” Bliss.

But just like that, it was gone. A perfectly seamless transition from football, to Guitar Hero, and then back to football. Perhaps next time everyone will instead spend the first half retrieving food and drink and promptly flushing it back out and stick around for the rock show at half.

jnewmandbk@gmail.com

As promised, here’s some links concerning the Terps, their upcoming opponent – the Eastern Michigan Eagles – and the ACC. Curiously, there was an internet shortage of content regarding the MAC-juggernaut Eagles. Go figure…

Terps Links:

• Rick Maese of the Baltimore Sun thinks cornerback Kevin Barnes’s hit on Cal running back Jahvid Best could have season-long implications…
• Fantasy college football? Yeah, it exists, and CBSSports.com’s Jeff Lippman is recommending fantasy owners pick up running back Davin Meggett, who might start in place of a questionable Da’Rel Scott this Saturday. He even referenced a month-old article by a certain Diamondback reporter. Woot…
• The victory over Cal made Mike Wise of the Washington Post review the job Ralph Friedgen has done since his arrival in 2001.

Eastern Michigan Links:

• Kevin Pool of the Echo says that Eagles quarterback Andrew Schmitt will not play this Saturday due to injury. Kyle McMahon will start in his place…
• Patrick Stevens of the Washington Times examines the Eagles’s (dismal) record against BCS conference opponents…

ACC Links:

• ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich doesn’t know what to expect from the ACC this week…
• David Teel of the Daily Press says Virginia did the right thing in booting boozing quarterback Peter Lalich Thursday…
• Blocking a kick is rare, unless if you play for Frank Beamer. As the Washington Post’s Zach Berman details, Virginia Tech defensive tackle John Graves has a chance to block his fourth kick in four weeks this Saturday…
• Ed Hardin of the Greensboro News and Record reveals how Butch Davis has revitalized a dormant football program in Chapel Hill…
• Miami freshman Sean Spence might be small for a linebacker, but he’s making a big impact early in his career on the Hurricanes’ defense…

jnewmandbk@gmail.com

To the typical Terrapin fan, the name ‘Lansford Watson’ may not resonate.  That all figures to change this season. Ranked as the No. 8 tight end in the nation by Rivals.com his senior year in high school, the redshirt freshman has four receptions this season, tied with receiver Danny Oquendo for third-best on the team. We sat down with Watson for this week’s edition of Meet the Team.

Terrapin Trail: As a tight end, you’re part of the offensive line, but you’re also a receiver. Is there a certain group you hang out with over another, or do the tight ends kind of stick together?

Lansford Watson: We stick together. We’re one family. The whole team is one family, but the tight ends, we all stick together. On the field, what separates us is we block and catch, but we’ve got to be more aggressive than the receivers.

TT: What’s a hobby or something quirky you like to do that people outside the team don’t know about?

LW: I like to make a lot of jokes, and sing reggae music.

TT: Who’s your favorite reggae artist?

LW: Movado. Being from New York, that’s all we listen to up there. In D.C. you got go-go; we listen to reggae.

TT: So what do the guys think of your reggae singing?

LW: They like it a lot. After practice sometimes, when people down I sing it and everybody starts laughing, smiling and stuff. It helps the team.

TT:  You’re from Brooklyn. We’re pretty close to D.C., but College Park is still a little more, umm…quaint than New York is. What’s that like?

LW: You gotta change. Being from New York, you’re coming from an aggressive city. I remember one night, I was supposed to go into D.C., and they told me to ride the Metro, and I was like, ‘I’m not going on the train, I don’t know this city.’ They were like, ‘It’s not like New York. Nothing’s going to happen to you,’ so I started laughing. The first year, it was a big adjustment. You have to learn how to talk to different people that’s not from New York. Now, I feel like I fit right in.

jnewmandbk@gmail.com