2005 Statistics

Quarterback
QB play has been the major con in the downfall of this offense. Joel Statham has transferred, so now senior Hollenbach has once again been penciled in as the starter (to the dismay of many fans). Sam has difficulties reading the field, making the right decisions, and he certainly lacks the ability to run the option that head coach Ralph Friedgen dearly loves. His 13 TDs to 15 INTs just won’t crack the crabs. And then a three-interception spring game (with one that went for a defensive TD) did not help his/other’s confidence level. The only competition comes from Jordan Steffy. The Pennsylvania promise has spent the last two seasons fighting through knee and throwing arm injuries, which led to a redshirt year in 2005. He has the better feet in terms of scrambling and running the option. However, expect sophomore Steffy to spend some time shaking off the rust, for he, too, seems somewhat unsure of himself in the pocket. The best of the bunch is Florida-transfer Josh Portis, but coaches will have to wait until 2007 for his services as he sits out due to NCAA transfer rules. Ergo, it's easy to see why Hollenbach remains the top dog.

Running Back
The theme for the upcoming fall will be to run first. Five quality RBs dot the roster making this the deepest set of backs in the ACC. Junior Lance Ball is the top gun after finishing strong last season (Second Team All-ACC). He has the combination of power, size and speed best suited for pounding the ball between the tackles. Josh Allen was gradually becoming a star after finishing as one of the team’s top two rushers in each of his first three seasons. A knee injury forced a redshirt in his true senior season of '05. The forecast is promising, but he has yet to see substantial contact during live situations since the injury. Keon Lattimore, brother of NFL star Ray Lewis, is yet another powerful carrier (the biggest of the bunch). This hulking junior has been relegated to a third option however, providing nothing more than depth. Throw in P.J. Humber, the best looking back this spring, along with highly touted recruit RB Morgan Green (a strong receiver out of the backfield), and it's easy to see why this group will be expected to “carry the load”. The FB job belongs to new starter Tim Cesa, who runs low and makes the right blocks, which is a key given the fact that it will be the bevy of TBs getting the handoffs.

Receiver
The top three receivers from ’05 are history, and the Terps are left scrambling to uncover a “go to” guy of any sorts. The incumbents do show flashes of speed and athleticism, but are far too inexperienced yet to make such positives automatically work in their favor. Coaches have made their case public while logging a good many extra hours attempting to repair the leaks. Dropped passes and standing around when covered all seemed to be par this spring. The only veteran is senior Drew Weatherly, but he does not represent anything close to an All-Conference type. The Terps will occasionally utilize four-receiver sets, and thus, many of the players have been bouncing around from the "Z" to "slot" position in an attempt to find the right mix. Heading into the fall, every position is wide open. Heyward-Bey is the burner of the group and showed great promise last spring before redshirting. Danny Oquendo is the most advanced in terms of understanding the system, while Isaiah Williams is the best leaper. So far, a star is not available, and with the marginal QB situation, the youth available here isn’t likely to bail out the Terp’s passing dilemmas.

Tight End
Huge contributors Vernon Davis and Derek Miller have left the program. Filling the void must be accomplished by committee. Three are battling for playing time, and each brings different skills to the table. Both sophomore Dan Gronkowski and junior Joey Haynos are massive, 6'6 and 6'8 respectively, with Gronkowski being the primary blocker and Haynos being the better pass catcher. Look for junior Jason Goode to be more of the H-back of years past with his athletic skills. All three have limited real game reps under their belts. Blocking does not appear to be a problem, but the Terps will certainly miss the departed ones immensely. Incoming freshman Drew Gloster also figures to enter the mix with his size, athleticism and high school accolades (rated the No. 21 receiver in the nation by ESPN).

Offensive Line
Depth and able bodies both exist for this campaign. A pair of all-ACC tackles provides the best set of bookends in the conference. It starts with "soon to be" NFL star Jared Gaither, a 6’9, 330lb true sophomore who is now a second year starter and is as good as you will find. Jared is the best looking tackle (sure first round choice when he comes out) seen in these parts for quite some time. He was set to be the backup to All-American Candidate Stephon Heyer a year ago at this time before a season ending knee injury to Heyer forced Gaither into the lineup. Heyer now returns after a redshirt senior season and moves over to right tackle after starter Brandon Nixon was suspended indefinitely for a team rules violation. Guard Andrew Crummey has elevated his play to a new level, according to coaches, something much anticipated since his recruitment. Some minor spring injuries gave many of the newbies their chances to shine, and the results give this offense a solid two-deep up front, including last year's starting DT Jack Griffin who is now on this side of the ball. As already mentioned, this group sets up quite nicely the Terp’s "Run First" option.

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Marginal QB play has changed what makes Ralph Friedgen the quality offensive coach people in the business have known him to be. His best offenses, going back to even his days as an assistant at Georgia Tech, employed multiple pro-option sets used to confuse defenses. He will line his guys up in the option formation, but then throw out of it...a very unique and difficult scenario to prepare for. But with the QB situation what it now is, Maryland has been forced to abandon the option almost completely. The Terp’s inexperienced receiver combination makes establishing their running game between the tackles imperative. The backs and lineman are more than capable of carrying this new system to winning levels, but the challenge will still be the fact that foes know all of this and will focus on stopping the run. A note of importance - offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe has left the program after being here since Friedgen arrived (five years), and as of June, a new coordinator was not yet hired, leaving some to believe that Friedgen will now take over (double duty) as a head coach slash offensive play-caller. This could be a golden situation, but, then again, the QBs’ lack of consistency tends to hand-tie anyone calling the shots.