WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Fiume, Terps Sports Photography)

2007 Statistics

QUARTERBACK
Not much seems to be settled as to who is going to be taking the predominant amount of snaps. Neither senior Jordan Steffy nor juniors Chris Turner and Josh Ports has taken control to give an emphatic answer to the team's biggest offensive question. The future seemed to be secured when Chris Turner stepped in during the sixth game of last year at Rutgers to replace Steffy and led the Terps to a resounding win. From then on, Turner’s production was of mixed consistency. His arm gives this offense the ability to stretch the field, an aspect that has been desperately needed. Turner didn’t relinquish his starting role until this spring, when Steffy surprised many by earning the start in the spring game. The reason Steffy jumped past Turner is because new coordinator James Franklin, who returns to Maryland after handling the same position at Kansas State the past two years, says so. Franklin is also the new Terp QB coach. A ‘West Coast’ offense has been installed and Steffy seems better prepared to handle what Franklin is attempting to accomplish...that is, a solid short passing game. Steffy has been a huge disappointment in his previous campaigns in respect to turnovers, sacks and an inability to move the offense. Prior to his season-long suspension due to an academic violation, Portis had not demonstrated the dual-threat potential most had hoped for after he transferred from Florida. Expect Franklin to utilize all three QBs over the course of the season until one proves capable of consistently moving the sticks. Friedgen says he will wait until the fall to sort out the QB quandary. Our best bet says Turner is the most capable based on what all three have done thus far in their collegiate careers.

RUNNING BACK
One aspect is certain: despite losing both senior RBs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball, this rushing attack is going to be special. Da'Rell Scott and Morgan Green stole the spring game spotlight with their spectacular skills and, even more important, their (needed) speed. Sophomore Scott was the star of the day, rushing 16 times for 113 yards. The 10,000-plus in attendance caught a first hand glimpse of their fortunate future when Scott took a handoff and blazed past some speedy DBs en route to a 75-yard score. Scott literally looked like he was shot out of a cannon on the play. Though, called back due to a penalty, it left incredulous jaws drooped wide open as Scott’s potential resonated delightfully amongst fans. His rushing partner Morgan Green, the local (White Plains, Lackey HS) product notoriously remembered for being Ralph Friedgen's recruiting choice over WVU star Steve Slaton three years prior, is now 15 pounds heavier. He carried the ball 11 times for 68 yards in the same scrimmage. Nagging injuries have been an issue with both backs the past two seasons; each has had to watch from the sidelines while buried on the depth chart. So it remains to be seen how this health factor plays out. Pounding the ball between the tackles will not be guaranteed. Speaking of such, the FB position is in good shape with Morgantown junior Cory Jackson starting (since the end of his true freshman season.) Jackson, one of the toughest players on the team, doesn't carry the ball much; though, he is one of the best blockers in the conference and has the chops if given the rock.

RECEIVER / TIGHT END
This may be the deepest group to lineup at receiver in College Park for quite some time. The headliner is easily third-year starter Darrius Heyward-Bey. He is the ultimate weapon in terms of making plays and has accumulated 96 receptions for 1,480 yards in his first two campaigns. The lagging aerial attack has not been the fault of this unit (see QB section). Isaiah Williams has tremendous physical skills, and Danny Oquendo will continue to be the ‘go to’ guy on third-downs. They are the veterans of the unit. LaQuan Williams had a breakout redshirt freshman season before a late-season knee injury forced him out. This is an extremely fast group that will rotate a good many faces outside of Heyward-Bey, who should be an every down WR. The problem is this offense continues to gyrate towards the short passing game. These WRs are not built for this type of game, for the speed and talent are limited in their potential too often since the ball rarely goes deep and defenders know this fact. Gone are two solid TEs. The good news is that Maryland had three, which puts senior Dan Gronkowski in a spotlight where he should flourish. While waiting patiently, Gronkowski got labeled as a blocking TE; he is now the toughest Terp snarler over the (deep) middle. This new offense will still employ the two-tight end sets, but the difference now is that one of the TEs will line up in the "F" spot on the depth chart…in other words, similar to being in the slot position. Heralded recruit Drew Gloster will finally be expected to increase his production here while some very talented freshmen keep this unit's cupboard stocked.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Fortunately, it all starts up front since this is the team’s best unit on paper. Including the TE, this starting front wall contains five seniors and a junior, all returning starters. The problem the past few seasons - that has unfortunately continued on through this spring - has been the inability to keep the biggest Terps healthy. The injury bug has just wreaked havoc with this chosen group for some odd reason. None of the injuries is too serious, but piecing together a cohesive unit has held this area back and kept it from reaching its full potential. Four of the players have a combined 66 career starts. Center Edwin Williams is the anchor with the most experience. Randolph is versatile enough to have played tackle on both sides. Burley has performed well while getting 12 starts last season despite fighting through sprains on both ankles. Depth is a concern as newbies have had to fill in this spring due to the aforementioned injuries. The Big IF is obviously this: if this group can stay 100% healthy, the underdog offense has the potential to be one of the best in the ACC as it will fly under many radar.

LINEBACKER
This unit had the potential to be extraordinary…that is, until the team’s leading tackler the past two seasons, Erin Henderson, decided to skip out early to the NFL. Who is left will still be considered defensive assets. Chase Bullock will attempt to fill Henderson's shoes on the weak side after being tagged the starter in the middle last year before injuring both ankles. He is nowhere close to equaling Erin, but Bullock does bring senior leadership to the proceedings. Seniors will man the other two spots as well. Dave Philistin and Moise Fokou each started all 13 games in ‘07. Adrian Moten has played all three spots with decent results, and promising youngster Alex Wujciak is the future of the corps. Alex has big-time talent, but a knee injury last preseason that ended his '07 campaign kept him from showing his wares. In fact, Philistin, Fokou and contributor Rick Costa all sat out while going through off-season surgery this spring. The better news here is that this unit is definitely the deepest on the defensive side. The competition at all three spots will be intense. The corps will have to show more improvement when it comes to shedding blockers since the middle of the DL isn't going to offer much help when it comes to taking on double-teams. This group can run with the best of the conference and should be capable of helping out the secondary when needed, but whether or not they can do more in terms of bolstering the run defense remains to be seen.

DEFENSIVE BACK
The secondary will have to replace three starters. The (lack of) experience/quality factor has to be a concern especially at the safety spots where the spring offered no authoritative answers. A few converted receivers - Nolan Carroll and Terrell Skinner - will attempt to crack the top of the depth chart. Such shows how limited this group is in numbers. CB Kevin Barnes led the team with four INTs last fall and will be counted on to provide the unit’s leadership. If any one player made a notable move this off-season, it’s former DeMatha H.S. SuperPrep All-American Anthony Wiseman. Wiseman has finally earned the start at cornerback opposite that of Barnes, and the spring reports have tabbed him as the most productive secondary player, picking off passes and being an overall menace to the QBs. This unit did not perform too badly a year ago (ranked 33rd nationally), but they were toasted a few times when the game was at crucial moments. Don't expect these new faces to outperform their predecessors. They will have to be on top of their game when it comes to bringing down ball carriers in the open field. This group is not known for being a bunch of big, solid tacklers. Moving to a 3-3-5 scheme makes sense with the depth at LB and so many teams utilizing a spread approach. The corners are good enough to play the man coverage needed, but this group lacks those LB-safety hybrids that work so well in the ‘enforcer’ role (fifth DB). The new scheme should prove interesting as the fresh faces hit the learning curve.