University of Maryland NCAA News Archives

Maryland's ACC title chances are basically kaput. The Terrapins' bowl hopes are on life support at best.

Maryland was picked to finish fifth this season by members of the media attending the Atlantic Coast Conference Operation Basketball gathering on Sunday at the Grandover Resort.

They're breathing easier in College Park these days. The air from the Capital Beltway isn't necessarily any cleaner, but the Maryland Terrapins' improbable advancement to last year's NCAA Tournament and the return of point guard Greivis Vasquez seems to have calmed angst and rekindled hope around coach Gary Williams' program.

Series Record: Maryland leads 30-18. Last Meeting: 2004, Maryland 55-21. Duke's momentum.

The turnovers, the injuries, the rain, the weight of yet another defeat -- they all seemed to wear on a Maryland Terrapins team that is mercifully heading to a bye week after a 17-13 loss to Duke on Saturday that was their fifth loss in the past six games.

Duke survived a soggy first half, clinging to a 10-6 halfway though Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference game against visiting Maryland.

He has taken his team to a movie during camp, and he has ordered the offense to perform up-downs after each severe miscue in practice.

Virginia has won the coin-toss and has elected to defer to the second half. Randolph kick-s off for the Hoos and Maryland receives at the 25 yard-line. First possession for UMD starts at the 40 run up the middle for 10.

Coaches usually steer clear of bringing up gambling lines, but that didn't stop Duke's David Cutcliffe from posing a rhetorical question about the Maryland game.

When a young football team staggers out of the gate, the head coach usually must find a way to keep his players' spirits up.

Terps and Blue Devils to meet for first time in five years; Kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. from Wallace Wade Stadium One of the top playmakers in the ACC, Adrian Moten leads the Terps in tackles for loss and sacks.

Defensive lapses have proven costly to the Maryland football team this season. They've also loomed large in two straight losses to rival Virginia , today's homecoming opponent at Byrd Stadium.

Midway through the 2009 college football season, the Virginia and Maryland programs are mirror images.

After Robert Randolph kicked a 31-yard field goal, linebacker Darren Childs deflected a pass by Maryland quarterback Chris Turner.

There was no fancy introduction for coach Gary Williams at Maryland Madness this year.

After starting the season horribly, Virginia appears to have righted itself. Maryland is running out of time in its effort to do likewise.

It was unnecessary to remind Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez of the limited avenues his team could travel a year ago to secure a measure of success.

Thursday Evening Quarterback News and Notes~ Maryland Versus Virginia Saturday October 17, 2009 College Park, Maryland I sat down this evening and began looking at this weekends UVA game in not-so-lovely College Park, Maryland.

An unlikely player has emerged as Maryland's most effective available option to run the ball: quarterback Chris Turner.

Excluding yardage lost on sacks, Turner is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, which is better than that of any healthy Terrapins running back now that Da'Rel Scott is sidelined for the foreseeable future with a broken forearm.

'I think it adds a dimension to his game,' Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen said. 'Not only is Chris doing a good job with that, but I think he's taking the runs when he can. I don't think in the past he would do that as frequently as he's doing now. He's come up with some big first downs for us.'

Share + Oct 14, 2009 8:08 am US/Eastern COLLEGE PARK, Md. Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen is convinced his players haven't quit trying to win, so he won't give up on trying to make it happen.

Cameron Chism knew it was coming. As a first-time starting cornerback when Maryland played Middle Tennessee three weeks ago, the sophomore was easy to spot.

SUMMARY : Within the first five minutes, the Demon Deacons and Terrapins swapped touchdowns, with returner Torrey Smith setting up Maryland 's score thanks to an 85-yard kickoff return.

The records, yards and touchdowns keep piling up in Riley Skinner's dream season at previously ground-oriented Wake Forest.

"That defense is something else," marveled senior quarterback Chris Turner in July.

The Terrapins have been saying for weeks that ACC play is a new season, and they would be ready for it.

If sophomore Davin Meggett is nervous about taking over as Maryland 's No. 1 tailback, he isn't showing it.

That zone - that Zen-like focus - can be elusive to perfectionists like Cannon, who has a meticulous pre-game routine and wants to succeed so badly that he sometimes needs to silence the inner voices and just play.

A week ago Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen hoped a victory over Clemson would provide the Terrapins with a much-needed confidence boost.

In February, when Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow named offensive coordinator James Franklin the eventual successor to Coach Ralph Friedgen, the vision was for Friedgen to finish out his contract after the 2011 season before handing the keys to the program to the well-regarded Franklin, who had spurned lucrative NFL and college football coaching offers. But now, with the Terrapins (1-3) off to their worst start since 1997, Yow's plan now faces significant challenges.

Maryland will enter Saturday's ACC opener against Clemson having not beaten a power-conference team since Nov. 15. Friedgen is in danger of having his fourth losing season in the past six years. And the Terrapins have not finished a season ranked in the top 25 since 2003.

Maryland's Davin Meggett scores a touchdown. His workload will increase with Da'Rel Scott likely missing the remainder of the season.

Maryland had lost three of its first four games, a vocal segment of its fan base was growing impatient -- if not mutinous -- and its players were growing tired of having to answer the same question every week: How does this keep happening?

So with just more than six minutes remaining and the Terrapins leading Clemson by three, there was little debate about what to do on fourth and inches: Maryland was going for it.

Quarterback Chris Turner plunged to his left. Normally, he would have been able to run behind Bruce Campbell, but the massive left tackle had left the game during the previous offensive series with a knee injury. Turner lost his footing. Even still, 'I thought I had it,' Turner said.

Four nominees for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week award have been announced after the fifth week of college football action, and AT&T* is relying on fans to determine who rules the gridiron.

On three occasions in the fourth quarter Saturday, Maryland handed Clemson golden opportunities to tie or take the lead. And each time, the Terrapins' defense stiffened, made critical stops and bailed out their occasionally mistake-prone offense and head coach, whose highly questionable fourth-down decision nearly cost him the game.

Maryland's 24-21 victory over Clemson will breathe new life into a season that looked lifeless after the team's worst September in Coach Ralph Friedgen's nine-year tenure. And it will be remembered for a wild final six minutes that included two turnovers, two missed field goals and Friedgen's eyebrow-raising call to go for it on fourth and inches from his own 29.

Ralph Friedgen used every motivational tactic he has in his arsenal this week. Maryland's frustrated football coach made his entire offense perform 10 up-downs for every turnover in practice. He placed a football in the hands of his recently fumble-prone running back and told him to carry it with him to class, to practice, everywhere.

If any offense is in need of a respite -- a matchup with a low degree of difficulty -- it is Maryland's offense, which has turned over the ball with alarming frequency through four games. But instead of a reprieve, the Terrapins on Saturday will face a Clemson defense that could be the best Maryland has seen this season.

Despite getting off to a 1-3 start, Maryland is one of only five unbeaten teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Clemson University cornerback Crezdon Butler got his first up-close look at Chris Turner's head full of reddish-gold locks during the Tigers' game at Maryland in 2007.

Part II of a look at what happened to Police Athletic League Centers. Shiretta Henderson can step outside her front door and see the front door of what used to be Rosemont Police Athletic League Center in West Baltimore.