Andrew Crummey?s name rarely is announced during the course of a Maryland football game ? and he hopes to keep it that way.
The 6-foot-5, 301-pound senior right guard anchors the offensive line, which coach Ralph Friedgen is confident will dominate the line of scrimmage again this fall. Last season, it pave the way for running backs Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore to each rush for more than 700 yards, and allowed just 19 sacks in 13 games.
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Crummey said the unit’s play last season is a large factor in why he is receiving a large number of preseason accolades as Maryland prepares for its season opener Sept. 1 against Villanova. So far, Crummey was named to the 2007 ESPN.com Preseason All-America team, is a preseason All-ACC selections by Athlon, Blue Ribbon Yearbook, Lindy?s, The Sporting News and Street and Smith’s. Additionally, Sporting News named him to the preseason All-American second-team.
“My awards now are a reflection of our performance as a whole last year,” Crummey said. “I’m just the oldest returning starter and I get some of the credit. But, it’s a good honor for the guys last year and I can hopefully build on the tradition we started then.”
Crummey?s performance this season will be integral for the Terrapins, as they will feature a new starting quarterback in an Atlantic Coast Conference league filled with experienced passers. But Crummey said as long as whoever is under center is protected, the offense will be productive, especially when Maryland begins its ACC schedule after opening against lowly-regarded Villanova and Florida International.
“To be a successful offense you have to execute the plays,” Crummey said. “If the offensive line can come together we can let the quarterback step in and do that one role and get the ball to the playmakers.”
Friedgen shares Crummey?s optimism and said the team will hinges on the play of its offensive line.
“I think we have a lot of confidence in the offensive line,” Friedgen said. “They don’t seem to get rattled. When the defense is hooting and hollering they are like ‘let’s go?’ I would think if we stay healthy it could be a strong point of our team. I’m counting on those guys to be warriors until some of the [younger] guys grow up a little bit. Crummey is one of the leaders of that group.”
THE CRUMMEY FILE
» Age: 22
» Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 301
» Hometown: Van Wert, Ohio
» Position: right guard
» Did you know? Crummey is a two-year starter with a team-high 28 career starts ? He has missed only one start in the last 24 games ? He is versatile player who can also play center.
