After 2-10 season, Terps could use boost in 2010
A 2-10 season nearly cost Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen his job. But he managed to find a few reasons for optimism as he kicked off preseason camp on Tuesday:
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1. For the first time in his 10 seasons, all the Terps passed their conditioning test.
2. Most of his starters are back and return a year older and wiser.
3. The gap between worst and first in the ACC Atlantic is small.
After taking Maryland to six bowl games and going 66-46, Friedgen is navigating uncharted territory, having to justify why fans should buy in. But four losing seasons in six years have chipped away at his credibility. Then came the 2009 freefall.
It’s not just the fans who need reassurance.
“The biggest problem I think that we have to get with our players is giving them confidence to be able to win,” Friedgen said. “I set our goals for them last night. Our first goal is to beat our next opponent.”
That opportunity comes Sept. 6 in Baltimore, when Maryland faces Navy. The game will carry more weight than the usual opener. The Terrapins are anxious to end their seven-game losing streak and prove that last year was an anomaly.
“I can’t wait for this year to start,” linebacker Adrian Moten said. “I’m just trying to get Maryland back to where it was. Last couple of years we’ve been down, but I’m trying to get back to BCS standards.”
When he met with them Monday night, Friedgen told the Terps they were picked to finish last in the ACC Atlantic in a preseason media poll. But he also reminded them that they lost by just three points to the team picked No. 1 (Florida State) and beat the team picked No. 2 (Clemson).
“There’s not that big a gap between first and sixth,” Friedgen said. “That’s why I have to convince my players that, look, they put the work in, they made the preparations, now we gotta punch through.”
Optimism comes by way of 21 returners who started at least two games. Only five of those players, however, are seniors. Junior quarterback Jamarr Robinson showed poise, elusiveness, and progress in seven appearances last fall. Junior wideout/return man Torrey Smith was named preseason All-ACC.
Seniors Moten and Alex Wujciak team with junior Ben Pooler and sophomore Demetrius Hartsfield to form an athletic crew of linebackers, who key coach Don Brown’s attacking scheme.
The biggest area of concern is the offensive line, where five players with starting experience are back. Most were in the lineup last fall before they were ready.
“We still got a lot of young kids,” Friedgen said. “The difference is they’re not walking out there starry-eyed, saying, ‘Hey, I’m playing Division I football.'”
