Coach says Maryland must communicate better on defense
What we seem to have, is failure to communicate.
Those aren’t the exact words of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen, but they do sum up his feelings on the leaky pass coverage of his team in Saturday’s 24-14 loss at Middle Tennessee State where the Terps had no answer for Blue Raiders’ quarterback Joe Craddock (29 of 40, 256 yards).
This week, as Maryland (1-1) prepares for the explosive offense of No. 23 California (2-0), averaging 52 points per game, the Terrapins are vowing to talk the talk.
“Communication – that was the big thing against Middle Tennessee,” said senior safety Jeff Allen. “Everybody [has to] look at the defensive coaches more, talk and communicate more on the field. It’s the first thing we worked on Monday – all the signs, all the calls, everybody.”
Playing against Middle Tennessee’s no-huddle spread magnified the Terrapins’ communication problems, according to Friedgen.
“What they try to do is freeze your defense,” said Friedgen. “We were changing defenses as they were signaling. To do that, you have to be able to make audible calls.”
The secondary has been hampered by inexperience. Senior cornerback Kevin Barnes is the lone retuning starter. The lack of a vocal leader, has also been apparent to the coaching staff.
“We have some great kids, but some of them are introverts back there,” said Friedgen. “It’s not easy for them to come out and be vocal. They have to do that.”
Complicating the communication issue is the loss of junior free safety Terrell Skinner, out two to three weeks with an ankle sprain. Sophomore Antwine Perez is the likely starter with junior Jamari McCollough in reserve.
The Terps will miss the presence of Skinner, a 6-foot-3, 214-pound first-year starter who had an interception in week one against Delaware and made eight tackles Saturday.
Contributing to the Terps’ coverage woes has been a lack of pass rush. Maryland has yet to record a sack. Rushing the passer is difficult against the spread offenses the Terps have seen the first two weeks.
Can Maryland rediscover it’s pass-rushing prowess against California’s traditional two-back set?
“That was the frustrating thing Saturday – we’re trying to get to the quarterback and the ball is coming out really fast,” said senior tackle Jeremy Navarre, who has nine career sacks. “We’ve got to keep working on it. We can’t throw in the towel right now. We just have to keep coming and know they’ll eventually come.”
