Image from Getty Images.

Maryland released their updated depth chart for this week’s Florida State game today, and there are a few expected changes as well as a few unexpected ones. Let’s run it down.

At quarterback, C.J. Brown takes over officially for Danny O’Brien as the team’s sole quarterback. In terms of Brown’s targets, Ronnie Tyler and Kevin Dorsey are both not listed on the two-deep, leaving true freshman Marcus Leak and senior Quintin McCree as the starters with Kerry Boykins and Tony Logan also listed. Tyler had a horrible time against Clemson, dropping a key pass in the end zone, while Dorsey suffered an apparent injury during the game and was not seen in the second half.

At defensive end, Marcus Whitfield is now David Mackall’s backup, replacing transfer Alvin Thomas. Mario Rowson is the starter at STAR, over the injured Kenny Tate (who is listed as his backup), and the same deal goes for Alex Twine and Darin Drakeford at WILL. Everything else appears to be the same.

We’ll have more coverage of the Florida State game in the coming days.

Image from BSun.

C.J. Brown replaced Danny O’Brien as Maryland’s quarterback, Andrew Gonnella suffered a gruesome leg injury, and the Maryland Terrapins’ comeback attempt fell short against #13 Georgia Tech, losing on the road 21-16 to the Yellow Jackets.

O’Brien was pulled after starting 1/6 for 17 yards and one interception, in favor of the dual-threat Brown, who finished 4/17 for 36 yards and a pick of his own but ran for 124 yards on nine carries with a touchdown. Davin Meggett had another solid game as well, rushing 18 times for 86 yards and a score.

Georgia Tech struck first, scoring on a seven-yard run by Tevin Washington, and a 30-yard Nick Ferrara field goal made it 7-3. Orwin Smith and Washington both scored the next two touchdowns on the ground, and the Terps faced a 21-3 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

With 12:01 left in the game, Brown took a bootleg 77 yards down the right sideline for the score, bringing life back into a stagnant Maryland attack. Later in the quarter, starting left guard Andrew Gonnella went down with a brutal leg injury, and was taken off the field in an ambulance. That drive, Davin Meggett ran for a one-yard touchdown on fourth down after some questionable play-calling, and it continued – offensive coordinator Gary Crowton called a pass on the ensuing failed two-point conversion attempt.

Maryland got another chance, and Crowton once again attempted to rely on the arm of C.J. Brown instead of the legs of Brown and Meggett. On 3rd and 8 – incomplete pass. 4th and 8 – incomplete pass. The question immediately arises – if Maryland knew they would go for it on fourth down, why did they not call a draw on 3rd? The coaches showed their unwillingness to plan ahead, and it ended up costing Maryland deeply.

That being said, the defense had a pretty excellent game. There were a few headscratching moments for Todd Bradford’s defense, and plenty of missed tackles in the first half, but the unit played an excellent second half after a Dexter McDougle interception stopped a late second quarter Georgia Tech drive.

It’s safe to say this game exceeded everyone’s expectations for Maryland. The Terps made it a game despite the best efforts of Gary Crowton’s playcalling, and we now have a legitimate quarterback controversy in College Park. We’ll have more on this game, including our post-game Testudos, later.

It went down to the wire, but Maryland was able to secure a victory in the first game of the Randy Edsall era. Two defensive scores caused by Cameron Chism and a high-tempo offensive attack executed by Danny O’Brien led the Terps to the win over the Miami Hurricanes, 32-24 Monday night.

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I spent the weekend without internet access, so I wasn’t able to update the site (or even watch the spring game). It’s definitely not the morning, but here’s our round-up of what we missed.

“Multiple” offense beats “Multiple” defense as the Red team (which was composed mostly of the first-team offense) destroyed the White team (composed mostly of the first-team defense) 35-7. You can start your #DOB4ACCPOY campaign, everyone, because Danny O’Brien was on point. Although DOB threw two interceptions, he was 16-23 for 199 yards and two touchdowns and seemed comfortable in the new offense. The rest of the quarterbacks? Not so much. C.J. Brown was 9-26 for 96 yards with an interception, Tyler Smith was 2-5 for 28 yards and a pick, and Troy Jones was 0-1. Other highlights:

• Davin Meggett and D.J. Adams both had good games on the ground, and Jeremiah Wilson looks like the favorite for the third running back slot.
• Ronnie Tyler had three receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns, Kevin Dorsey and Quintin McRee each caught a game-high four passes, and freshman Nigel King caught three passes.
• Neither Michael Tart nor Nick Ferrara averaged over 40 yards per punt. Nate Renfro, you couldn’t come soon enough.
• Kenny Tate and Cameron Chism each had 11 tackles, while Matt Robinson, Ryan Donohue and Lamonte Gaddis each had seven. Joe Vellano and Clarence Murphy each had two sacks, and Anthony Green had two interceptions.

Torrey Smith was drafted by the Ravens in the second round. It’ll be good to see him continue his career around these parts. Da’Rel Scott was also picked, by the Giants.

Wally Judge is down to Rutgers, Maryland, and Washington, but it looks like it’s just Rutgers and Maryland.

Robert Goff, a 6’9″ power forward and the #3 JuCo prospect in the country, was released from his LOI to Oklahoma and Maryland is apparently pursuing him.

Gilbert. Image from umterps.com.

Good news and bad news, folks. The good news is that we finally have some football updates. The bad news is that they mostly consist of injuries (although I guess that’s what you’re going to get for spring football news). The rundown:

• Justin Gilbert has re-injured his ACL and is out until October. Ouch. The coaches say he’s probably out until October, but the left tackle has different ideas, saying he’ll be good to go by the West Virginia game (which is in mid-September). With him out, sophomore Max Garcia takes over the number one spot on the blind side, and we’ll see if the freshman with a ton of promise will be able to live up to the expectations in the Miami game.
• Like Ralph Friedgen, Randy Edsall really likes C.J. Brown. While Edsall did say DOB’s job is safe (even though he said “I like the fact that we have a competition,” he followed it up with “Danny is fine”), he also said Brown is putting pressure on the incumbent starter. Having a good backup quarterback ain’t nothing but a good thing.
• Justin Anderson has moved back to the outside. He started at anchor last year (a position that doesn’t exist anymore), and moved to defensive tackle right before spring ball started. It sounds like he’ll be competing for playing time at the defensive end position rather than ROCK, so it’s between him and Isaiah Ross for the starting job.
• Ronnie Tyler is hurt again. Plagued by injuries and academic issues for most of his career, let’s hope he can just get it all together for a productive senior year. For now, Kerry Boykins will start in the slot position, which honestly isn’t that much of a downgrade.
• Nigel King hasn’t been able to practice yet because of an NCAA clearinghouse issue. He’s currently listed third at the Wide Receiver 1 position, behind Kevin Dorsey and Devin Burns. He was a candidate to play during his first year on campus, but if he can’t practice during the spring that might not happen.

We’ll keep you posted as always.

All images from umterps.com.

Quarterback:

1. Danny O’Brien, Sophomore (RS) – 6’3″, 215

2. C.J. Brown, Sophomore (RS) – 6’3″, 200

3. Tyler Smith, Freshman (RS) – 6’3″, 195

4. Troy Jones, Freshman – 6’1″, 186

If there was one position where the starter is absolutely certain, this is it. DOB had a fantastic freshman year last year, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t depth behind him. During spring practice last year, Friedgen was high on Brown, and Smith is one of the the better prospects the Terps have gotten this decade. Jones is a blog favorite who is a walk-on from St. Paul’s.

Tailback:

1. Davin Meggett, Senior – 5’9″, 215

2. D.J. Adams, Sophomore (RS) – 5’10″, 220

3. Gary Douglas, Junior (RS) – 6’1″, 210

4. Jeremiah Wilson, Freshman (RS) – 5’10″, 185

As you all can see, with the departure of Da’Rel Scott, Maryland’s backfield is now very large. Meggett and Adams were expected to be 1A and 1B, but it looks like the senior has the job for now. No matter what, Adams should get a boatload of carries, as the sophomore had a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns last season. Douglas is a good pass-catching option out of the backfield, and Wilson recently converted from cornerback and has excellent speed and agility.

Fullback:

1. Taylor Watson, Senior (RS) – 6’2″, 240

1. Haroon Brown, Senior (RS) – 5’11″, 260

1. Rahsaan Moore, Freshman (RS) – 6’2″, 245

4. Jeff Hernandez, Freshman – 5’11″, 245

Well, this is interesting. Coming into last season, Watson was the starter until an injury sidelined him for about half the year. Brown picked up the slack, and proved to be a very effective blocking back. While Watson is likely the leader for the starting job, it isn’t surprising that these two are competing for the job. For Moore to be this high on the depth chart, however, is encouraging for his progress and for the future of the position, because the two guys in front of him are gone after this year. Hernandez is another walk-on blog favorite who is huge for a freshman. It will be exciting to say the least to watch him play when he gets the chance.

We’ll continue this series either tonight or later tomorrow with the receivers and tight ends.

Image from umterps.com.

The football coaches were made available to the media today, and there was one interesting tidbit that stood out, via Patrick Stevens:

Edsall says Jeremiah Wilson will move from DB to running back, Devin Burns from quarterback to wide receiver.

We obviously had the first part a month ago, so let’s talk about the second part. It’s a great move, on the surface. Burns was behind Danny O’Brien and CJ Brown on the depth chart, not to mention Tyler Smith, who is in the same class as Burns and came in with considerable more hype.

Last year, Ralph Friedgen talked about Burns’ football smarts and his ability to move with the ball, both assets that should come in to play at wideout. With significant losses at the position, the Terps need all the help they can get with depth, and Burns certainly helps there.

Ultimately, Burns didn’t have much of a future with Maryland at quarterback (I was honestly worried he might consider transferring). At wideout, he’ll have a chance to showcase his skills, and maybe throw in a trick Antwaan Randle El style play or two.

Who’s ready for spring football?!

So, without further ado, let’s get it started. Err, too soon after the Super Bowl halftime show to say that. Let’s try again. So, without further ado, let’s pump it. F*** it, let’s just go.

All images from UMTerps.com unless noted otherwise.

Best Coaching Decision:

Image from ESPN.

Starting Danny O’Brien. Jamarr Robinson had the job for the first few games of the year, and when DOB came in during the Morgan State game and looked like the next coming of Tom Brady, most everyone knew Jamarr’s reign as the starting signal caller would be over soon. DOB got the start soon after, and had one of the best freshman years in the history of Maryland football.

Honorable Mentions: Playing DJ Adams at goal line back, going vertical in NC State game

Worst Coaching Decision:

Using Nick Ferrara as the kickoff guy. Travis Baltz beat Ferrara out for the starting placekicking job before the season started, so many people (myself included) figured Ferrara would redshirt the year, thus giving him an extra year of eligibility. The Maryland coaches disagreed, using him as the kickoff guy (where he wasn’t extremely effective, or at least not enough to merit him using a year of eligibility), and now they have a junior kicker instead of a redshirt sophomore next year.

Honorable Mentions: Not giving enough playing time to David Mackall, Jamarr Robinson’s three-play set, playing John Denver on the loudspeakers at practices before the WVU game

Funniest Coaching Decision:

Using massive defensive tackle Zach Kerr on the kickoff return and goal line units. The goal line strategy worked – Kerr was basically the new Refrigerator Perry and cleared the way for DJ Adams. Unfortunately, Kerr ended up blocking his own returners on occasion on the return team, as the Terps kept trying new ways to get Torrey Smith the space he found in 2009.

Honorable Mention: Tony Logan at quarterback.

More after the jump.

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Image from testudotimes.com.

As a nice bonus to a wonderful season, the Maryland football team finishes the year in the top 25 of both the AP and coaches’ polls. Ranked 23rd in the AP Poll and 24th in the Coaches’ Poll, they are the third-highest ranked ACC team in each poll, behind Virginia Tech and Florida State.

North Carolina State, who Maryland defeated earlier in the year, was ranked 25th in both polls. West Virginia, who beat Maryland 31-17 earlier this season, received votes in both polls, while Navy, who the Terps beat in the season opener, received votes in the AP Poll.

It’s well-deserved after a great season in which Maryland finished 9-4 after the 2-10 debacle in 2009. It is the first time the Terps have been ranked in the final poll since 2003.

As TT pointed out, Maryland will almost surely be ranked to start next year. They have eight returning starters on offense (including four of five offensive linemen) and seven returning starters on defense (that’s if Kenny Tate returns). With a legitimate star on offense in Danny O’Brien and three of the best interior linemen on defense in A.J. Francis, Zach Kerr and Joe Vellano, this is going to be a fun team to watch.

Get your tickets now, it’ll be a fun ride.