Gilman product and future Terp quarterback Shane Cockerille had quite an impressive evening in the Big 33 Classic. (Photo Credit: Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

The Big 33 Classic is one of the most heralded high school football all-star games along the East Coast. For the last 12 years, the game pitted two teams that were made up of players from Pennsylvania and Ohio. However in October 2012, it was announced that Maryland would replace Ohio in the annual contest. This was the first time that Maryland had appeared in the game since 1992. Maryland played the Keystone State from 1985 to 1992 before making their way back into the battle on Saturday evening.

The Terrapins had several 2013 commits playing in the contest and most made a remarkable impact. In terms of the final score, the Maryland squad didn’t have a great night as they lost 58-27.

Gilman quarterback Shane Cockerille, one of Maryland’s top recruits, took the majority of the snaps for the Maryland squad. Rhode Island commit Luke Casey also took some snaps for Maryland. Cockerille definitely was the star on this night in Hershey. The future Terps signal caller took a few series to get going, but ended up tossing a late touchdown toss to get Maryland on the board. The Gilman product throws a pretty ball and puts great touch on the ball, putting it right where it needs to be. He really got going in the second quarter as he led Maryland on three scoring drives to cut the deficit to 30-20 before Pennsylvania added a late touchdown courtesy of some trickery.

Cockerille ran the ball a few times and showed his strength and size with his running ability. He was not afraid to run straight up the middle and take on defenders head-on. Cockerille did rush for a touchdown late in the second half. His running ability allowed him to extend plays on several different occasions. As good as Cockerille looked, he does have a tough road ahead of him once he arrives in College Park. The Terps currently have quarterbacks C.J. Brown, Ricardo Young, Perry Hills, Caleb Rowe, and Dustin Dailey on the roster entering this spring. And no I didn’t forget to mention Shawn Petty. In addition to all that depth, St. John’s signal caller Will Ulmer will be a Terp in 2014. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Cockerille redshirt in 2013 or even switch positions at some point in his collegiate career. If the Gilman product does redshirt, it will save him a year of eligibility and allow more time to work with Mike Locksley on perfecting his craft. If he works at it, Cockerille has the ability to be a good college quarterback.

Another Terp that was mighty impressive in the Big 33 Classic was wide receiver DeAndre Lane. Lane was a star running back at Catonsville High School but could line up at running back or receiver for Maryland. Lane lined up as a wide receiver on Saturday and showed that he has some real talent. The two-star local recruit posted some pretty stellar numbers as he had a game-high 122 receiving yards. Lane was able to get open very frequently and showed off some nifty moves after the catch. The Catonsville product seemed to develop a nice repoire with Cockerille and Cockerille looked his way several times. Lane definitely had most of his success with Cockerille tossing the pigskin.

Obviously there is a ton of depth at the wide receiver position at Maryland. Stefon Diggs, Deon Long, Nigel King, and Taivon Jacobs will be lining up at wide receiver for the Terps in 2013. Marcus Leak won’t be on the team this season but will return in 2014. However, Lane can still make a significant impact in his freshman campaign. Lane did a solid job of returning kickoffs (a little bit better job than Jacquille Veii) in the Big 33 Classic and certainly has the speed to get to that next level. In time, Lane can be an effective slot receiver. He isn’t the biggest guy in the world but the speed does help make for that deficiency. He may not see a ton of time at the position but will likely be battling with Jacobs for playing time as a freshman.

After this spectacular showing in Hershey, it just further substantiates the fact that Maryland’s 2013 class is very talented. With guys like Cockerille and Lane joining the likes of Derwin Gray, Kingsley Opara, and Yannick Ngakoue, the sky is the limit for this group. The talent is spread across the depth chart. Some guys will contribute from day one while others will strictly provide depth at first. Despite harsh criticism throughout his first two years in College Park, Randy Edsall is showing why he belongs and is getting it done on the recruiting front. This just may be the year that Maryland finally gets it done on the field.

I Have Officially Committed To The University Of Tennessee!! #VFL #VolNation #RiseToTheTop #bossteam

— D’Andre Payne (@realdpayne) April 3, 2013

Payne is one of three members of the Friendship Collegiate Academy secondary that will garner attention from many high major programs, joining fellow class of 2014 members Jalen Tabor and Dimitri Lee. Payne is currently considered to be the second best prospect in the District in the class of 2014, behind teammate Jalen Tabor, and a top 20 DB prospect nationally among his peers in ’14. Standing at 5’9.5″ and 172-pounds Payne should have the type of body necessary to make an impact early on in his college career.

Payne visited the Knoxville, TN campus unofficially on March 15th and followed that up with a trip to Vanderbilt this past weekend. Before announcing his commitment to the Vols this morning, Payne had accumulated 35 scholarship offers. In the end, Payne chose to commit to the Volunteers over offers from Maryland, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Clemson and Virginia. While Payne may still take visits before National Signing Day next February his commitment to the Volunteers appears to be strong.

Oct 13, 2012; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) runs back the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Virginia Cavaliers during the first quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports

It was announced today that the Maryland Terrapins annual spring game would take place Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. at Byrd Stadium on the University of Maryland campus.

This will be a change from last years spring game which was held during the day on a Saturday but a change that I am more than fine with. By giving the spring game a type of “Friday Night Lights” feeling it could potentially draw up more excitement about what is essentially a glorified scrimmage. There is reason to be excited about this game however as it will give Terps fans a chance to see where things stand with regard to the QB position which is expected to be quite the competition.

In addition to the information on the spring game being made public this morning the university also announced the rest of the Terrapins spring football schedule including the dates of the two spring practices, which would be open to the public, that will be held away from the University of Maryland campus. Those open practices will be held at Middletown HS on April 6th and Dunbar HS on March 30th, both open practices will begin at noon for fans who may not be able to make it to College Park but still need that spring football fix.

Five Biggest Questions Facing Terps Basketball

The good people over at Bleacher Report put together a slideshow addressing a variety of issues that the Terps will need to figure out before the end of the ACC regular season. Topics include; Alex Len, the point guard position, shortening the bench and three point defense.

 Terps Throttle Richmond

Lacrosse season is in full swing and the University of Maryland Women’s Lacrosse team opened up their 2013 season in a big way on Sunday rolling to a 20-7 victory over the Spiders in Richmond, VA.

Added Intrigue For Duke Game

Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post takes a look at this Saturday’s game against Duke and offers up some reasons as to why the stakes might be at “another level” this time around more so than their previous match up.

Brenda Frese Ejected Against Duke 

The Washington Post’s Gene Wang delves into Brenda Frese’s first ejection as a head coach after the Terps drop a road game to rival Duke.

Maryland – Duke Womens Basketball Recap

More from Gene Wang, this time recapping the Terps game against the Blue Devils.

247Sports Winners From National Signing Day

JC Shurburtt of 247Sports takes a look at the programs which stood out as “winners” on National Signing Day and the Terps make his list.

Rivals.com Top 25 Recruiters of 2013

Rivals.com released their list of the Top 25 Recruiters in the country and Maryland Terrapins assistant coach Mike Locksley finds himself on the list.

Mount St. Mary’s at Maryland Lacrosse: Three Things To Watch

The good people at the Baltimore Sun broke down three things to watch as the Maryland Terrapins Men’s Lacrosse team kicks off their season this evening against Mount Saint Mary’s.

September 1, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Randy Edsall prior to their game against the William

Randy Edsall addressed the media Tuesday during his weekly press conference with hopes of moving past the unimpressive 7-6 victory over William & Mary in week one and onto Temple. Unfortunately, that meant revisiting last year’s stompfest at home against the Owls, where the Terrapins gave up 301 yards on the ground en route to a 41-10 loss.

“I wasn’t put in a very good mood after watching it,” coach Edsall said after reviewing last year’s game.

Edsall was reminded of Bernard Pierce, Temple’s former running back, rushing for a school-record five touchdowns that game (three of which came in the first quarter). He has since departed for the NFL, but that doesn’t mean Temple’s running game will be any less potent.

Last week the Owls routed the Villanova Wildcats 41-10, led by senior tailback Matt Brown’s 145 yards on 19 carries and 1 touchdown.

“He’s quick, he’s shifty, he’s fast, he’s tough,” said Edsall when asked about Brown.

While undersized a bit at 5’5, 165 lbs, Brown, a Baltimore native, has the ability to make defenders miss with his agility. Brown was supposed to split carries with senior Boston College transfer Montel Harris, but took the majority of handoffs after the latter went down with a hamstring injury early in last week’s game. Harris is listed as day-to-day by the Owls coaching staff, and is likely to be a game time decision for Temple.

“The biggest thing we’ve got to do is go up there and stop the run,” Edsall said.

That is easier said than done, but the Terrapins did have one strong point during their first game: defense. Seniors Demetrius Hartsfield (LB) and Joe Vellano (DL) combined for 23 tackles and two forced turnovers against William & Mary, and look ready for a repeat performance against the Owls. The two are going to be tasked with the unappealing job of stopping an impressive backfield and a quarterback who likes to scramble in Chris Coyer.

Coyer only completed five passes against Villanova for 61 yards and a touchdown, but he also picked up 80 yards with his legs on 13 carries (including a 19 yard touchdown run). Head coach Steve Addazio said in his press conference that he would like to pass more during the next game, so Maryland would be wise to look out for that. Coyer has the speed to beat slower defenders, and could give the Terrapins fits at times.

———Terrapin Takes

• Justus Pickett, as was mentioned previously, will be the starting running back against Temple. Albert Reid has taken the number two role after a less-than-inspiring performance, while Wes Brown will potentially get carries during certain situations.
• The backup quarterback situation is still an OR situation, with Caleb Rowe and Devin Burns occupying the backup role. A depth chart earlier this week designated Rowe as the number two, but that was a mistake by coach Edsall.
• Coach Edsall also said there may be a few players coming back from injury, but as of now everything is still day-to-day and there were no mention of names.