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Maryland Football Preview: ‘I Say 8 Wins’
By Jamie Mottram | August 30, 2008
Joining us now on the first day of the new season are Mr. Irrelevant Maryland sports correspondents Andy Peden and Brad Parker …
Before we get started, do you have any stories from last season?
Peden: Yeah, I went to the UVA game and thought the Terps got absolutely F’ed at the end. At the time, I thought we were being biased about the spot UVA got on the 4th down play on their final drive until I got calls from UVA friends who were watching from home. The dude was a yard short of the mark. When I saw the replay that night I was more than a little pissed. The bourbon didn’t contribute to any of that anger.
Parker: Most fans say the WVU game was a disaster for the Terps last year. I say it was a bigger disaster for my buddy Sampson. He has no alliance to the Terps but came to the game with us anyway. He represented his alma mater by wearing a Northwestern Field Hockey National Champs shirt. Then, despite being in his thirties, he tried to impress my friends’ sister by shotgunning a Bud Light with her. Half the beer ended up on his very manly shirt (see photo after the jump). He was soaked for most of the day. She’s now engaged to the dude that actually drank the beer.
Clemson’s the preseason favorite to win the conference. So ACC football still sucks, right?
Peden: Seems like every year the ACC has 3 or 4 top 25 teams but none in the top 5. Clemson is the conference’s best shot this year as they return a lot of talent and have a favorable schedule, but they will probably lose their opener to Bama.
Parker: I really want to say the ACC is good. It’s not. The conference has been a little underrated the past few years, this year it just might suck.
Last year you guys correctly predicted a six-win season. What do you expect Maryland will do this year?
Peden: I actually think this will be an 8 win regular season. DEL, MTSU, EMU, NCST, UNC should all be wins, with possible wins against Cal and UVA. They always play well at Clemson and I think they beat WAKE or FSU at home. Somewhere there are 8 wins in there.
Parker: I’m optimistic. The offensive line is stacked, probably the best in the conference. The skill positions are solid and I really like having James Franklin as the offensive coordinator so Ralph can just coach. The defense lost a lot but could be good. So, I say 8 wins.
What’s the likelihood that Maryland heads to Clemson in late September 4-0 and ranked in the top 25?
Peden: I think there is a 68.7% chance they are 4-0 but not sure that gets them ranked. They don’t have the ‘name’ to go 4-0 against 3 crap teams and get a ranking. Who do you think MD is, Notre Dame?
Parker: I’m probably a little more nervous about Delaware than I should be. They did play App. State in the national championship last year. The only game UMD might not be favored to win before Clemson is September 13 against Cal. It’s at home so I really like our chances there. I say a solid 80% chance we’re 4-0 playing a 4-0 Clemson team. I also think that on that day the basketball team will lose to Clemson twice and four players will transfer. But Gary’s team will rally late in the year to get back in the NIT (Now Including Terps).
What’s your take on Fridge declaring Jordan Steffy the starting QB over Chris Turner and Josh Portis?
Peden: Allen Iverson said it best: ‘We’re talking bout practice.’ Apparently, Turner looks like crap in practice (and has for a couple years) but he seems to be the best on the field. I was surprised that he didn’t start Turner given that he played better than Steffy last year. I’m assuming they are going to suspend Portis for the year the day before the opener like last year.
Parker: I’m not as pissed as most Terps fans. Turner had some great moments but overall, not so much. He was 2-0 against top 10 teams, 2-5 against everyone else. Steffy hasn’t proven much but I defer to Fridge on this. The decision is not permanent by any means. I think all three will play this year. The coaches said Portis is the best athlete they’ve ever seen, how do you keep him off the field?
Who replaces Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball’s combined 1,682 rushing yards and 25 TD?
Peden: Da’Rel Scott, I mean, his name is Da’Rel. He has to be good. Otherwise, I say play Davin Maggett. His pops use to kill the Redskins.
Parker: The running game will be just fine. Da’Rel Scott appears to be version 1.0 of Noel Devine. And the backup is Dave Meggett’s son Davin. If Morgan Green can get healthy they’re solid at RB.
Parting thoughts?
Peden: I’m more excited about Terps Football then I am about Terps Basketball. Not sure what that says about either program.
Parker: Barring an early upset, the Cal game is huge. A win there would give us some national respect and could set up a monster game with Clemson. The Terps always seem to play the Tigers tough and Clemson always loses a game or two that they aren’t expected to lose. Why not against Maryland. We owe them for knocking us into the NIT three times in the past four years.
Topics: College Football, Maryland, Parker and Peden | 2 Comments »
August 31st, 2008 at 12:22 AM
Yikes. That was an ugly win. Good to see Fridge open his eyes and put Turner in.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Sure was ugly, but Da’Rel Scott + Davin Meggett = OMG WTF, or 249 yards on 33 carries. Good call to Parker on that one.
And Clemson got their collective ass whooped, so good call to Peden on that one too.