FanHouse KeonLattimore

Tough loss on Saturday night. However, with the defense Maryland played against Wake, they didn't deserve to win. They just couldn't get a hold of those misdirection plays. And for crying out loud, if the opposing quarterback is throwing blocks, nail him! Put the fear of God in him! Their poor defense showed up after taking a month off, and that's where the game was lost.

But enough about that game. There's no real need to keep stressing game play when the next game is months away. However, I'm not going to starting talking about a bowl game now, especially because we don't know who the Terps will be playing. I think it's more prudent to see what could happen next year. Obviously, this is all my speculation. Let's take a look.

Offensively, the first thing I think we'll see is the Fridge signing an offensive coordinator. It's just too much work to do two jobs at once. When those jobs are head coach of a national football program and offensive coordinator, it's even rougher. College kids should think about that when holding down a job at a TCBY and an internship during the summers. Supposedly, Friedgen loves to work with young QBs, but honestly, his strong suit was always the running game. Scott McBrien was a good QB, but it took him forever to show that on the field. Sam Hollenbach never really reached his potential. If the new offensive coordinator could help mold these QBs, it would add a nice aspect to the offense.

This question was in my head all game. This NC State game was really important for the Terps, and coach Ralph Friedgen kept it out of the hands of quarterback Sam Hollenbach as much as possible. This game was a running game through and through. They ran 41 times and threw nine times.

Hollenbach ran 11 times, which is two more than he threw. And even though the box score has longest pass as 34 yards to Keon Lattimore, we all know that was a short pass that Lattimore was able to run 34 yards. In fact, at least three or four of those passes were a yard or less to a running back. Hollenbach really didn't attempt a pass over 10 yards this game.

It was already rumored that Friedgen wanted to try back-up Jordan Steffy out again. After watching the NC State game, it's tough not to wonder if Friedgen trusts Hollenbach at all -- at least as a passer. He was trusted with running, and he did it well. Hollenbach used his legs Scott McBrien-style to get some big first downs.

There are other explanations though. I was talking to my friend Tom, a fellow alumnus, on the phone after the game and mentioned my theory to him. He responded with, "Yeah, but the run worked." It did. Why go away from the run when it's working the entire game. This was a must-win game. This was not a game that you go to the pass just to see if you quarterback can handle it. The run worked the entire game and it's the best way to control the clock so you stick with it.

Also, against Georgia Tech, the Terps lined up in a five receiver set multiple times and Hollenbach passed a bunch of times. They lined up in the five man set against NC State too, but it resulted in a Sam Hollenbach option.

The Terps won the NC State game and it doesn't matter that they did it running instead of passing. However, the Terps will have to start throwing eventually when teams key in against the run. Then we'll see how much trust Friedgen has in Hollenbach. The answer to that question could decide the rest of the season.

Today was a nice blast from the past for the Terps. For the first time since they were good, they beat NC State. And for the first time all year, they dominated a team. Don't let the close score fool you, this was Maryland's game from start to end. The most surprising part? They did it on defense.

For the last two weeks, I have been giving it to defensive coordinator Chris Cosh hard. But today, he shut me up -- at least for a week. The defensively line put constant pressure on NC State quarterback Dan Evans. Conrad Bolston and Rick Costa could not be contained by the NC State defensive line. Costa is listed as a linebacker, but he would line up on the defensive line most plays and he had some big tackles.

Ha! I'll be damned! Maybe this whole time, in order to win, Maryland had to be down until the fourth quarter. After blowing fourth quarter leads as if it's their major, the Terps are finally on the other end.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch this game. The dispute between ESPN and Comcast resulted in the game to only be available on the internet for non-Comcast users. I'm a Comcast user. Through all this fighting and power trips, the two never think about the children involved.

It's a shame that I couldn't see the game. No one can really make deductions about a game that wasn't seen. But this win is pretty big.

The defense showed up in the second half. With Maryland being down 20 - 0 in the first half and allowing 255 yards, the defense decided to play some ball for the first time in ages. They held Virginia to some three and outs in crucial spots, and Linebacker Erin Henderson intercepted a ball for a touchdown. Virginia only scored once in the second half.

Keon Lattimiore had a huge run play for a TD (again according to the box score recap) and 114 yards. It's been criticized that Fridge should just go with Lance Ball, but Lattimore proved he can be the man too.

Sam Hollenbach didn't complete a pass over 21 yards, like I said he shouldn't. I don't know how often he tried, but the fact is, he shouldn't. After having a pretty miserable first half, it seems like he turned it around in the second half. Maybe Fridge was trying to light a fire under Hollenbach with those hints of putting in back-up Jordan Steffy. You'd think if he'd do it, he'd do it when they are down 21-7.

Fridge knew he'd be on the hot seat if he lost this game. Instead, the hot seat has been transferred back to Al Groh. This win put Maryland at 4-2 total and 1-1 in the ACC. They have NC State next week. State lost to Wake Forest this week, but I'll get more into that in later blogs. I don't know what happened this game. Maybe Maryland had a hangover during the first half from last week's disappointment. Now, the Terps, who probably played their best football all year in the fourth quarter, need to go beat State which would put the Terps a game away from a bowl.

Maybe this team still has some hope. I'm going to try to find some footage of this game and comment on what I see. Good job, Maryland.

I know Maryland fans. Most of them have short attention spans. It's what the team does now. I understand that to a degree, but part of being a fan is taking the bad with the good. I understand Lions fans and Oriole fans giving up on their team. They haven't had good seasons in ages. Maryland fans should show a little more patience though. They're ready to give up the second things go wrong. Now, I know things have been going wrong the last two years, but the season is still young and things can turn around.

So I ask you not to jump off the Fridge bandwagon right now, even if you think the wagon's going no where, and the band is playing crappy music -- Nickleback maybe. Even since they started to lose, fans started turning on Friedgen. First, Fridge's recriuting first came under fire. Honestly, i haven't come up with an official opinion about this. One on hand it seems his players are being out played, and recruiting a guy like Joel Statham didn't help. On the other, he did recruit Vernon Davis and Shawn Merriman, who were so good they left for the NFL early. Then his offense came under fire. However, that I can understand. No one should have stuck with Joel Statham for that long. Now, the defense is the next target. Before you completely give up on the Terps, I'm going to try to convince you to not to jump just yet. Give them one more season. They just may turn it around.

Their offense is looking better than it did the last two years. West Virginia isn't ranked #5 because of their defense. None-the-less, Maryland did a pretty good job scoring on them. The running game has a very nice double headed monster. Lance Ball is a big man, 5'9" & 216 lbs, who is tough to stop when he gets rolling. Keon Lattimore, 5'11" & 220, is back to form since a shoulder injury and is running with passion. The Fridge can throw these guys in and out when he feels to keep them rested. The big offensive line will push some teams around and these guys will find the end zone.

The passing game looks the best it has since Scott McBrien graduated. The receiving core is young, but as they mature, they're going to really start clicking. Darrius Heyward-Bey, a former high school track star, is really fast. Danny Oquend and Isiah Williams have already stepped and made plays.

As for the defense, they have some work to do. But I believe they have the players to do so. This secondary was one of the tops in the nation last year -- bad recruiting? Really? It always takes a little time for players to adjust to a new coach. Chris Cosh may not be as successful as Gary Blackney, but I expect the defense to get better over time.

In fact, this team should be give some time on a whole. They have a young receiving core, a quarterback that, for the first time in his career, doesn't have to look over his shoulder to see if he's going to be taken out of the game, and two out of three running backs are coming back from injuries -- Lattimore and Josh Allen.

So, don't rough up your knees rolling off the bandwagon if you don't have to. Wait for the season. Let them go through ACC play, which shouldn't be impossible. Then, if they blow it, do what you want. That would make three bad seasons to follow three good ones. If they do well, they you'll be glad you stuck with it. You can even be one of the few Maryland fans that said "I was with them with the bad" -- I'm talking students over alumni when I allude to the fair weather attitdue. If you jump off now though, and they do turn it around, that's too bad. Because it's not turning around to pick you back up -- well, it wouldn't if I were driving.

Once again, Maryland put up a performance that makes everyone wonder "Are these guys really going to be prepared for West Virginia?" This weeks performance against Middle Tennessee State showed some improvement over last weeks win over William & Mary, but even more, it showed how committed to the run Ralph Friedgen really is.

Keon Lattimore had 86 yards and Lance Ball had 59 yards and two TDs. Hell, Sam Hollenbach's only TD was a rushing one. The offense limited turnovers, but at the same time, the one defensive take away -- and interception caught by JJ Justice -- was fumbled away and recovered by MTSU. The defense was strong sacking Clint Marks three times.

I think we can all assume that Maryland will depend on a grounded attack against West Virginia, only airing it out when need be. In Maryland winning seasons, that's what they did with most of their games, pushing it on the ground and passing it only when the run was failing them. Their defense has played strong games against weaker teams, and they'll need to play as strong against West Virginia.

Even though Maryland wasn't explosive against the Blue Raiders, it could have been worse. #9 FSU needed the entire game to defeat Troy. NC State needed more than the whole game, losing 20-17 to Akron. Of course, Maryland shouldn't be judged on how their conference opponents do, but it should give them some solace. It looks like the ACC may not be as hard to handle as it looked like before. With the loss of #18 Clemson to BC, the conference doesn't look to be as top heavy as it did just a week ago. Maryland should have a good shot for a bowl birth.

That being said, if the Terps want to try to prove they're above that middle pack, a victory over West Virginia this Thursday is in order. Of course, that's easier said than done.

They say a 'W' is a 'W.' Well, I don't know who "they" is, and although that's true, there's often more to look at. For most major universities, the first game of the season is really a pre-season game that counts. They get lined up against a DI-AA school or maybe even a DII school, offensively break down the opposing offense, defensively destroy the opposing offense, rack up 30 points in the first half, and then throw in their subs.

That's what was expected tonight against William & Mary. I'll be honest, I don't know much about William & Mary except it is named after the joint monarchs of England who took over after King James II abdicated. This was the Glorious Revolution -- named as such because of the lack of fighting ... although there was fighting, just not much. Never mind, if you wanna know, Wikipedia it. All that's important here is that Maryland's 27-14 victory over the Tribe was not effective enough.