Postgame Report Card: California 52, Maryland 13

The word of the game is.....embarrassing. I understand that California is ranked #12 and was looking for "redemption" from what happened last year. But Maryland looked like a high school team and followed suit with the rest of the conference during the weekend, looking absolutely awful. The team did not look prepared and was torn apart by a more experienced squad. After a national television embarrassment like that, the Terps will have a lot of questions to answer as they get ready for James Madison next week.

When writing this, I understand that Cal was a 21-point favorite and that the Terps had to travel on the other side of the country to play. But you can't make excuses for everything, even for student athletes. Maryland had to be ready for this, and they looked completely lost during the whole game, from the coaches to the players. Maryland is too talented to get destroyed by 39 points.

Offense - Overall Grade: D
Quarterbacks: D
Chris Turner had one of his famous dreadful nights. He was not throwing the ball well and could not maintain his pocket presence at all. He went 17/30 for 168 yards with no scores or interceptions, but a fumble in the second quarter gave Cal great field position for their third touchdown. His line did not help him, but he was sacked seven times and did not show good awareness in the pocket. If this is how Chris Turner is going to run "his team," Maryland fans ought to be worried. The very brief appearance of backup Jamarr Robinson is an incomplete, as he did not throw the ball.
Running Backs: B-
Da'Rel Scott was the only player on offense that looked sharp tonight. He ran for 90 yards on 13 rushes and got the only Terps touchdown on a big 39-yard run in the 3rd quarter, even if the Terps were down 45-6 when he scored it. Davin Meggett was not bad, getting 36 yards on nine rushes.
Wide Receivers: C-
The corps was not terrible, but not helpful to the cause either. Adrian Cannon led the way with five catches while Ronnie Tyler had two. Torrey Smith only had one catch. Plus, the lack of receivers getting open caused Turner problems all night.
Tight Ends: C
A couple catches by Tommy Galt and Lansford Watson in the game, but blocking was poor by the unit.
Offensive Line: F
If this is how Maryland's offensive line will perform, get ready for a long season. Cal's defensive line, though returning a lot of starters, were destroying the Terps line all night, constantly blitzing and sacking Turner seven times. The only experienced senior starting on the line, center Phil Costa, committed an illegal snap. The line may be young, but this was a terrible performance tonight.

Defense - Overall Grade: D-
Defensive Line: D-
This unit could not slow down anyone. Kevin Riley had all day to throw and the two runners Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen had no difficulty. When the unit tried to pressure Riley they could not tackle him and Best had huge holes to run through. Only Riley's two sacks prevent this grade from being lower.
Linebackers: F+
They must have known about how dangerous Jahvid Best was, and yet they let him run all over them. A 73-yard run to begin for him as he and Vereen combined for 185 yards on the ground. Plus, the middle of the field was an easy target for Kevin Riley's passing. The unit was having difficulty just tackling.
Secondary: D-
I understand Jamari McCollough got hurt, but this is supposed to be the experienced part of the defense. There were blown coverages all over the place and the Golden Bears receivers were almost unchallenged at every turn.

Special Teams - Overall Grade: B+
Kicker: A
The only good thing to come out of this game was that the Terps may have found their kicker. Nick Ferrara, who seemingly was chosen just before the game, converted his two field goals and extra point, including a 42-yarder in the 2nd quarter.
Punter: B
Travis Baltz had an average day, punting the ball six times for an average of 35.5 yards.
Returners: C+
Torrey Smith was fine for the most part, but a fumble lost on the kickoff gave Cal the ball in great field position. Kenny Tate had an average day returning punts, getting about nine yards per return.
Coverage: B+
Vereen had one good return, but otherwise everything was solid on the special teams end.

Coaching - Overall Grade: F
Offensive: F
James Franklin's playcalling was just terrible tonight. Cal could blitz at will and the Terps did nothing to adjust to it. He also had Chris Turner running draws, even though this is the only experienced quarterback Maryland has. And everything was predictable. Then, when the game was truly out of reach, this is a time you can test some things out. But instead, constant runs to the right and again risking your quarterback on runs. You have an inexperienced line against a dominant defensive line, put Turner in a few more shotgun plays to give him some time, or allow him to throw downfield. Just terrible offensive coaching tonight.
Defensive: F
Don Brown's gameplan was no better. You can't tell me that you did not know about Jahvid Best and his abilities. Nothing on defense was going right, the line and linbackers could do nothing against Best and Vereen while the secondary kept blowing coverages on Cal's receivers. The blitzes almost never worked and Riley was free to pass where he liked. Obviously an offense as experienced as California's is hard to play against, but the defense looked almost nonexistant tonight. I sure hope your first year gets better here.

The MVP/LVP:
MVP: Nick Ferrera
Yes, the kicker is the MVP. He did his job perfectly tonight plus his two made field goals kept Maryland in contention until the middle of the second quarter.
LVP: Phil Costa
The leader of the offensive line earns this award. The center got an illegal snap and did not do anything to protect the quarterback tonight.

(Photo credit: AP (Turner, Best tackled), Getty (Best running)

Pregame: Maryland at #12 California

A new season of college football has begun, and the Terps take the field for their first game tonight. They head to Berkeley to take on #12 California in a matchup of last year's contest, where the Terps won 35-27.

A new year for the Terps brings new storylines. Chris Turner heads back to his home state as the Maryland starting quarterback for most of the last three years, this time with very little competition getting the role. Also, with the departure of Darrius Heyward-Bey, Turner will have to get used to his young WR corps.

The Terps normally do well in their season openers, but the last three years they were at home against non-BCS opponents, William & Mary in 2006, Villanova in 2007, and Delaware in 2008. This time Maryland is going against a Pac-10 opponent on the road.

Scouting the Competition: #12 California Golden Bears

It is safe to say that California is tired of the University of Maryland. In the 2008-09 school year, the Golden Bears suffered big defeats at the hands of the Terps, including in football, in the men's basketball NCAA Tournament, and in the men's soccer NCAA Tournament. But none of those matches were in Berkeley, so the Golden Bears are looking to exact revenge tonight.

They are led by one of the best running backs in the country, Javhid Best (pictured). Many remember last year the ESPN cameras catching him throwing up after a vicious hit from Maryland, but make no mistake about his talent. Last year he had over 1500 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Many believe he has a shot to be a Heisman candidate by the season's end.

Cal's offense is not without questions however. A quarterback controversy was going on during the spring through the summer, and last year's primary starter Kevin Riley was given the starting nod against Maryland. Riley has had good days and bad days, but is considered to throw a decent ball. Cal will look to establish a passing threat so that Best will have plenty of room to run.

On defense, the Bears are considered to be strong with eight starters returning. The two starting cornerbacks, Syd'Quan Thompson and Darian Hagan, are considered the best in the Pac-10.

Some things to look for in tonight's game:

1. Can Maryland's passing game handle Cal's secondary?

Needless to say, Turner's young WR corps will have their hands full with a dominant Cal secondary. The Terps will need their young veterans Torrey Smith, Adrian Cannon, and Ronnie Tyler to be effective. The team does not need to dominate in the air, but they do need to be effective enough to allow Maryland to run the ball effectively. The Terps strength is in their running with Da'Rel Scott and Company, but if there is no threat from the passing game, the running game will follow suit. Chris Turner is coming to his home state with no competition to the quarterback job, let's see if his "coolness" shows tonight.

2. Can Javhid Best be stopped?

This is a daunting task for the Terps defense, especially for the new defensive line. Best is a very big threat, and the Terps cannot let him run all day. The linebacker corps returns Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten, so they will need to be dealing with Best.

3. How effective will the Terps running game be?

Da'Rel Scott and Davin Meggett will handle the bulk of the carries today, and normally the rushing makes the Terps offense effective. With a Cal team that returns eight starters, no doubt they will be ready for these two. Cory Jackson, the Terps blocking fullback, also will be a big help.

4. What will we see from the Don?

Maryland has a new defensive coordinator this season, Don Brown, who replaced Chris Cosh. He was a great coach of UMass, and we will see what he can bring to the Terps defense. Cosh's defenses were often decent but not aggressive enough; will Brown be the same or different?

Prediction:

I like to think that the Terps have a chance, and I do believe a line of 21 is too high. The Terps do well against ranked opponents, and this game will be close, but right now, I do not believe Maryland has enough to handle Javhid Best or the strong Cal defense.

California 27, Maryland 17

(Photo credit: AP (Turner), US Presswire (Best))

Terps Hoping Chris Turner is "California Dreamin"

The start of the Maryland football season is just four days away, as the Terps head to the Golden State for a battle with the Cal Bears in a rematch from last year where the Terps defeated them 35-27 in College Park. Cal comes into the season ranked #12 in both major preseason polls, and as Ralph Friedgen has said about this game, "I'm sure they'll be waiting for us after last year." (credit to Tracking the Terps blog on the Baltimore Sun)

Cal coach Jeff Tedford said of the game "Revenge is a pretty strong word, but I think redemption may be a little bit better, just because we didn't play very well last year. It's the revenge from what they did to us, it's the redemption of what we did to ourselves." No matter what, it is clear that last year's contest will be in the mind of many players on both sides.

One interesting aspect into this game is Chris Turner, Maryland's quarterback. He is from Simi Valley, California. Granted, Simi Valley is about a six-hour drive from Berkeley, but Turner will be playing in his home state for the first time in two years, when the Terps lost to Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl in 2007.

For the first time in a few years, Maryland has no quarterback controversy. 2005 had Sam Hollenbach vs. Joel Statham, 2006 had Hollenbach vs. Jordan Steffy, then 2007 and 2008 had Steffy, Turner, and Josh Portis competing for the position. Turner won out the job, and with Steffy and Portis moving on, he has no competition and will not be under pressure in practice to win the job, as his backup is Jamarr Robinson. No one else other than Turner or Robinson practiced in the QB position in the fall. This could affect Turner in one of two ways: either he is better without the competition, or he struggles without anyone behind him.

Turner tends to be a fan favorite, but the reality is he has been an extremely inconsistent player. He has games where he is a tremendous quarterback, leading the Terps to many victories over ranked teams in the past two years, notably top-10 Boston College in 2007 and a shutout of #21 Wake Forest in 2008. But others he is just terrible, notably bring shutout by Virginia and upset by Middle Tennessee State in 2008. It is very rare he has an average day, almost always it is great or terrible. But for Maryland, Turner will be the guy; no one can replace him from the sidelines.

The bad news for Turner is that Darrius Heyward-Bey is no longer with the team after getting drafted #7 overall by the Oakland Raiders. He was the best threat Maryland had, but Turner had times where Heyward-Bey was not a factor, and found ways to adapt. Among his wide receivers, sophomore Torrey Smith and junior Adrian Cannon have stood out as the primary threats, and sophomore Ronnie Tyler will also see a lot of playing time. With a lot of young receivers plus a number of potentially strong rushers, Turner could have all the weapons he needs to make a solid offense.

California is a huge test for the new Maryland team. But this is Chris Turner's team now, and let's hope he is ready for the challenge.

(Photo credit: Maryland athletics)

Postgame Analysis: Terps put Golden Bears in Hibernation

If you are a Maryland fan you have to be thrilled about this win. Maryland was picked by many prognosticators to take this game with the way they played in the ACC tournament. Four players (Vasquez, Bowie, Hayes, and Neal) had at least 14 points, and the Terps were lights out in the second half, raising their field goal percentage from 37-49% from halftime to the final buzzer. Greivis Vasquez was a man possessed, racking up 27 points and 7 rebounds along with countless pressure-induced steals late in the game.

However, California did little to help themselves. They shot an abysmal 29% from three point land, 14% below their season average of 43%, highest in the nation. Many Terps fans will chalk this up to Maryland’s stout zone defense, but throughout the game the Bears had some great looks at the basket but they just went completely cold. Additionally, this is not a team that has had to rely on their inside game and as such, they didn’t make nearly as big of an impact in the paint as they could have against this undersized Maryland lineup. Despite all of this, Maryland took the Cal game plan and completely turned it on its head. Once Cal lost its composure and confidence in its outside shot, the Terps were able to eliminate the only other offensive options for the Golden Bears.

The key factor in this ballgame was Gary Williams’ coaching. He did an amazing job in planning for this game and taking the opponent out of their element entirely. For all their deficiencies in size, this team will never be out-worked or out-coached. A lot of focus will be given to Vasquez, and deservedly so, but this was one of Coach Williams’ better games this season (and that is saying something). Now Maryland will go on to face Memphis, which struggled early against Cal State- Northridge before pulling away late, likely indicative of simply overlooking their opponent and sleeping on the low seeded Matadors. They won’t be sleeping on the Terps, but we will save that for another day.

I think this game deserves an MVP/LVP:

MVP: How could it be anyone other than Greivis Vasquez? He makes this team function; without him this team gets outscored by anyone. However, I will give it to someone else just for variety. Dave Neal was a presence inside, and as I cited during the game, he was everywhere on the court. He kept Cal from taking over inside and even racked up a steal to complement his 15 points and 4 rebounds. His performance isn’t huge in the stat line, but the lone senior is playing all-out to have just one more game.

LVP: This is hard, but I have to give it to Sean Mosley. He disappeared early in the game by racking up 3 careless fouls and going 1-4 in his field goal attempts. He had 2 assists to 1 turnover, but he just wasn’t a factor when the rest of his compatriots were stepping up their games.

(10) Maryland vs. (7) Cal, In-Game Reactions- 2nd Half

And the second half begins…

MD 46, CAL 44; 15:14 2nd Half: This game is getting pretty chippy. The Terps have racked up 4 fouls already this half, giving Landon Milbourne 3 on the game and 4 other players saddled with 2. For their part, Cal’s best defender, Jorge Gutierrez, stayed on the court with 3 of his own. Maryland is going to have to play with a bit more discipline, or the bench will be under a lot more pressure. The Golden Bears seem to be playing much looser this half and it might soon start to show on the scoreboard.

CAL 51, MD 50; 11:49 2nd Half: Cal took their first lead at 14:39 after Adrian Bowie missed a wide open three pointer. The Terps took it back at 13:55 but gave it back again soon after. The story of this game so far has got to be Dave Neal- he has never been the most athletic or the most talented player on the court, but he is fighting for one more game in a Terps uniform. He is making all the hustle plays he can and has given Maryland life when they needed it the most. Someone besides Neal and Vasquez is going to have to get hot.

MD 59, CAL 51; 9:55 2nd Half: So just after I write that someone new is going to have to get hot, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne respond with consecutive three pointers to give Maryland their largest lead of the game. Talk about good luck… While Cal has developed a strong presence inside (who hasn’t against Maryland?), they continue to live and die by the three. So far the Bears have been let down by a 4-16 effort so far from behind the arc. I would like to say it is the Terps zone defense that is keeping Cal at bay, but they have missed a lot of good looks today.

MD 63, CAL 53; 7:54 2nd Half: A lot more commercials this half, huh? Anyways, Greivis Vasquez seems to be right into his 2nd-half, big-game self. He launched an air ball but followed it up with a brilliant steal and layup. Maryland is playing with a lot of confidence right now, and the Cal players seem to be getting too anxious for this stage in the game. Cal’s poor shooting seems to be getting into their head- I haven’t seen them play this sloppy all game. They need to stop pressing these deep shots to have a strong chance of coming back, but it is tough to ask a team to change its M.O. in the NCAA tournament.

MD 74, CAL 61; 3:32 2nd Half: Cal is 2/3 from three point range since the last break, but Maryland’s defense has been absolutely incredible, forcing a 5 second violation, a couple steals, an offensive foul, and a host of bad shots from the #7 seed. The whole Terps squad is getting into the act now, this is fun to watch for a Maryland fan.

MD 76, CAL 66; 2:11 2nd Half: The Golden Bears have started a full court press and hit another three pointer to cut the lead to 10. It might not be too late for Cal if they can get into rhythm from behind the arc (better late than never); Maryland is going to have to take their time and not give Cal too many quick possessions.

Maryland 84, California 71; FINAL

Postgame Coming Soon!

(10) Maryland vs. (7) Cal, In-Game Reactions- 1st Half

I am set to write my first ever postgame, but I thought this might be a welcome addition to our blog in the meantime. I have decided to set out my reaction to the game as it comes, updated at some of the commercial breaks when it appeared that things had changed somewhat in momentum or style. Enjoy, postgame will follow the 2nd half reactions!

MD 16, CAL 12; 13:27 1st Half: Maryland has picked up the pace on Cal, something I really didn’t expect- though a fast game is always a good way to make up for a lack of size. It also hasn’t hurt that the Golden Bears can’t seem to hit from the field, going only 33%; way too low for a team that relies on solid shooting.

MD 17, CAL 15; 11:36 1st Half: I am impressed with how Vasquez is rising (yet again) to the occasion, on both offense and defense. The Terps are also getting to the line, which is a welcome surprise compared to what we have seen this season.

MD 24, CAL 21; 7:31 1st Half: The shots are starting to fall for Cal, as they are doing a good job of establishing their confidence at the rim and then going back to the perimeter; the 3s could start hitting home soon. Greivis has picked up another foul and had to sit- which was followed immediately by turnovers on 2 straight possessions. Any question as to how much this team relies on him? Someone else will have to step up the scoring.

MD 24, CAL 24; 3:56 1st Half: Make that 4 straight turnovers, after which Gary Williams had no choice but to put Vasquez back in. Cal’s abysmal shooting is the only thing keeping this in Maryland’s favor, though the Terps are shooting no better. 36% from the field for the Terps, 34% for Cal- neither team is in rhythm from the field.

MD 34, CAL 31; Halftime: Dave Neal hits a three and continues to be overlooked by this Cal defense as he racks up offensive rebounds and gets relatively open shots. Unfortunately, this is not the Cal team we have been accustomed to seeing all season, it is unlikely they will continue to shoot so poorly in the second half. Maryland has faded in the second half of a lot of games this season; they will have to keep up their tough defense and start hitting those jump shots. They spent a few too many possessions trying to draw fouls than actually trying to make the shot by the rim and draw a foul in the process.

The First Round: Terps Take on California

10-seed Maryland is set to begin their NCAA Tournament with their first round match against 7-seed California today in Kansas City.

This will be a matchup of a lot of three-point shooting plus problematic front court play. Neither team has very good big men and rely on perimeter play for needed points.

They have one of the best three-point shooters in the country, Jerome Randle, who coming into this game is a 46.8% shooter beyond the arc. He is a 5'10'' guard who is speedy, and will be an interesting matchup with either Bowie or Vasquez. All the perimeter shooting will come from three people, Randle, Patrick Christopher (37.6%), and Theo Robertson (49.1%, 60 less shots than Randle), who combine for 408 of Cal's 468 three-point attempts this season. As a team they shoot 43.4%.

Their main big man is 6'8'' Jamal Boykin. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he is a Duke transfer. He averages nearly 9.6 points and 6.4 boards a contest. But like Maryland, they don't have many big men and do not rely on winning the boards.

So where does this leave the matchup? This game will be decided by the better perimeter defense. Both teams will expect big shooting from the other; Cal's trio of Randle, Christopher, and Robertson vs. Maryland's perimeter trio of Vasquez, Hayes, and Neal (yes, Neal). Teams hate to live and die by the three, but these teams are very similar in style of play.

Maryland fought hard to get here amist all the turmoil from critics and the media, but they are here now. Good luck to the Terrapins on Thursday.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)