Free Kicks: First-of-the-season College Football Edition

Wow, Falco has been on one hell of a tear lately, posting Monday-Thursday and giving Windsor and I some huge relief. After all, this weekend is huge for Terps fans as the Maryland football team travels to #12 California in a game in which Cal will be far more focused than they were last season- not to mention a much improved team in general. Cal tends to be over-ranked at the beginning of the season over the past few years, but this team certainly has it in them to be a power in the PAC 10. In honor of the Terps’ uncertain kicking situation, let’s line up for the kick…

Is Boise State for real?
Their defense is, and that might be the most important thing. Oregon has one hell of an offensive scheme, and it didn’t look to miss a beat when Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly was promoted to Head Coach in the offseason. But last night Boise State held the vaunted Ducks attack without a single first down in the first half. Boise State is not normally known for its defense; with the entire WAC and Mountain West getting a reputation for AFL-style shootouts, but if the Broncos can maintain a defensive presence it will not only win games- their offense will do that- but it will gain the attention of voters who tend to respect a hard-nosed defense more than a high-flying spread offense. As for Oregon, their sluggish performance may be indicative of the inexperience and possible lack of direction from Chip Kelly (thought it is too early to say for sure), or maybe just first-game jitters and the distraction of the blue turf. Regardless, they will have to massively improve if they are going to be competitive in a very talented PAC 10.

Is South Carolina-NC State representative of the SEC-ACC?
It just might be. Remember, NC State and South Carolina, much to Steve Spurrier’s chagrin, are comparable programs right now in their respective conferences, and while NC State lost by a very narrow 7-3 margin, Falco may have seen something more. He wrote to me, saying:

“During the (horrible) South Carolina vs. NC State game, the announcers said the SC players, notably representing the SEC, looked a lot more like football players. But even with that, it was not the reason NC State lost, it was because the Wolfpack had very little focus and could not complete basic plays, highlighted by the missed catch by Jay Smith in the end zone. If the ACC ever wants to compete with the SEC in football, they can, but it is their focus that is lacking.”

This is also an NC State team that was expected to make a leap with their talented young quarterback Russell Wilson, who looked every bit young but lacked the other quality last night. However, I am not sure I subscribe to Falco’s argument. South Carolina has come out of the gate extremely hot the last 2 or 3 seasons only to take a nosedive at the end of the season. NC State is still one of the worst teams in the ACC, and one good or bad offensive showing isn’t going to change that much. The SEC is leaps ahead of the ACC in football, as only the Big East (in my opinion) has a less imposing lineup. I will give the ACC a tie with the Big Ten as while the ACC is better top to bottom, the Big Ten has two major contenders in Ohio State and Penn State whereas the ACC has at best a large collection of 8-4 squads.

Best game this weekend?
Oklahoma State vs. Georgia will be a great game, but with Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford gone you won’t really know how good Georgia is until the second half of the season. Nevada-Notre Dame will also be really interesting with the pistol offense going up against Tenuta’s revamped defense (though mostly because of the sick pleasure I would get seeing Nevada pull the upset). The same can be said of Navy taking on Ohio State in Columbus; I love seeing the triple option no matter who is running it. However, give me BYU-Oklahoma this weekend. If only because BYU could be the best non-BCS team in the country, and both of these teams will be gunning for a BCS berth regardless of the outcome of this game (though it gets much harder for BYU if they lose than it would for Oklahoma). With the Sooners down their best pass-catcher in tight end Jermaine Gresham due to injury, this game just got a lot more competitive. Who wins? Oklahoma, but my heart will be pulling for the mid-major as always.

First Round Complete: Maryland Defeats NC State

A close game to the finish, 7-seed Maryland came out with the victory 74-69 over 10-seed NC State in the first round of the ACC Tournament. They advance to the second round where they will take on 2-seed Wake Forest on Friday.

The Wolfpack had an early 21-8 lead as Maryland's shots were not hitting at all. Key three-point shooting from Eric Hayes and Cliff Tucker put Maryland in the lead, but the teams went into the locker room tied at 29. After getting an early lead in the half, the two teams would go back and forth: between 12:23 and 3:54 no one had more than a two point lead. The Terps were helped by foul trouble to NC State's key players. After getting a four-point lead, Maryland kept the lead with Hayes's free throw shooting and never looked back.

Hayes ended with a career high 21 points on 5-6 three point-shooting, plus Greivis Vasquez got a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. Dave Neal ended with 10 points, hitting his only two perimeter shots.

Maryland takes on Wake Forest next, a team ranked #9 and one that defeated Maryland just a few weeks ago. A number of NCAA bubble teams have been falling quick, including Providence and Miami, but Maryland at 19-12 still has work to do. If they lose to Wake, it is over.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

The ACC Tournament: Maryland's Last Chance

It is the final chance for Maryland to make their case for the NCAA, the ACC Tournament. Maryland as the 7-seed will take on 10-seed NC State, a team they defeated by 11 on the road (eight until the last shot), and the winner takes on 2-seed Wake Forest.

Maryland has won only one ACC Tournament game in the last four seasons, that being against Georgia Tech two years ago. It is consensus that the Terps probably need two wins to have a chance. They have gotten a little bit of help so far, including Miami getting defeated by Virginia Tech.

NC State is a 16-13 team that has lost three of their last four games. They shoot 38% from three-point range with their experienced guards Brandon Costner and Courtney Fells, and they do not have much size either, but a number of 6'9'' players will help. This will not be an easy game for Maryland, and things are not looking good after their loss to Virginia, but they still have a chance.

Game against NC State is tonight at 7:00.

(Photo credit: ACC)

Homecoming Pregame: Maryland vs. NC State

Welcome home all Terrapin alumni. For the second time in two years, Maryland's homecoming game will be against NC State. It worked two years ago under the Sam Hollenbach year; let's see if Chris Turner can do the same.

The Maryland Terrapins (5-2, 2-1 ACC) take on the NC State Wolfpack (2-5, 0-3 ACC) in a interesting ACC matchup. A Maryland win would make them bowl-eligible as well as keep them tied for first place in the Atlantic Division. Maryland is coming off a shutout victory over now-unranked Wake Forest while NC State has lost their last three contests.

After Maryland's victory over Wake, they have now won their last five games against ranked opponents. However, on the flip side Maryland is 1-2 against I-A non-ranked (and losing record) opponents this season, and NC State is unranked and has a losing record. Let's hope the trend doesn't continue.


Scouting the Competition: NC State
Don't let that 2-5 record fool you, this is not a bad team anymore. Under the second season of Tom O'Brien, the Wolfpack are trying to regain their Philip Rivers days. But they have a long way to go. NC State has lost their last two contests against Maryland, including getting shutout 37-0 at home last year.

Redshirt freshman Russell Wilson has started to gain his stride with his last two games getting 218 yards and three scores against Boston College 181 yards and two scores against Florida State, both of whom are ranked, even though NC State lost both contests. But Wilson has shown himself to be an up and coming quarterback in the ACC.

The Wolfpack run a balanced offense, with 214 passes and 211 rushing attempts, but the running game has not been as helpful as the air attack. On the ground most of the carries go to senior Andre Brown, who averages 4.3 yards a carry and has three touchdowns, and is a bruiser; his longest rush attempt was 16 yards. Wilson's primary target is sophomore Owen Spencer, who has 405 receiving yards this season.

The defense has not been very threatening, they have given up at least 24 points in every contest. Granted their schedule has been real difficult, but it is still 24 points a game. The redshirt junior DE Willie Young has been a force, with two fumbles recovered and six tackles for loss. Their tackles leader is another redshirt junior, LB Ray Michel.

Things to look out for in today's game:
1. Which Chris Turner will show up?
It seems like we say this every week, but frankly it is true. Some games Turner is terrific, some he is flat out bad. Last game, Turner was very solid and was able to deal with an aggressive Wake defense when the rushing attack was not performing. On paper, Turner should be fine against the Wolfpack, but we will see who shows up.

2. Repeat from last week: Can Da'Rel Scott get back on track?
He was not bad on the ground, but his two lost fumbles nearly allowed Wake Forest to fight back. Davin Meggett was seeing important time on the ground ahead of Scott last week, and it makes everyone wonder if Scott will get back to form. No doubt Scott is the better runner, but he has not performed well since the Cal game. NC State allows 165+ yards a game on the ground; Scott will not have a better chance to get back on track.

3. Will the Terps underestimate Russell Wilson?
We have seen what happens if the Terps defense does not respect an opposing quarterback; they roll over them. Wilson may only be a freshman, but he has shown some good talent and the capability to make the big play. Maryland's LB corps will again be tested, and they will need to keep the status quo to win. If they can shut down Riley Skinner's squad to zero points, they can shut down Russell Wilson, just do not overlook him.

4. Will the weather be a factor?
The predicted forecast in College Park tomorrow is a lot of rain plus possibly heavy winds. At the Breakfast With the Fridge event Friday morning, Coach Friedgen said that the Terps were practicing with a wet football, so the Terps are trying to get ready for incoming weather. They haven't played in a bad weather game yet. Bad weather will affect the kicking game and the air attack, so Scott and Brown will probably see a lot of carries if the rain is bad.

Prediction- Maryland 24, NC State 13
Maryland does not blow out opponents like NC State, but they will secure the victory and earn their bowl eligibility. As long as they are not looking ahead to Virginia Tech.

(Photo credits: Baltimore Sun (Heyward-Bey), Terrapin Sports Report (Wilson))