Diamondback Blogs

Box scores can often be misleading. A tailback could run for 97 yards on eight carries, but 92 of them came on one play. A batter could go 4-for-5 in game, but twice need favorable error calls to do it. And Ricky Davis could bounce a basketball off his own backboard trying to “earn” a triple-double.

Box scores never tell the whole story. So every Sunday we’ll be taking a closer look at yesterday’s stats, searching for something hidden Behind the Numbers.

Let’s begin with the number zero, which is exactly how many sacks the Terps recorded and field goals kicker Obi Egekeze made against the Blue Hens.

Terp defenders frequently had Delaware quarterback Robby Schoenhoft in their sights and within their grasp, but each time failed to bring the 250-pound beef stick to the ground. The Blue Hens might be the defending Football Championship Series (better known as Division I-AA) champs, but their offensive line should have been overmatched against Terp defenders, who in turn should be able to corral and drag down a quarterback, even if he is a hoss. But that zero also fails to account for the pressure Terp defenders did apply. That pressure didn’t allow Schoenhoft time to consistently throw the ball downfield and forced him to make frequent use of his check-down receivers.

Egekeze’s 0-for-3 finish is another stat that might seem more alarming than it really is. Yes, Egekeze missed all three field goals he attempted, and the second one wasn’t even close and might have been good if it had been kicked from the opposite hash mark. But his first attempt, a 48-yarder, bounced off the crossbar, and the third clunked off the right upright from 41 yards out. Many college teams wouldn’t even let their kicker attempt a 48-yard field goal, and both could just as easily have bounced inside the upright.

That said, it’s unlikely the Terps could get zero sacks and squander three scoring opportunites against an ACC opponent and get away with it like they did against Delaware. They’ll have to work on improving those zeroes, but for now they have another where it matters most: in the loss column.

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The Terrapin field hockey team blew by Junior FC Spain 9-0 in the Tuesday night’s exhibition game at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.

The squad’s lone exhibition contest provided a tune up for Saturday’s season opener at Lock Haven.

Coach Missy Meharg wants the team to push the ball in transition to create goal opportunities with a strong counter-attack. She was pleased with the Terps’ ability to dictate the pace of the game.

“Spain comes to us with a lot of finite skills, but clearly they don’t play a … transition, run-and-gun, western-world game,” Meharg said. “Our goal was to keep our tempo for 70 minutes and I thought we did a good job with that.”

Although the win was promising, the Terps clearly outclassed the opposition. The team will be tested early against No. 9 Penn State, which knocked the Terps out of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, on Sept. 1 and No. 10 Old Dominion on Sept. 5. These matches should serve as a measuring stick for the team.

Also of note: Former Terp Keli Smith, back from playing in Beijing for the US National Team, was in attendance for the game. Smith was a three-time All-American and member of the 1999 NCAA National Championship team.

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The Terps continued pre-season practices Tuesday evening, a day after coach Ralph Friedgen named senior Jordan Steffy as the starting quarterback for the team’s season opener against Delaware on August 30. Selecting Steffy, who struggled in games last season, over junior incumbent Chris Turner was a big surprise, even a dissapointment for some.

And the way Friedgen and new offensive coordinator James Franklin were reacting to questions about the decision after practice makes one think they fully realize Steffy was a controversial pick.

Before Friedgen even started his chat with members of the media inside his office he made it clear he wasn’t really that interested in all things Steffy, Turner and junior Josh Portis, who was also in the mix for the starting gig.

“I’m not saying anything more on the quarterback situation,” Friedgen said. “That’s over with. I’m not talking about the quarterback situation anymore.”

It was an understandable reaction. All he and Franklin did Monday was talk about it, but a quarterback controversy is big news so even Friedgen did some reflecting on the process later on, calling it the toughest football decision he’s ever made.

Turner was a no-show for the media for the second straight day. Asked if Turner was considering transferring out of the program after his demotion, Franklin gave the following tight-lipped response.

“What I can tell you is, I’m really excited about the University of Maryland’s football program, the direction we’re headed, our offense and that’s what we’re focused on.”

As for Steffy, he seemed confident in his ability and ready to move on from the big decision.

“I think we’ve really sort of, all of us as a group, moved forward from that,” Steffy said. “Coach Franklin said in a meeting, this is the decision and we’re going to go with it, and everybody sort of bought into it. The most important thing is that everyday we get better.”

So in summary, Friedgen didn’t want to talk about it, Franklin talked about it but avoided the question of Turner transferring and Steffy said the quarterback group is ready to move on. Obviously this dilemma isn’t going away. It’s time to hear what Turner has to say.

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The Terps took the field at Byrd Stadium for their first of three official intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday evening. The defense put on the red. The offense donned the white. Overall, the defense dominated, forcing a pair of turnovers and holding the offense to 17 points despite often being stuck with a short field. Friedgen said the offense was rustier than usual because he normally has a small scrimmage at practice before the first live scrimmage, but opted to do “The Oklahoma Drill”, a competitive tackling exercise, this week instead.
Here’s a look at what else happened during the 15-possession “game”…

QB Update: Junior Chris Turner got the scrimmage started with a 13-play drive that resulted in a missed 50-yard field goal by Obi Egekeze. He was 8-12 for 93 yards and coach Ralph Friedgen said afterwards he thought Turner performed a little better than his competition, senior Jordan Steffy and junior Josh Portis.
Turner’s reaction? “That’s the first time I’ve heard that all camp, so I guess that’s good, right?”
Portis was 4-9 for 69 yards with an interception that was returned 30 yards by junior cornerback Nolan Carroll for a touchdown. But he bounced back to complete the longest pass of the day, a 41-yard laser to freshman wideout Quinton McCree, which set up a touchdown.
“[Portis] just waited [on the interception]. You can’t do that, but then again he comes back and makes some plays, too,” Friedgen said. “I think he’s learning, and I see him getting better.”
Steffy was 5-9 for 76 yards, and he was picked off in the end zone by senior cornerback Kevin Barnes.
Portis was under center for seven possessions, Steffy four, Turner three and redshirt freshman Jamarr Robinson one. There’s still a lot of time for a starter to emerge, but Friedgen got a look at each quarterback in a variety of situations.
“I’m trying to evaluate all of them with all teams, and then see who does what,” Friedgen said.

Scrimmage Star: True freshman running back Davin Meggett. Meggett, the son of former NFL running back Dave Meggett, burst onto the scene by scoring the Terps’ lone offensive touchdowns. He scored from six yards out on the seventh possession of the game, and he opened the 14th possession by taking a pitch up the right sideline for a 50-yard touchdown run.
“He’s got a lot of growing to do,” Friedgen said. “You can see he’s got ability, and he’s really pushing for the second team spot right now.”
Meggett finished with 73 yards on 13 carries and solidly outperformed sophomore Morgan Green, his main competition for the second running back spot. Green finished with (minus-1) yards rushing on four carries and did not get a touch after being whistled for a false start before Meggett’s first touchdown.
But Meggett was less than optimistic about the performance, guessing he made mistakes on 11 of his 13 carries.
“There’s a lot of yelling going on,” Meggett said. “Just because I scored doesn’t mean anything. I still make mistakes. I make a lot of mistakes.”

Play of the Day: Carroll scored the team’s first points of the season on the second possession of the scrimmage. He jumped a sideline route thrown by Portis, one of his roommates, and scampered untouched down the sideline for the touchdown.
Carroll, a former wide receiver, is battling for the starting cornerback position opposite Kevin Barnes.
“It was a confidence builder,” Carroll said. “But my biggest thing is I’m trying to do this on the field. I won’t feel accomplishment until I’m making the same plays when the games matter.”

Hit of the Day: On the first possession, Turner hit freshman wide receiver Ronnie Tyler near the right hashmark, but as he secured the ball reserve strong safety Drew Robinson leveled Tyler with a bone-crunching blow. The South Carolina native held on for a 20-yard completion, but it fired up the defense enough to force a failed field goal attempt on the next set of downs.

Terp Lowlights: Egekeze was just 1-3 on field goal attempts during the scrimmage. After missing wide left on his 50-yard attempt, he had a 38-yard attempt blocked by junior Deege Galt. Egekeze later made a 20-yarder and then hit both of his short field goals during the team’s goal line drill.

Tyler held on after Allen’s crushing hit, but he dropped a pair of punts as a return man. After the second muff, Allen was replaced deep by senior Danny Oquendo. Friedgen said he will try other players in the spot as camp progresses, but Oquendo, who returned punts last season before being injured, is the front runner for the spot.
“Better I find out now than against Delaware,” Friedgen said. “Right now, it’s not close. Danny Oquendo will be back there because he can catch the ball.”

Injury Update: Friedgen reported three minor injuries occurred during the scrimmage. Sophomore free safety Antwine Perez, a USC transfer, sustained a minor concussion. Offensive lineman Scott Burley received a “burner” on the last play of the scrimmage, and Carroll sat out the second half of the scrimmage after tweaking his right hamstring. Carroll said he expected to resume normal activities Monday. Linebacker Trey Covington (hamstring), defensive lineman Mack Frost (knee) and defensive tackle Bemi Otulaja (foot) were among the players who did not participate Saturday.

Up Next: The Terps will practice twice daily Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week. Friedgen said he will hold a mock scrimmage at practice Thursday without tackling. The next full scrimmage will be Saturday at the same time. All practices and scrimmages are closed to the public.

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