Diamondback Blogs

Ellen Ott can hit the ball awfully hard. So hard, in fact, that it scares some of her teammates.
“Ellen has a really hard hit,” forward Katie O’Donnell said. “Every time we practice [penalty corners] in practice, I never go to the far post because I’m scared.”
With a penalty corner in the third minute of sudden victory, the Terps decided to let the senior back take a rip.  Moved by the urgency of the situation, a reluctant O’Donnell slid to the far post.

“I was like, ‘this’ll be the one time. I’m actually gonna go to the far post… She better hit the cage,’” O’Donnell said.

Ott did not miss. She halted a pass from back Susie Rowe and sent the ball sailing past Cavalier goalie Amy Desjadon, giving the Terps a win in their first game of the ACC tournament, Friday.

The No. 1 Terps (17-2) escaped the Cavaliers 3-2. The win advanced the Terps to the final of the ACC tournament, where they will face No. 2 Wake Forest.
It was déjà vu in the Durham, N.C, as the Terps needed overtime to beat Virginia for the second time this year. And in both contests the team had to surmount second half deficits in order to force the extra period.

As coach Missy Meharg predicted, it was Virginia’s speedy offensive attack that gave the Terps issues. The Terps often were caught short-handed as the Cavaliers slipped out on the fast break.

“[Virginia has] very creative forwards,” said Alicia Grater, who kept the Terps in the contest with five saves. “They would sub a mid and the next thing you know a forward’s on. It’s really hard to organize and mark. [They were] really fast, really feisty, really creative.”

In Wake Forest, the Terps face another team that took them to overtime during the regular season.  Sunday, the Terps will hope for another repeat performance against the Demon Deacons.

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BLACKSBURG, Va.– Some Observations compiled during the Terps’ 23-13 loss at Virginia Tech…

-After all the speculation, Hokie quarterback Sean Glennon started under center. It didn’t really matter, anyway. It was the Hokies’ running game that wore down the Terps.  Running back Darren Evans ran through huge holes all night, and finished with more than 200 yards rushing.

-After not quite as much speculation, Terp running back Da’Rel Scott was in the backfield on the Terps’ first offensive play of the game.  It didn’t really matter, anyway. Scott had nowhere to go the entire night, and the offensive line was terrible.

-On the Hokies’ long scoring drive in the first quarter, the Hokies’ offensive line opened up massive holes for Evans to run through. The outmuscled Terps had to respect the run, and they were caught off guard when Glennon passed to tight end Greg Boone on third and goal at the 5 for the touchdown.

-Each of the Terps’ first two drives were killed by the lack of an effective running game. Both times, quarterback Chris Turner led the Terps’ crisply down the field before a poorly-designed running play put the Terps in a third-and-long situation. Obi Egekeze missed a field goal the first time, and made one the second time.

-Impressive kick coverage by Egekeze. Dyrell Roberts nearly broke a kick return after the field goal early in the second quarter, but Obi got to the sideline to knock him out of bounds. The touchdown-saving tackle was even bigger after Glennon threw for a five-yard loss, then was sacked, and almost sacked again before he just ran back to the line of scrimmage for a three-and-out.

-It was smart for the Hokies to get back to running the ball on their next possession. Evans bounced outside for a 50-yard run on the first play of the drive, and finished it off seven plays later with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 14-3. Definitely more effective than Glennon getting repeatedly knocked on his butt.

-Turner putting the ball on the ground on the first play of the second half trailing 17-3 didn’t help the Terps’ cause. The defense bailed him out a little bit when they held the Hokies to a field goal, but the Terps needed to do some positive on that first drive, not go immediately in reverse.

-Darrius Heyward-Bey can still fly. His 63-yard catch and run for a touchdown midway through the third quarter quieted the crowd in a hurry. He can take a hit too. He looked like Scott the way he jumped around after taking a vicious hit from Beau Warren later in the quarter.

-The Hokies are supposed to be known for their special teams, but it was two huge special teams gaffes that gave the Terps some life in the third quarter. A blocked punt (great game for Torrey Smith, by the way) and a muffed punt in the same quarter is unheard of for the Hokies.

-The third quarter plays made it look like the Terps could win, but the Hokies were the better team Thursday.

-This was a tough loss, but the Terps still control their own destiny with three games to go. They need to win out.

 schimmeldbk@gmail.com

7-0 Virginia Tech after one quarter.

To clear up a couple of the mysteries coming into this game: Quarterback Sean Glennon started at quarterback after he and back-up Tyrod Taylor entered the game questionable with left ankle injuries. He threw a first quarter touchdown for the game’s only score as both Taylor and third-stringer Cory Holt watched from the Va. Tech sideline wearing headsets. On the Terps side, defensive end Mack Frost, linebacker Dave Philistin, tackle Scott Burley and running back Da’Rel Scott are all playing despite coming in questionable. Kicker Obi Egekeze slid a 46-yard field goal wide right on the Terps’ first drive after a 4-4 passing start from quarterback Chris Turner.

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Today marks what will be a historic presidential election, but who cares!?! It’s also the Terrapin football team’s media luncheon!

Coach Ralph Friedgen addressed a number of issues, including his weekly analysis of the upcoming opponent. Regarding Virginia Tech, the Fridge said his team is preparing as if quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor, Sean Glennon and Troy Holt might all play Thursday night. Taylor and Glennon both suffered left ankle sprains against Florida State on Oct. 25 and are listed as questionable.

Friedgen also said that due to a myriad of factors, including it’s status as the “only show in town,” Blacksburg, Va., is one of the toughest places to play in the ACC. The Hokies are 14-3 when playing in ESPN Thursday night games.

Friedgen and Hokies coach Frank Beamer have a close relationship that began over thirty years ago. Both were graduate assistants with the Terps in 1972, and went on to become assistant coaches at The Citadel from 1973-1978. Friedgen was also Beamer’s offensive coordinator in 1981 when Beamer was coaching Murray State. Today, Friedgen recalled an exchange he and Beamer had (sort of) after his 2003 hip relacement surgery when Virginia Tech was looking to join the ACC along with Miami.

“I don’t know if you guys know this story,” Freidgen ominously began. “I was getting my hip replaced, and we were in the ACC meetings, and I caught some infection. I was in bad shape. I looked at my vital signs and my blood pressure was 70/40 [i.e. very low] and I didn’t know if I was going to cash out or not.

I got a call in my room and it was Frank and he wanted to know what I could do for him to help him get into the ACC. I told my wife to tell him, ‘I have to deal with other issues right now than whether you get into the ACC.’ I think he got upset a little at that, but I don’t know if he realized what I was going through.”

Friedgen will have to resort to winning this Thursday in order to “upset” Beamer again.

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Rashad Henry is a senior running back buried behind talented youngsters Da’Rel Scott, Davin Meggett and Morgan Green, but he cherishes the opportunity to play Division I football nonetheless. A transfer from Bowie State, Henry has devoted himself to practicing hard, enjoying football, and providing a steadying presence for the team’s younger players. Henry sat down with us for this week’s edition of Meet the Team.

Terrapin Trail: First off, what was the team’s reaction when you guys heard that the latest AP poll had you ranked 25th in the country?

Rashad Henry: We were excited, but at the same time we still have four games to go. We just gotta take it one game at a time.

TT:  As a senior, you naturally assume a leadership role on the team. But because you haven’t seen the field this year, do you embrace that role or do you leave it to the guys who log a lot of snaps on Saturdays?

RH: No, I embrace it. I’ve been here for three years. We still have guys who are freshman and have never been in college, so my leadership goes far beyond just the field. It’s off the field, just life in general. There’s things I’ve been through that the freshman guys have never been through. So I try to shine some light on some things they have questions about - school, life, and football.

TT: You transferred from Bowie State, a school where you probably would have played a lot if you’d stayed for four years. What made you decide to tranfer to the Terps, where playing time is harder to come by?

RH: Everyone likes a challenge. Bowie was great, but at the same time I looked a little beyong that. I look at the degree, at the chance to make something out of myself. I’m not saying that Bowie was nothing, but I wanted to aim a little higher. Everybody wants to play Div. I football. I didn’t want to go through my life wondering, “what if?”

TT: I read that you like to play the saxaphone. How did that start?

RH: It’s an old hobby. I did that for, man, nine, ten years, back in the day. That was basically it. High school, and I just lost it after that.

TT: So you couldn’t still rip a tune on the sax?

RH: Oh no, I could. Oh yeah.

TT: You got any favorite tunes from ‘back in the day?‘

RH: Kenny G, for real for real. And I always liked the little sopranino sax, just the sound of it.