Maryland Preview - Interview with Testudo Times

We are just under two weeks away from the season opener against Maryland. Although most are still in fall camp mode, I thought it's never a bad idea to take a strong look at our season opener, and what better way than to talk to a Maryland football Blogger?

Testudo Times was awesome enough to answer some questions. Read the questions below and definitely go and check out their site. They've got some solid recaps of Maryland's scrimmages. You can check out their site here.


The Bears are coming into the game hungry for redemption at the hands of last year’s 35-27 loss, but also in hopes that the season opener will be the beginning of a special season. Cal will begin the season with arguably one of the most talented teams during Tedford’s tenure, and an undefeated home opener record to boot.

Maryland on the other hand, is predicted by many pundits to finish in the bottom tier of the ACC, yet a number of Terrapin faithful believe that the team has enough key players at units to pull off an upset and establish Maryland as a contender this season.

1) The Vegas lines are already favoring Cal by 21 for the opener. Thoughts? Too high? Not nearly high enough?

Not a doubt in my mind that that's too high. Maryland might not win, but three touchdowns is is definitely too big of a margin; this team is of the same quality, if not better than, last year's Terps.

2) Maryland loses a number of players on defense, but might benefit from the hiring of former Mass. HC Don Brown as its new defensive coordinator, who is bringing a more aggressive blitzing and press defense. What have you seen or heard about the new defense this year, and do you anticipate it being a change for the better?

I'd be very surprised if Brown's defense isn't better. It's torn through our offense so far, which is a good sign (or a terrible one for our offense). He has numerous blitz packages, many of which are rarely found in FBS football (for whatever reason). Our fifth-year senior center, Phil Costa, has said that he's never seen most of them. There's also no FBS tape of Brown's defense, so there could be some trouble preparing for it early in the season.

Also, even though Maryland lost some guys, most of the replacements are of equal quality or are upgrades. I expect the defense to be much better than it was last year.


3) On offense, Maryland has lost its biggest playmaker in 1st round draft pick Darius Heyward-Bey (eternally doomed to the hell that is the Raiders franchise), a number of veteran offensive linemen, but do return a senior QB in Chris Turner and RB Da’Rel Scott. Honestly, what do you hope to put up against Cal, which features one of the better defenses in the country?

It's tough to predict. Even without Hey-Bey, who was a great talent but didn't produce as much as we'd like, the WRs will probably be at least as good (we have some depth now). The RBs are stacked - in addition to Scott we have Davin Meggett and Morgan Green, who tore through opponents late in the season. And Turner returns, and is by all accounts improved over the offseason. All that would be moot if the offensive line doesn't come together. That's the big question: if the young guys on the line can be at least average, this has the potential to be an explosive offense. Unfortunately, there's a very low floor for this OL, and I can't say I'm expecting a lot of scoring early on.

4) Who is the top player on offense and defense the Bears should be concerned with come the season opener?

On offense, I think it has to be Da'Rel Scott. He's a better back than he was last year, and he was 1st team All-ACC last year, so that's saying something. On defense, watch out for Kenny Tate. He played sparingly last year, but was a top recruit when he came in and is very, very talented. He's an absurd mix of size (6-4, 225) and top-flight speed. He's averaging about an interception a day in practice so far, and has laid down a few monster hits. He'll move around all over the place; Brown has discussed putting him at corner, linebacker, or even a hybrid DE.

5) Who is one player on offense and defense from Cal that you could choose to suit up for the Terrapins for the opener?

Offensively, a lot of teams would probably say Jahvid Best. But Da'Rel Scott is already so great a strength, I don't think it would be all that big of a boost for Maryland. Instead, a guy like Mitchell Schwartz would be huge for this team. There's currently no experience at three of the OL positions, and RT especially is embrawled in a three man position battle with no end in site. Give us a guy with 13 starts and was 2nd team AA, and that's a completely different squad. For defense, a lot of people would say Syd'Quan Thompson, and rightfully so. But Nolan Carroll is a legit top-flight #1 corner; that can't be said for anyone on the DL right now. I'd welcome a guy like Tyson Alualu on the team more than Syd'Quan.

6) What is one aspect of the team or a specific player that you think is flying uner Cal’s radar? That is, is there one thing or person that we should be a bit more worried about?

Not only Cal is guilty of this, but it's probably the defense. Everybody has been saying how bad Maryland's defense will be, and I just don't see it. Their LB corps is just as good as last year; the secondary is miles better. The defensive line may not have the experience it did last year, but they started two walkons and a converted FB. This year's group definitely has more natural talent. Plus, they have a defensive coordinator who will make use of the athleticism on the team, as well as keep offenses off-balance. That's a far cry from Chris Cosh's constant prevent defense. This defense could be a force to be reckoned with.

Oh, and remember the name Adrian Cannon. You may hear it called a lot. He's a junior WR, and he exploded this spring and fall. He worked his way from probably being around the 6th WR on the team to challenging for #1.

7) What will Maryland need to do to pull out a win on September 5th?

A few things: most obviously, contain Jahvid Best. The blitzes - there will be plenty - need to be effective, both in passing and rushing situations. There will be a few big plays given up - it's only natural with an aggressive defense. They need to limit the big plays to as few as possible, and preferably keep them from being TDs. The offensive line needs to learn very fast, and a TE or FB must help protect the right side of the line (the weaker side). Most importantly, Chris Turner has to take control of the team, be efficient, and lead like he normally does in big games. If all that happens, they have a shot.

8) Your predictions on the score?

Really, I don't think it gets out of a touchdown. Cal is the better team, but there are some things pointing Maryland's way. My guess is 24-17 Cal, but don't rule out an upset.

Thanks again to the Testudo Times!