Maryland's Ralph Friedgen under pressure as Terps head into ACC play
Carrying an impressive 3-1 record, the Maryland Terrapins will host ACC foe Duke this Saturday at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium in College Park, MD. Saturday’s game against Duke will be Maryland’s first conference game of the season. Although the season is very young, the lack of a presence of a truly dominate team in the conference makes the race for the ACC seem wide open this year. Expectations in College Park, and among Maryland alumni are high for the Terps this season. Head coach Ralph Friedgen is expected to produce a competitive product and will feel the pressure mounting with every loss in 2010. Perhaps no other ACC coach will be under as much pressure as Friedgen. Maryland rival, Virginia, fired nine-year coach Al Groh last season, sending the message that mediocrity will not be accepted. The move by UVA put even more pressure on Maryland, and Friedgen, to produce a winning football program.
Friedgen was hired in November of 2000 to replace Ron Vanderlinden. Vanderlinden was fired following the 2000 season after compiling a 15-29 record between 1997-2000. Friedgen, a former Maryland football player and assistant coach, seemed to be the logical choice for the position. He boasted an impressive resume which included coaching tenures in both the NFL and collegiate football. His most recent success had come while serving as the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, where he helped guide the Yellow Jackets to a 10-2 record, an ACC co-championship, and a 2008 season-ending #9 ranking in the AP Poll. In 1999, he was also named the recipient of the Frank Broyles Award, given to college football’s best assistant coach. While the right man for the job, many knew that the task ahead of him was going to be an uphill battle. Maryland had only one winning season in the previous 10 years.
Friedgen wasted no time getting the Maryland program off to a red-hot start. In his first season as head coach,the Terps shocked the ACC and the nation. They won their first seven games, in route to an ACC championship. It was the first time since the conference was formed that a school other than Florida State had outright won the conference crown. The team was rewarded for their efforts with a BCS bowl invitation to play the Florida Gators in the Orange Bowl. Although the Terrapins lost to the Gators, they still finished the season ranked #10 in the AP Poll with a stellar 10-2 record. For his efforts, Friedgen was named Coach of The Year by numerous news outlets.
The next few seasons ensured more of the same successes for the Terps. Maryland went 11-3 in 2002 and coasted to a 30-3 Peach Bowl victory over the SEC’s Tennessee Volunteers. The 11-3 record by the 2002 team matched a school best win total. Maryland’s 2003 campaign produced a 10-3 record, and a 41-7 Gator Bowl victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers. With Maryland’s third consecutive 10 win season, Ralph Friedgen became the first ACC coach ever to win 10+ games in the first three seasons. Maryland fans in College Park, and nationwide, were more than pleased with Friedgen’s hire and the sky looked to be the limit for the football program. However, things slowly began to fall apart beginning in the 2004 season.
Since enjoying a 31-8 national and 19-5 conference record between 2001-2003, the Friedgen-led Terps have gone 35-38 nationally and 19-29 in the ACC. Last year’s dismal 2-10 season left many Terrapin supporters scratching their heads in disbelief and looking for answers. The 2009 season also marked the first time in four years that the Terrapins did not make a post-season bowl game. A vocal minority of Maryland alum called for the ten-year coach’s firing, but recently departed athletic director, Debbie Yow, continually voiced her support for Friedgen. However, many wondered if the four million needed to buyout Friedgen’s contract played a large role in Yow’s decision-making process.
In Friedgen’s defense, last year’s Terps were plauged by a number of injuries to key playmakers on both sides of the ball, forcing an already young team to play underclassmen at a variety of positions. The Terrapins featured only 14 seniors on their 2009 roster, and played 10 true freshmen throughout the season, making the team Friegden’s youngest since arriving in College Park. Starting cornerback Nolan Carroll, offensive lineman Bruce Campbell, punter Travis Baltz, and running back Da’Rel Scott all missed significant time due to injury last year. The Terps finished tenth in the ACC in rushing with 105.8 yards per game; eleventh in the ACC in scoring offense with 21.3 points per game; eleventh in the ACC in total defense with 396.3 yards per game; and twelfth in the ACC in scoring defense with 31.2 points per game.
Though the Terps reached new lows last season, a few bright spots emerged over the course of the year. WR Torrey Smith earned post-season Sporting News First Team All-ACC honors, LB Alex Wujciak was awarded First Team All-ACC honors by ESPN, and offensive lineman RJ Dill was named Freshman All-ACC by Rivals.com. While disappointing, last year’s campaign was not surprising given the amount of injuries, lack of depth, and minimal upperclassman leadership.
With the 2009 season behind him, Friedgen is looking to restore winning to the Maryland football program. His team has already bested their two game win total last year, and is heading into Saturday night’s game at Byrd Stadium focused and determined. In their three wins this season, the Terps have outscored their opponents 121-45. Saturday’s game against Duke will be critical for Maryland to win before they start a two game road trip against Clemson (October 16) and Boston College (October 23). Friedgen’s first three years in Maryland were not a fluke by any means; however, this season will have to be a success if he is to remain head coach of the Maryland Terrapins.
