For Maryland Football It Is A Season of "What Ifs"

It is hard to believe that over two months have passed since Terrapin Nation was whipped into a frenzy after the Terps pulled off the improbable and beat the Longhorns in Austin.  The expectations for this season were low going into that game.  Most everyone thought the Terps did not stand a chance against a presumptuously ranked Texas team that was not about to have their new golden boy's ship sink in his own port on its' maiden voyage against some lowly carpetbaggers from the Big 10.  But lo and behold, the Terps were able to hang 51 points on Texas in their own stadium and come out with their first win over a ranked opponent since 2010.  Expectations were through the roof for the season, and many thought that the Terps could make some noise once the Big 10 schedule began.  Fast forward to now, and quarterbacking injuries have made the Terps season a shell (pun intended) of what it could have been based on the Texas win.  This season for the Terps has been defined by "What If's", and there are more "What If" scenarios that define this Terps season than you may think.  These scenarios span the Terps past, present, and future, and they are questions that all Terps fans should be asking themselves at this point in the season.  Let's go through all of them in order to get a better idea of the state of this season, and a better idea of where the Terps go from here.

What If.....Kevin Anderson had been able to keep James Franklin as head coach. A nice trip down memory lane, but one that is more pertinent as the game against Penn State on November 25 draws closer.  That game will mark the first time James Franklin will coach at Byrd Stadium since leaving Maryland for Vanderbilt in 2011, and his fortune compared to that of the Terps since that time could not be more opposite.  Franklin sent a lifetime SEC doormat to three straight bowl games and consecutive nine win seasons, and he has vaulted Penn State back into the national spotlight.  All it would have taken to keep Franklin in College Park was for Anderson to reassure Franklin that he would get rid of Ralph Friedgen after the 2010 season, which he ultimately did, and that Franklin was the guy to replace him.  That never happened and Anderson decided to hitch his wagon to Randy Edsall.  Two weeks from now Terps fans will be able to see the error in that decision staring back at them from the opposing sideline.  But enough of the past, let's take a look at a "What If" that is more relevant to the here and now.

What If.....Tyrrell Pigrome and/or Kasim Hill were still playing at this point in the season.  The biggest "What If" of the season because both quarterbacks showed so much promise.  For two and a half quarters, Pigrome showed that he was not the diminutive chucker he was a year ago.  Pigrome ran the read option to perfection, which allowed Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison to run rough shot over the Texas defense.  What was most impressive was how well Pigrome improved as a passer from last season, and his ability to hit receivers deep down the field.  Terps fans' expectations for the season went up after every offensive snap, and they only went higher with Kasim Hill.  A Freshman who could perform under pressure with a Cam Newton-like build was something that made everyone think that we could take on the likes of Ohio State and Michigan.  If either could have stayed healthy it is more than likely that we would have beaten UCF, Northwestern, and Rutgers, and I still purport that with either of them at the helm we would have been within a touchdown of Ohio State, Wisconsin, or Michigan going into the fourth quarter.  Alas it is all for naught, but there are still two games to play and another "What If" that Terps fans are asking themselves right now.

What If.....We beat Michigan State and/or Penn State.  You need to see a doctor because someone slipped peyote into your drink.  But if Max Bortenschlager or Ryan Brand can somehow find a way to win one or both of these games it will bring the theme of the season back to the idea of lost potential and "What could we have done if we had Pigrome or Hill".  They would be landmark wins, but it will only mean something in the short term if the Terps can win both and be bowl eligible which seems highly unlikely. The more probable outcome is that Michigan State and Penn State beat the brakes off of the Terps.  But the long term effect of staying close to either of these teams, god forbid beating either of these teams, leads into the final "What If" of this season.

What If.....All of this is a prelude to Maryland's rise to Big Ten contender status.  It was the thought in everyone's mind this year after the Texas game, but it is now a thought that extends into next season.  Pigrome and Hill will be coming off devastating injuries but they will be back.  Right now the Terps have the 21st ranked 2018 recruiting class according to ESPN.com, and if they can hold that spot they will be rolling into next season with back to back Top 20 recruiting classes. Couple that with what Terps fans saw the first two and a half games of this season, and it is not out of the question to think that by this time next year it is possible that the Terps will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. This notion will be ignited even further if the Terps manage to win at least one of their remaining games, but the biggest thing to take away from this season is that despite all of the turmoil the Terps seem to be headed in the right direction.

All of these "What If's" cloud the fact that DJ Durkin and his staff have done an amazing job with this roster this season despite all of the injuries.  The perceived potential brought about by the Texas win shows that this program is ready for upward movement into the realm of the Big Ten elites. For now, though, Terps fans must wallow in that potential of what could have been this season, and revel in the idea of what that potential could bring down the road.  All of it is drive by the question "What If..?".  It is the "What If" that got the Terps to this point, and one that will be personified on the visitor sideline come Thanksgiving Weekend.  It is the "What If's" that will define the lost potential of this season no matter how it ends.  And it is the "What If's" that give Terps fans a glimmer of hope for the future.  

A Tale of Two Quarterback Cities

It seems amazing that the Redskins and Terps find themselves at quarterbacking crossroads so early in the season.  One team is poised to become one of the premier teams in their sport, and the other is one injury away from possibly having to start its' second linebacker at quarterback in five years.  It is the best of times for one team and the possible beginnings of the worst for another, but 15 years ago the current situation would seem ludicrous to Skins and Terps fans who were witnessing a reversal of fortune for either team at the quarterback position.  It is always good to look back on history to put the present into context, so before the Redskins and Terps embark on a season defining weekend lets take a trip down memory lane to the 2002 season for both teams to see just how far they have come in 15 years.

The 2002 season was being pegged as a renaissance year for both teams, even though there were major uncertainties surrounding the quarterback position. The Terps stunned everyone the previous year by winning their first ACC Championship since 1985 under newly hired head coach Ralph Friedgen.  Expectations were high for the Terps' 2002 season despite the fact that they would be starting Junior quarterback Scott McBrien.  McBrien was a Dematha alumnus who had transferred to Maryland from West Virginia and had yet to take a snap for the Terps, but he was being entrusted to continue the momentum from the previous year.  While the Terps built their momentum the Redskins manufactured it.

The 2001 season saw Marty Schottenheimer salvage an 8-8 season from an 0-5 start, and for his troubles he was let go along with starting quarterbacks Tony Banks and Jeff George.  Enter Steve Spurrier and cue the pandemonium.  Dan Snyder hired the Ole Ball Coach for the 2002 season and the sky was the limit.  Redskins fans were expecting it to be Florida Gators North and in a way it was.  Spurrier filled his quarterbacking void with two of his old pals from Gainesville in Shane Mattews and Danny Wuerffel. The Redskins also used the last pick in the first round of the Draft that year to select Patrick Ramsey.  It looked like Spurrier had all the firepower he needed to run his Fun and Gun offense and take the Redskins to new heights.

Despite the optimism being espoused within both fan bases for their quarterbacking situation, the outcome of the 2002 season was very different for both teams.  It was evident from the beginning of the season that Shane Matthews was not the answer at quarterback, and he was benched after only three games in favor of Wuerffel.  Wuerffel got hurt the next game, and then it was Patrick Ramsey's turn.  Spurrier would go through this full rotation one more time in the last ten games of the season, and it was evident that the Redskins had nothing close to a franchise quarterback or a competent NFL coach.  The Redskins ended the season 7-9, and the 2002 season would be a precursor for the Redskins quarterbacking situation over the next decade and a half that was rife with uncertainty, inconsistency, and lackluster performance.  The 2002 season for the Redskins was the beginning of an arduous time for Redskins fans, and The Terps' 2002 season started out just as bad.

McBrien and the Terps were shutout in the opening game of the season against Notre Dame on

national television, and things didn't improve two weeks later when Florida State came to Byrd Stadium and the Terps could only muster ten points.  A lowly 1-2 start after a Conference Championship season was leaving the natives a bit restless, but McBrien would prove his worth.  The Terps would reel off eight straight wins that included wins over a Phillip Rivers led NC State team on homecoming weekend and a 30-12 victory at Clemson.  McBrien would cap off the season with a brilliant 30-3 drubbing of Tennessee in the Peach Bowl, and he led Maryland to its second straight 10 win season.  McBrien would do the same his senior year, leading the Terps to a 10-3 record that culminated with the Terps embarrassing their hated rival West Virginia 41-7 in the Gator Bowl.  McBrien was named Gator Bowl MVP, and while he would graduate after the 2003 season things seemed to be looking up for the Terps.  The Terps had won 31 games in three years, and with McBrien's performance and Fridge's offense it seemed as if the Terps were poised to lure quarterbacks to College Park that could recreate McBrien's success.  It was anything but that, and now we see a reversal of fortune for both teams.

  Kirk Cousins is set to make his 36th straight start for the Redskins on Monday Night, and many are speculating that a win over the Chiefs could vault the Redskins into Super Bowl contending status for the first time in 25 years.  If Cousins can make it through this season unscathed, he will be the first Redskins quarterback to start every game in three consecutive seasons since Joe Theismann between 1981-1984, and it is possible he could see some of the same success that Theismann's teams had in that time period.  Compare that to the Terps, who have seen two of their starting quarterbacks end their season with ACL tears in the first three weeks, and their replacement looked less that adequate last week.  This is a far cry from 2002-2003 where Scott McBrien started all 27 games in that two year span.  Since that time, the Terps have had only one quarterback (Sam Hollenbach in 2006) start every game in a season without being injured or replaced.  The game against Minnesota will be a litmus test for the Terps as they will see if they can keep their aspirations high with either Max Bortenschlager or Caleb Henderson under center, or if they will need to temper their expectations in light of another injury riddled season at the quarterback position.  Both teams have come a long way in 15 years, and it seems that despite injuries and contract disputes, each team has found viable starting quarterbacks that can lead them to new heights for the future.  This weekend, however, will show Terps and Skins fans if they can start to get excited about the present.

Cole Field House Continues to be A Symbol of Pride

It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since the most iconic building on Maryland's campus has hosted a Men's Basketball game. On March 3, 2002, the Maryland Men's Basketball team defeated Virginia to close out a regular season that ended with a National Championship and the closing of the beloved arena.  Cole Field House meant so much to so many people that were privy to have attended an event there over it's 47 year history, and for the Terrapin Alumni (especially the Alumni who grew up in The Baltimore/Washington Metro Area) it meant so much more.  It was a symbol of local pride.  It was a place that was steeped in historical significance, and everyone who called themselves a Terp knew its secrets.  But outsiders could not fully grasp what it meant to the Maryland alumni.  It was a basketball Mecca that hosted contests that would herald the evolution of the game into what we see today.  It hosted concerts and athletic events that held significance beyond the hard court.  Cole Field House was a place that every Terp who grew up in this area felt proud about and made sure that those stories were passed on to the next generation.

My father, and local Maryland Alumnus, would always tell me how Cole Field House was special because it was the only on campus venue of it's size when it opened in 1955, which is why it hosted some of the biggest basketball games in the country.  Everyone knows about Texas Western beating Kentucky in 1966 that would herald the integration of college basketball.  Little do people know that one year earlier Cole hosted one of the most significant high school games in history.  Local legend Morgan Wootten led DeMatha High School to victory over Power Memorial Academy and some guy named Lew Alcindor.  Everyone growing up in the DC area knows DeMatha basketball, and that game carried clout for a local team defeating the guy who some would still call the best basketball player ever and it happened at Cole Field House.  My dad would also tell me about the Maryland vs. South Carolina slow down game that was played at Cole Field House.  It seems more relevant now, but South Carolina was one of the founding members of the ACC and a basketball powerhouse back in the early years of the conference. On January 9 1971, the Terps beat South Carolina in a 31-30 barn burner that was 4-3 at halftime.  This was one of the classic slow down games that some point to being one of the inspirations for putting the shot clock into college basketball.  These were the main stories I remember my dad telling me, but I know that other Terrapin Alumni have their stories they heard from their parents.

Some may have heard about the first ever nationally televised women's basketball game that was held at Cole in 1975.  Others may have listened to how Maryland phenom Len Bias outscored Michael Jordan at Cole Field House in 1984.  Some may have heard about Elvis's performance at Cole in 1974, or the Chinese National Ping Pong Team playing in America for the first time at Cole in 1973 at the behest of Richard Nixon.  Most people, though, heard about the seven number one seeds that lost at Cole Field House, six of which came at the hands of the Terps, and the last one coming on Feb. 17 of that magical National Championship season.  I still hold the ticket stub to that game in my wallet, and it will be the story of attending that game that I will pass on to my kids when they are old enough to understand it.  Of course they will
know as much about Sheldon Williams and Mike Dunleavy Jr. as I knew about the 1971 South Carolina Gamecocks.  But it was the conviction and reverence in my dad's voice when speaking about how the game was at Cole that let me know that it was more than just a basketball conversation.  My father was instilling in me a sense of appreciation of the history that was a part of his life and this area that only Terp alumni who came from this area could appreciate, and that is what I intend to pass on to my kids.  The significance of those stories could have waned as Cole Field House was left fallow for so many years, but the renovations of Cole Field House have rejuvenated the importance of those stories, and created new ones for a new generation.

The $155 million renovation project to Cole Field House has given new life to the historic building and once again made it a beacon for the collegiate world to follow.  It will be the home to Maryland's ground breaking Sports Medicine Program and Entrepreneurship Lab, as well as being a state of the art training facility for The Maryland Athletic Teams.  More importantly, it continues the tradition of Cole Field House being the gold standard for collegiate buildings.  No longer will students get to see players like Len Elmore or Juan Dixon defeat hated rivals in basketball, but through its revitalization those stories hold new relevance when alumni speak to younger generations about the history of Cole Field House.  The new building will also give future generations of alumni their own history to tell about how Cole Field House continues to be a symbol of innovation and pioneering.  There will be classes of Alumni who will earn a cutting edge degree from the programs that will call Cole Field House their home.  So when older generations go on about Cole Field House being a significant building in sports history, newer generations can respond to them by saying that because of Cole Field House their Maryland Degree means more in the real world.  Cole Field House will now forever be the symbol of The University of Maryland, and the source of local pride for all the Terrapin Alumni who hail from the Baltimore-Washington area.

Meet The Candidates for Maryland's Head Football Coaching Position

This weekend's loss at Iowa officially allowed Maryland fans to classify this season as a dumpster fire.  It took our leading receiver three catches to amass 18 yards, our leading rusher was our quarterback, and it took another Will Likely special teams return to make the score look more respectable than it really was.  This was the latest installment of an offense that ranks 110th in the nation in average yards per game, 113th in passing yards per game, and dead last in turnover margin and interceptions thrown.  These numbers should have the Kevins (Anderson and Plank) looking to hire a coach who is going to give a shot in the arm to the side of the ball that puts the proverbial butts in the seats.  So here is a review of the candidates SweetDCSports believes the Kevins are looking at to skipper The USS Turtle Tears out of troubled waters in 2016 starting with the current steward of the throne.

Mike Locksley

I'm sure the Kevins are having a long and hard discussion about whether or not to hire Locksley as their head coach.  And why not?  He has brought top level talent from the DC area to every school he has coached, and he revitalized the perception that Maryland cannot recruit when he was rehired in 2011 and promptly landed top level recruits like Stefon Diggs.  The problem has been in talent development, especially at the quarterback position.  Under Locksley's tenure the Terps ran Danny O'Brien out of town a year after he was named the ACC Freshman of the Year.  C.J. Brown was a dual threat helped out by a slew of medical redshirts and Stefon Diggs not leaving after his sophomore season.  And now it falls to the Locksley recruited Perry Hills who has thrown 10 interceptions in 5 games this season.  There has not been a lot of growth from the quarterbacks position under a guy whose title is offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, and Shane Cockerille's move from QB to fullback should give the Kevins pause about what they can expect from Dwayne Haskins if Locksley is allowed to continue as head coach.  In my mind they should be looking elsewhere, but Locksley will be a strong candidate until the end due to his ability to recruit and his ties to the DC area.

With that out of the way, here are the head coaches who the Kevins should be desperately seeking:

Matt Rhule (Temple)

I must admit that I was unaware of Temple's rapid rise to college football relevance until this past weekend.  Now, everyone knows Matt Rhule's name as he is on the short list for every coaching job East of the Mississippi regardless of whether that position is vacant or not.  The Kevins should be taking a long hard look at this guy because he possesses a lot of qualities they desire.  First, he is a reported hands on recruiter with a pension for details.  He was able to land the second best recruiting class in the AAC after winning only two games his first season.  Second, he is a noted players coach who has had experience at all levels of football.  He is active in social media, and he was the offensive line coach for the Giants before taking the Temple position in 2012.  Finally, he is a young coach who played in the Big 10, he has Under Armour ties (Temple is sponsored by Under Armour), he has placed Temple in the Top 25, and he came within two minutes of defeating a Top 10 Notre Dame team.  The negatives are there.  Temple's offensive yardage per game is worse than Maryland's.  Temple plays in a weaker conference, which could account for their defense being ranked 28th in the country.  And we recently saw the Temple Project Part 1 starring Al Golden come to an inglorious end in Miami.  Despite these shortcomings, Rhule should be getting daily calls from the Kevins about coming to College Park.

Matt Campbell (Toledo)

The second youngest FBS coach at 35 years old, Campbell has done an amazing job at Toledo in only a short period of time.  He is 33-13 in his three plus seasons at Toledo, and the Rockets are 7-0 this season on the backs of a relatively balanced team that is ranked 24th in total offense and 51st in total defense.  Some may point to Campbell's emphasis on discipline and manners as being a younger version of Randy Edsall, but the Kevins should at least throw a line in Campbell's direction.  Campbell is described as a relentless competitor who is straightforward in his personal approach with players and who knows the type of players he wants to recruit for each position.  Campbell developed his notion of an offensive system after studying Urban Meyer's spread offense as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green.  Maybe his old offensive coordinator at Bowling Green, Greg Studrawa, could convince him to finally leave the state of Ohio seeing is how Studrawa is the current offensive line coach at Maryland.  The Kevins should use that leverage, along with Toledo being outfitted by Under Armour, to gauge Campbell's interest in coming further east but buyer beware.  Campbell has vehemently expressed his desire to build the Toledo program further, and he has no coaching experience outside of the state of Ohio or outside of any conference bigger than the MAC.  He was turned off by his experience as a freshman at Pitt, so while his success in the MAC is tantalizing he may not be ready for the rigors of what the Kevins are expecting the new head coach to bring to Maryland.  Campbell is still an intriguing candidate and he should be worth a look.

Justin Fuente (Memphis)
Fuente may be more of a longshot for Maryland, but he definitely has the highest pedigree of the three.  The mastermind behind TCU's air raid offense and Andy Dalton's rise to stardom, he parlayed his success as TCU's offensive coordinator into a head coaching position for a 2-10 Memphis team.  Fuente has since turned Memphis into an 8-0 team that finds itself ranked 13th in the College Football Playoff Ranking and 6th in total offense in the country.  What is more impressive than these results is the way Fuente was able to accomplish these feats at a school that was a college football backwater located at the confluence of Big 10, Big 12, and SEC recruiting grounds.  Fuente weathered the storm in his first two seasons as the Tigers won only seven games while he tried to bring in the right personnel to run his air raid scheme.  His patience and determination paid off with a 10-3 record last season and a flawless campaign so far this season.  Some will point to the luck involved in Memphis's success this season as their star QB was mostly overlooked coming out of high school.  Others will say that Fuente's recruitment of Paxton Lynch is a sign of his ability to know what type of players will fit his offense.  Whatever it is, the Kevins will need to drive a hard bargain as South Carolina and Miami sound like more suitable places for a coach from Big 12 country that has not had any football experience north of Kentucky.  Fuente has also has seen what happens to coaches who like to run spread offenses in the Big 10 (see Rich Rodriguez at Michigan).  But Maryland's new Cole Field House renovations coupled with some financial convincing and Maryland being below the Mason-Dixon Line may get Fuente to give Maryland a second look. 

Honorable mention goes to Bowling Green's Dino Babers.  Maryland got a first hand look at what Babers can do as they were on the business end of Bowling Green's spread offense this season.  Babers is on the older side at 54, but if all else fails it may not be a huge loss to take a flyer on an older guy who is a prodigy of Art Briles.  And yes, if Chip Kelly can be got we should not blink at the opportunity to get him.  But looking at the three candidates listed above, I think Rhule would be the number one option even over Chip Kelly.  A seasoned veteran from Pennsylvania who is a players coach and has a passion to win and recruit.  My vote is for Rhule if we can get him.

The University of Under Armour Needs a New Coach

Randy Edsall just didn't cut it.  He didn't cut it from the moment he was announced as the head coach in 2011 and everyone had to Google his name to figure out who he was.  Instead of Mike Leach locking players in cramped spaces and running ridiculous offensive spread sets that would turn Byrd Stadium into a track meet facility; we got Randy Edsall.  Edsall was a tepid choice at best, especially when the recently hired Kevin Anderson canned a beloved alumnus to hire a guy whose persona and football style catered to a demographic that was old enough to remember D-Day.  Leach was the choice that moved the needle, but in 2011 Anderson was more concerned with image rather than ticket sales and not thinking about who paid the bills around the University of Maryland's Athletic Department.  With Edsall looking to be on the outs as early as next week, Kevin Plank will be reminding Mr. Anderson that he has a large emotional and financial stake in the hiring of the new coach based on what Under Armour has done for the University of Maryland.

The New York Times puts all of this in perspective in one great article written in August of this year.  Kevin Plank, whether implicitly or explicitly, want Maryland to be Oregon East.  He wants to make his alma mater the athletic Mecca that will attract athletes and innovators in the field of athletics to College Park for decades to come.  He wants Lord Baltimore's coat of arms to be worn around the country so that The University of Maryland will be synonymous with winning in a cool way.  He wants this so long as all of this comes with an Under Armour logo on the side.  He has proven this by putting up $25 million "gift" for the new Cole Field House renovations that will create the premier athletic research and training facility in the country.  The article also states that Under Armour extended their contract with Maryland that pays the University $33 million in cash and apparel, and Plank has been noted to test new apparel out with the Maryland football team.  And then there is this beautiful nugget from the article that explains it all:

Mr. Plank’s influence at Maryland does not extend to the hiring and firing of coaches, according to Maryland and Under Armour officials. But he is not a passive check-writing machine. Mr. Anderson said his interview process, which culminated with his hiring as the athletic director in 2010, included an interview with Mr. Plank.  

This is a nice way of saying that Kevin Plank works behind the scenes.  It is the old adage, "If I'm not in the room to see Kevin Plank or Under Armour involved in the hiring of coaches/development of the athletic budget/recruitment of athletes, then it never really happened, right?"  This is not to say that it actually happens.  I have no proof of that.  But suffice to say that Plank and Under Armour's financial influence within the University of Maryland's Athletic Department has grown exponentially since Edsall's hiring in 2011, and they are expecting returns on their investments that Edsall was not meeting.  Forget the reports that state the players were tuning him out and look to the more important fact that attendance has been going down this year to the tune of 13% lower than last year.  Kevin Plank cannot have another ho-hum pick at head coach and luckily there is one right up I-95.

Chip Kelly.  Everyone says it is crazy, but Kevin Plank should be loading up dump trucks full of money to send to Chip Kelly's house right now.  His hiring would set College Park on fire, and it is not too far fetched to think he may come given a Godfather like package.  His position in Philly is tenuous at best and his reputation was made in the college ranks.  He would not have to move far, and he would be set in a fertile recruiting area with the full backing of the University, Kevin Plank, and Under Armour.  Kelly could also have the chance to prove himself against the likes of fellow spread offense aficionado Urban Meyer and resident Big 10 Golden Boy Jim Harbaugh.  There are downsides to Kelly coming here, and it may cost a pretty penny for him to leave the Eagles, but 2011 showed that the safe hire gets you safe results and Kevin Plank is not shelling out $33 million per year to go 7-6.  It has to be Chip Kelly, if for no other reason than he will electrify the boosters and fan base in a way Randy Edsall never did. Edsall was hired for the University of Maryland's image. Chip Kelly will be hired for one thing and one thing only.  To win for the University of Under Armour.