In Ralph Friedgen’s final game as Head Coach of the University of Maryland, the Terps destroyed East Carolina 51-20 in the Military Bowl at RFK Stadium.

With the win, Friedgen’s overall record as HC of the Terps is 75-50. This was the 5th Bowl Victory (Tennessee, West Virginia, Purdue, Nevada) for the 2x ACC Coach of the Year.

The Terps finish the season 9-4 overall, including a 5-3 record in ACC play.

The Good:

1) The Terps, with a strong push up-front and a tackle from Senior MLB Alex Wujciak, stuffed ECU on 4th and 1 on the Pirates first offensive series of the game.

2) After getting picked off on the opening series, O’Brien comes right back with a beautiful throw (as he was hit) to Kevin Dorsey, hitting Dorsey in stride for the 45 yard TD.

3) The Don Brown defense confused ECU’s Dominique Davis on his initial interception. Brown’s defense made a difference in his 2nd year, especially down the stretch. It should be a priority of the incoming Head Coach to retain Brown’s services.

4) ECU is a mediocre Conference USA team, and certainly not a national power. They did come into this game averaging 38.2 points per game (12th nationally), and 319.3 yards per game passing (7th nationally). Maryland holding the Pirates to 20 points was an accomplishment.

5) With the layoff, you saw a lot of players with a little extra burst today. One of those players was Davin Meggett, who ripped off a 44 yard run, and had 31, and 21 yard receptions on a screens. DJ Adams had some punch around the goal line, scoring 4 times. With Scott departing, Meggett and Adams will need to produce with regularity next season.

6) The offensive line was a major issue in the 2009 season. This year, even though they faced multiple injuries, they were competitive most weeks. Today they had physically had their way against ECU.

7) Senior Adrian Moten came up with a fumble near the end of the 1st half, exploding towards the loose ball. He had a really nice career as a Terp, including a very strong Senior season.

8) Senior Antwine Perez had a couple of strong tackles in open space. He also made his share of plays this year including 8 Passes Broken Up, 3 picks, and a number of tackles for loss.

9) The future is very bright for the LB David Mackall, who just missed taking his interception to the house.

10) Up 30-10, with ECU in the Terrapin Red Zone, Maryland brought the house and forced Davis into another poor throw on 3rd down. The Pirates would get the FG, but this was a win for the Terrapins defense. Up 37-13 early in the 4th, ECU had 1st and Goal from the MD 2 yard line. The Terps came up with 4 big stops, including Zack Kerr with the tackle for loss on 3rd down.

11) Senior Da’Rel Scott showed off his speed with his two TD runs of 91, and 61 yards. Scott has battled fumbles, and nagging injuries during his career; but nobody can debate his homerun ability. I think he is the type of guy that will rapidly climb draft boards after the combine.

12) The ESPN telecast recounted a story that after it was announced that Friedgen would not return, that O’Brien asked him if he should transfer. Friedgen advised him to stay, as he had already spent his RS and would have to sit out a year. That was classy on Friedgen’s part, he easily could have told the young QB to leave.

13) I hope Tate decides to come back, he has been a monster the 2nd half of this season.

The Bad:

1) I liked O’Brien coming out and immediately wanting to attack the Pirates down the field, but he forced that initial throw into triple coverage.

2) A blocked extra-point should never happen.

3) After Drakeford forced a fumble, and Tate recovered; Maryland took over possession at the ECU 28. With that time of starting field possession, you have to come away with some points. The drive ended with Baltz missing a 25 yard attempt.

4) Tate had great pressure on a safety blitz on 4th and 4, which forced Davis into an errant pass. Tate gave Davis a little extra as he tried bring the QB down, costing MD 15 yards and a new series of downs on a roughing the passer penalty.

5) After MD scored early in the 2nd half to go ahead 23-3, Nick Ferrara kicked the kickoff out of bounds. He had 18 FG’s as a Freshman last year, but this Sophomore campaign was a complete loss.

6) Dorsey dropped a sure 1st down in the 3rd Quarter. Dorsey and Kerry Boykins showed glimpses of their touted physical talents this year. From now through Spring ball, through the Fall these two have to work on being more consistent.

The Ugly:

1) There are not 25 teams in the Country that are better than then Maryland Terrapins, and it is a shame that the Terps did not get the opportunity to prove it on the field against a more capable opponent.

Up-Next:

A new Head Coach and a new direction for the program likely by January 4th.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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