North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Maryland
11/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 20, 2003
NC STATE (7-4, 4-3) vs. MARYLAND (7-3, 4-2)
DATE: Saturday, November 22, 2003
TIME: Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (EST) Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC (53,800)
RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network. AIRTIME: 2:30 p.m. (EST)
TELEVISION: ABC (Regional)
OPPONENT---- The game was played in a 40 mph wind, and the temperature dipped near freezing at Byrd Stadium, but Maryland's ground game was red hot. Josh Allen, Maryland's "other" running back, rushed for a career-high 257 yards and two touchdowns and the Terps dominated Virginia 27-17 on Thursday night, November 13th, before a crowd of 51,027 and a national cable TV audience.
Bruce Perry, the sixth-leading rusher in Maryland history, was out due to a severe ankle sprain, but he wasn't missed. Allen carried the load all by himself, running for 154 yards in the first half, when the Terrapins scored on four of five possessions to take a 24-7 lead.
Allen, a sophomore, carried 38 times. The 257-yard effort ranked third in school history and was nearly twice his previous career high of 136 yards. In large part, Allen's performance was a reflection of Maryland's domination of the line of scrimmage. Consistently, the Terps offensive line opened big holes between the tackles. That's where Allen the picked up the majority of his yards.
Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub ran for a touchdown, threw for a score and nearly brought the Cavaliers (5-5, 3-4) back in the second half. He passed for 186 yards to overtake Shawn Moore as the school's career leader in passing yardage. Schaub's 14-yard touchdown strike to Alvin Pearman got the Cavaliers to 24-14 with six minutes left in the third quarter. Later, he directed a 46-yard drive that produced a Connor Hughes field goal with 9:15 left.
However, after Allen's 19-yard run produced a first down at the Virginia 29, the Terps were able to seal the game late in the fourth quarter with a Nick Novak 45-yard field goal.
The Terrapins outgained Virginia 469-to-294 and outrushed the Cavaliers 278-to-108. They also controlled the ball for almost 11 minutes more than UVA. Quarterback Scott McBrien was 14-of-21 through the air for 191 yards and a touchdown for Maryland. Schaub finished 13-of-26 with one scoring strike.
Maryland is a dangerous team for several reasons. It can run the ball, stop the run, covers the pass well and has positive momentum. The Terps have won 7 of their last 8 games. The only blemish in the current stretch was a 7-3 loss at Georgia Tech on October 23rd.
Offensively, the Terps have balance, but running the football is their bread and butter. The Terps run almost 61% of the time and have the No. 2 rushing game in the ACC (behind Wake Forest) averaging nearly 182 yards a contest. The starting offensive line averages 6-5, 305 pounds and has remained intact all season with the exception of right guard Lamar Bryant (6-3, 313, Sr.) who has started the last 7 games.
With Perry banged up, Allen (5-11, 207) has become Maryland's leading ground gainer (718 yards, 8 TDs). He's averaging an impressive 5.0 yards per carry and is fifth in the ACC with 72 rushing yards per game. Perry, who has played in 7 games, has 389 rushing yards and 3 TDs.
McBrien (6-0, 182 ) looks to be playing his most consistent football of the season. He has a strong arm, throws the out and deep ball well and has completed 55 percent of his passes. He's third in the ACC in passing efficiency, sixth in passing yards per game (185) and in total offense (205). The senior can also run (196 yards, 4 TDs) which adds another dimension to his game, especially when he's called on to execute option plays.
The major targets for McBrien are Steve Suter (5-10, 192, Jr.) and Latrez Harrison (6-2, 223, Sr.). Harrison, a former quarterback, has caught 33 passes for nearly 500 yards and a team-leading 5 TDs. Suter, who has 4.3 speed, has 23 catches and a touchdown.
Defensively, Maryland is very talented and experienced. There is only one underclassmen among the defensive starters. That's sophomore linebacker D'Quell Jackson who leads the team with 104 tackles. Ends Kevin Eli (6-4, 268, Jr.) and Shawne Merriman (6-4, 253) and tackle Randy Starks (6-4, 305, Jr.) have combined for 17.5 sacks. Starks is this week's ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after recording 8 tackles (3 for loss) and a sack against Virginia.
It would be tough to find a more experienced secondary in college football. Cornerback Domonique Foxworth is the youngest of the group. He's a junior who has been a starter since late in his freshman year. All that experience makes for outstanding pass coverage and the Terps lead the ACC in pass defense (186 ypg.) and have allowed only 10 touchdowns through the air while intercepting 9 passes. Foxworth has three of those picks. The Terps pass rush is No. 2 in the ACC with 29 sacks.
Maryland leads the ACC and is 4th in the nation in scoring defense (14.7), and also tops the conference in total defense (297 ypg.). Against the run, Maryland is second in the ACC (111). Only two opponents (Florida State and North Carolina) have scored more than 20 points on the Terrapins defense this year.
Suter anchors the special teams. He's the No. 3 punt returner in the ACC (8.0 ypr.) and is sixth in kickoff returns (23.8 ypr.). During his career, Suter has returned five punts for touchdowns including a 75-yarder this season against The Citadel. Nick Novak (6-0, 183, Jr.), a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, is 20-of-25 on field goal attempts with a long of 54 yards. He's 9-of-13 beyond 40 yards this season. Redshirt freshman, Adam Podlesh, is averaging 42.6 yards a punt, second-best in the ACC. Maryland's net punting average of 39.4 is ranked No. 14 nationally.
The Terrapins have beaten NC State three years in-a-row, but all three games have been nailbiters decided by a total of only 14 points.
INJURIES--NC State: OT Chris Colmer-Out, Parsonage Turner Syndrome; WR Sterling Hicks-Out, torn ACL; DE Renaldo Moses-Out, torn ACL & MCL; OG Ashley Wingate-Out, broken leg; TB T.A. McLendon-Probable, shoulder sprain. Maryland:
TB Bruce Perry-Probable, ankle sprain; WR Latrez Harrison-Probable, knee; LB/DE Shawne Merriman-Questionable, concussion.
