John McNamara
Young Maryland squad must grow up quickly at No. 12 Cal.
COLLEGE PARK - One team is curious, the other is confident. One team will travel more than 3,000 miles to begin a season-long journey of self-discovery. The other finds itself in familiar surroundings, casting an eye toward becoming the best on the West Coast. Those are the vastly different perspectives that Maryland and 12th-ranked California bring to tonight's season opener in Berkeley, Calif.
The Terrapins feature the youngest lineup in head coach Ralph Friedgen's tenure at his alma mater. Sixteen members of Maryland's two-deep roster have yet to play in an actual college game. They will get their first taste of action tonight in what can only be described as challenging circumstances. The Terps must deal with possible jet lag after a cross-country flight, their own nervousness and uncertainty, not to mention the ability and experience of the Golden Bears. "This team we're playing is an exceptional team," Friedgen said. "We've got our work cut out for us. It has a very strong offense. They've got a lot of speed, a lot of experience and a lot of athleticism. They're pretty experienced on the defensive side of the ball also." From a matchup standpoint, the play of his two inexperienced lines will be Friedgen's biggest worry.
Five of the top seven offensive linemen from last year's team have moved on. Only left tackle Bruce Campbell and senior Phil Costa remain, and Costa will switch positions this year, moving to center. The other three players along the front line - guards Lamar Young and Andrew Gonnella, plus tackle Paul Pinegar - will start for the first time tonight.
Maryland has a similar situation on the defensive line, where defensive tackle Travis Ivey is the lone returning starter. Redshirt freshman A. J. Francis (Severn resident), senior Deege Galt and either Jared Harrell or Derek Drummond will join Ivey up front. Each of Ivey's linemates will be making his first start as well. With 17 returning starters, Cal has a considerable advantage in terms of experience. The Golden Bears have the emotional edge as well. The Bears will be playing at home and can't help but remember last year's encounter with the Terps - a 35-27 upset victory by the Terps at Byrd Stadium.
"I guess there has to be a big revenge factor from their standpoint," Ivey said. Cal coach Jeff Tedford thinks that might be going a bit too far. "Revenge is a pretty strong word," he said. "I think redemption might be a little bit better, just because we didn't play very well last year. We can play better than we played last year at their place, so that's kind of what we're looking to do. It still comes down to us."
Tedford doesn't want to put too much emphasis on any single game, especially the opener. He and his team are trying to take the long view of the 2009 campaign. Southern Cal, the perennial power in the Pac-10 Conference, may be vulnerable this season. For one thing, the Trojans will start a freshman at quarterback. Cal, which boasts a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate in tailback Jahvid Best (1,580 yards last season), thinks this could be the year it unseats USC and goes to the Rose Bowl. The Bears, picked second in almost every preseason Pac-10 poll, haven't been the conference's representative in the Rose Bowl in 51 years.
Best may be the biggest reason for the unprecedented expectations in Berkeley. Others accumulated similar totals last year, but it's how Best racks up yardage that keeps defensive coordinators working through dinner every night. Best is as explosive a back as there is in college football, capable of going the distance at any time. He averaged a school-record 8.1 yards per carry last season, with 19 runs of at least 20 yards, seven runs of at least 60 yards and three runs of at least 80 yards. "If we can get four or five guys to hit him at once, we can bring him down," Ivey said. "The biggest thing is we have to pursue the ball. We haven't really seen anybody in the ACC as quick as he is."
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