With the news this week that Ralph Friedgen will be retaining his Head Coaching position at the Univeristy of Maryland, the attention now turns to the 2010 season.
The most interesting thing I have seen are the rumors about the Terps running a true Triple-Option this coming year.
I am pretty enthusiastic about this possibility. Friedgen has run the option selectively before at MD, notably under Hill, and McBrien.
When I think of the option, I historically think of the Nebraska teams under Tom Osbourne. More recently, I think of Navy under Paul Johnson (and current Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo), and now Georgia Tech with Johnson.
Navy’s starting offensive-line from left to right is Jeff Battipaglia, Osei Asante, Eric Douglass, Curtis Bass, and Matt Molloy. Their average weight is 264 lbs, which is incredibly light for a D1 team. Despite the physical differences, Navy was good enough this year to win at Notre Dame, beat Air Force, beat Wake Forest, and compete against Ohio State, and Pittsburgh.
Even if Bruce Campbell leaves Maryland for the NFL, there is nobody on that Navy offensive line that would start with the Terps.
At QB, Jamarr Robinson showed an ability down the stretch to make plays with his legs. If you combine his ability to get to the outside, with the abundance of quality returning running backs (Scott, Meggett, Douglas, Porzel, Adams), maybe you have something.
I also like that when you run the option, defenses can not double team your receivers. If Terp receivers such as Torrey Smith (if back), Cannon, Tyler, Boykins, Dorsey, and McCree are facing consistent single coverage – they will win those match-ups more often than not.
Georgia Tech was 7-1 in the ACC this year, winning the Coastal Division. They averaged 305 yards per game rushing, which should have allowed them to dominate time of possession.
Control the ball, control the clock, and watch the defense improve as well.
The biggest negatives I hear about running the option are the notions that fans will not want to watch it, and that top QB recruits will not want to come.
Let us be honest here, while I am encouraged about the long-term potential of Maryland QB’s Danny O’Brien, and CJ Brown; neither was uber-elite top-talent. They were good, solid recruits, the level you should continue to be able to target.
I am also not sure I buy the idea of fans not wanting to watch the option. I believe fans want to see wins, with less concern of how the wins are achieved.
My biggest concern of implementing the option for the 2010 season, would be the size of the MD offensive-line. If the O-line is designed for smaller, faster offensive lineman; do the Terps have a line capable of running that offense?
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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.