Terps Football Q&A w/ Tom Dienhart & Steven Lassan

There is a long Summer ahead, but with each day passed we get one day closer to September 5^th and the start of the University of Maryland’s 2011 Football Season.

When the season begins, what will be the appropriate expectations for the Terps? With that question in-mind, Baltimore Sports and Life thanks the following College Football Analysts for providing their thoughts on Maryland:

Tom Dienhart (Rivals / Yahoo)
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/expertsarchive?author=Tom+Dienhart
http://twitter.com/#!/TomDienhart
&
Steven Lassan (Athlon)
http://www.athlonsports.com/blogs/steven-lassan
http://twitter.com/#!/AthlonSteven

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Maryland ended last season ranked in the Top 25, and brings back a lot of returning talent. However, the Terps are going through the changes that come with a new Head Coach, and new Offensive and Defensive Coordinators. Based on that Coaching overhaul, there are a lot of questions of what we will see out of Maryland this fall. Have the Coaching changes impacted your expectations of the Terps for this Fall?”

Dienhart: “If anything, the arrival of Randy Edsall and has staff has raised my expectations for the Terps. I think Edsall is one of the top coaches in the nation and one of the most underrated coaches in the nation. He has built a terrific staff, and is excited about this fresh challenge.”

Lassan: “The coaching change didn’t have much of an impact on where Athlon ranked the Terrapins for 2011. Randy Edsall did a great job at Connecticut and should be a good hire for Maryland. There’s always a transition period whenever a new coach takes over, but considering what Edsall did at Connecticut with arguably less talent, he should be able to pickup where Ralph Friedgen left off last season and continue to right around the top 25-30 mark. The coaching changes did raise some questions – including how offensive coordinator Gary Crowton will tweak the offense in 2011 – but the bigger focus in our preseason picks was the departure of a couple of key players from last season.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Terps will face a challenging out of conference schedule with tilts against West Virginia, and Temple at home and Notre Dame at FedEx Field. Brief thoughts on the Mountaineers, Owls, and the Irish and what those teams are capable of this coming year?”

Dienhart: “A tough slate. West Virginia will be the favorite in the Big East, while Temple has emerged as the best team in the MAC. The Owls have a new coach but shouldn’t slip, while the Mountaineers will be motivated to send Bill Stewart out a winner. And this could be the best Notre Dame team since 2005. In fact, I expect the Irish to win 9 or 10 games and get to a BCS bowl.”

Lassan: “

West Virginia – West Virginia is Athlon’s pick to win the Big East in 2011. The Mountaineers should have an exciting offense with the hire of Dana Holgorsen as coordinator and the return of quarterback Geno Smith. The West Virginia defense finished as one of the best in the nation last year, but must replace seven starters. Even though there are losses on defense, coordinator Jeff Casteel is an underrated coach and should keep that unit at a high level.

Notre Dame – Brian Kelly is one of the top coaches in college football and should have the Irish in contention for a spot in one of the BCS bowls this year. The Irish closed out 2010 by winning their last four games and have a favorable schedule this season. The defense stepped up in the final four games of last year and that should carryover into 2011, especially with one of the nation’s top defensive line recruiting classes. Although the Irish must settle on a quarterback,Kelly showed at Cincinnati and Central Michigan that he knows how to get results on offense. Whether it’s Dayne Crist or Tommy Rees starting under center, the offense should be solid, especially with weapons like receiver Michael Floyd and running back Cierre Wood.

Temple – Al Golden really resurrected this program, so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with Steve Addazio taking over. The Owls have an underrated running back in Bernard Pierce, but have struggled to get production from their passing game. The defense was one of the best in the MAC last year, but has to replace seven starters, including first-round NFL pick Muhammad Wilkerson. Athlon projects the Owls to finish third in their division with a 6-6 record, but if the coaching situation comes together quickly, this is a team that can challenge in the wide-open MAC East.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “By all accounts, Florida State is the favorite in the ACC Atlantic. Early takes on Maryland’s other divisional foes (Boston College, Clemson, NCST, Wake Forest)?”

Dienhart: “A nice collection of schools. Keep your eye on Clemson. I think Dabo Swinney is on a bit of a hot seat after taking the Tigers to the ACC title game in 2009 and then missing a bowl last season. He has brought in new OC Chad Morris from Tulsa, who has installed a go-go spread offense that will be exciting. Tom O’Brien and Jim Grobe are terrific coaches, while BC always overachieves. Still, the Terps have a chance to beat all of those teams.”

Lassan: ”

Boston College: Boston College is a team that always seems to overachieve, no matter where they are picked in the preseason. However, the win total has declined in each of the last four seasons and there are several question marks with this team. Montel Harris and Andre Williams should form the ACC’s top running back unit, but the Eagles need quarterback Chase Rettig to step up. The offensive line also loses standout tackle Anthony Castonzo. Defense is usually a strength for Boston College and with linebacker Luke Kuechly returning, the Eagles should be solid on this side of the ball.

Clemson: Clemson always has talent, but never quite seems to live up to expectations. Coach Dabo Swinney is on the hot seat after a disappointing 2010 season. Swinney made some changes on offense, bringing in Chad Morris from Tulsa to coordinate the offense. Morris wants to run an up-tempo attack and must rely on talented, but inexperienced Tajh Boyd at quarterback. With Andre Ellington back at running back and DeAndre Hopkins at receiver, if Boyd quickly settles in, this could be a dangerous offense. There are some holes on defense in the secondary and up front with Da’Quan Bowers departing, but this should be a solid overall unit.

NC State: Tom O’Brien really believes in Mike Glennon at quarterback, but there has to be some concern when you have to replace an All-ACC player like Russell Wilson. The Wolfpack are in great shape along the offensive line, but Glennon will be throwing to a revamped receiving corps. Eight starters are back on defense and this group showed big improvement last year. If Glennon is as good as advertised, the Wolfpack will likely be Maryland’s top competition for second in the Atlantic.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons were a young team last year and still have a lot of youth expected to start this year. Sophomores Tanner Price (quarterback) and Josh Harris (running back) will be in charge of getting this team back in bowl contention. The defense was among the worst in the ACC, but seven starters return. It would be a surprise to see Wake Forest get back into a bowl game this year, but improving upon last season’s two wins seems like a reasonable expectation.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “In efforts to increase the overall team speed of the Terps; Maryland’s new Defensive Coordinator Todd Bradford has moved Kenny Tate from Saftey to LB, and David Mackall from LB to DE. The Terps will be using more of a 4-3 front, and I’m liking the look of the Front 7. The projected D-Line Starters are Ross, Vellano, Francis, and Mackall (with Anderson, Kerr, Hampton, Johnson, and Monroe in reserve.) The projected starting LB’s are Tate, Hartsfield, and Drakeford (with Kearse, Donohue, and Ronson backing up). Do you like the position switches of Tate and Mackall? Thoughts on these two positional groups?”

Dienhart: “I like the position switches and think those two areas of the team will be strong.”

Lassan: “Moving Tate to linebacker and Mackall to defensive end should work out well for coordinator Todd Bradford. Tate should be able to continue to be one of the top defensive playmakers in the conference at linebacker, while Mackall should give a boost to the pass rush with speed off the edge. Maryland should be in great shape on the line and in the linebacking corps, likely top five in the ACC for both positional groups.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “LT Justin Gilbert is expected to miss the 1^st month of the year. The other returning Tackles are Max Garcia, RJ Dill, Nick Klemm, Pete DeSouza. In the interior, there is good depth with Gonnella, Fulper, White, Cary, Lewis, and Arnett. As a whole, Offensive Line Coach Tom Brattan returns a group with 75 career starts. Based on who returns, how does this group compare to their ACC Atlantic peers?”

Dienhart: NA.

Lassan: “The Terrapins look to be in good shape with their offensive line. With four starters back and Justin Gilbert expected to return in October, this group should be among the top five lines in the ACC. Virginia Tech looks to be the conference’s top line, but there’s not much separating the rest of the teams contending for second – Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Florida State and Maryland.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Maryland loses Former 1st-team All-ACC RB Da’Rel Scott but returns the trio of Davin Meggett, DJ Adams, and Gary Douglas. Do you like this group?”

Dienhart: “I do. And know this: Edsall is a tough-minded coach who likes to pound the rock at defenses with a strong ground game. In many ways, he’s a lot like Ralph Friedgen from a mental attitude standpoint. This collection of backs will help Edsall run the type of attack he likes.”

Lassan: “Losing Da’Rel Scott is a blow, but Davin Meggett, D.J. Adams and Gary Douglas all have experience, so this unit shouldn’t suffer much of a drop-off. Randy Edsall leaned heavily on the rushing attack at Connecticut and it will be interesting to see how the offense looks with Gary Crowton calling the plays. Maryland probably won’t run the ball as much as Connecticut did last year, but Meggett could challenge for All-ACC honors. Overall, a solid group that ranks around the middle of the conference.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “After Red-shirting in ’09, O’Brien emerged as a force last year throwing for 2,400+ yards, and 22 TD’s. With Russell Wilson leaving NCST, is O’Brien the clear favorite for 1^st team All-ACC?”

Dienhart: “I think he is. O’Brien had a great debut season and looks to be primed for a strong career. He could be the top QB in the league. I think you’ll see E.J. Manuel emerge at FSU, as well.”

Lassan: “There’s a lot of turnover at quarterback in the ACC this year, and Athlon ranked Danny O’Brien as the top quarterback in the conference for 2011. The sophomore will miss Torrey Smith at receiver, but should still be the ACC’s best quarterback. Florida State’s EJ Manuel looks like O’Brien’s biggest challenger, but unless there is a long transition period with the new offense, the sophomore should finish first-team All-ACC.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Overall predictions for Maryland? Should the Terps be expected to push Florida State in the ACC Atlantic?”

Dienhart: “I don’t think the Terps are ready to challenge FSU for the title. The Noles look like a Top 5 team. But Maryland could finish as high as second in the division. Bottom line: Expect this team to win at least seven games and get to a bowl.”

Lassan: “Florida State should be the clear favorite in the Atlantic, with NC State and Maryland likely battling for the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Even though NC State loses Russell Wilson, we expect the Wolfpack to remain in contention for second. The Terrapins catch a break on the schedule by not playing North Carolina or Virginia Tech from the Coastal. Considering Edsall’s track record at Connecticut, there’s not a lot of concern about the coaching change, but there’s always some uncertainty. Assuming the coaching situation works out as expected and O’Brien picks up where he left off, the Terrapins should be in position to win eight or nine games once again.”