Nov. 13, 2008

By Lauren Brownlow

Every Thursday, check TarHeelBlue.com for the latest edition of the Game Guide, which provides all the information you need to get ready for gameday.

The Basics

No. 17 North Carolina (7-2, 3-2) will travel to College Park to face Maryland (6-3, 3-2) in a key ACC matchup for both teams. Carolina is coming off of a 28-7 victory over No. 22 Georgia Tech and has won five of its last six games. Maryland is coming off of a 23-13 loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg last Thursday night. Carolina leads the series against Maryland, 36-31-1. Carolina has lost three in a row in College Park (the last win was in 1997) and Maryland has won four of the last five meetings overall. Carolina has a 2-1 road record this season. Maryland has won its last six games at Chevy Chase Bank Field (5-0 this year). Both Carolina and Maryland have won three games against ranked teams. Maryland beat No. 23 Cal, No. 20 Clemson and No. 21 Wake Forest. Carolina beat No 24 Connecticut, No. 23 Boston College and No. 22 Georgia Tech.

Both teams have lost to Virginia and Virginia Tech. Maryland lost to both teams on the road while Carolina lost to Virginia on the road (its only road loss of the season) and Virginia Tech at home. Maryland's third loss came at Middle Tennessee State. Regardless of what Virginia Tech does the rest of the season, Carolina must win out to earn a trip to Tampa for the ACC Championship. Maryland likewise probably needs to win out; a win would allow it to keep pace with Florida State and Wake Forest (each at 4-2). Maryland has the tiebreaker with Wake Forest and faces Florida State next weekend.

Game Time: North Carolina at Maryland, 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN

Carolina's game notes can be found here and Maryland's official football site is here.

Last Time: Carolina beat Maryland 16-13 last year at Kenan Stadium on November 3, 2007. T.J. Yates was intercepted on the third play of the game but it was picked at the Maryland 13-yard line and Maryland gained just five yards on its next drive. In fact, Maryland gained just four total yards in the first quarter. Connor Barth hit a field goal to put Carolina up 3-0 in the second quarter and followed that another Yates interception that Maryland turned into a 13-play, 74-yard drive for a game-tying field goal in the second quarter. Carolina followed that up with another field goal to go up 6-3 and a Trimane Goddard interception gave Carolina a field goal to go up 9-3 at halftime. Carolina scored its only touchdown on the first drive of the second half on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Yates to Nicks to give Carolina a 16-3 lead. Maryland responded with a touchdown drive of its own to make it 16-10 with 3:21 to go in the third. Carolina would gain just 39 yards on 17 plays the rest of the game. Maryland got a field goal to make it 16-13 with 6:01 to go after an illegal block on Carolina gave Maryland the ball to start a drive at the Carolina 34-yard line. Maryland got the ball with 2:49 left and drove to the Carolina 41-yard line . But on fourth and two, Kentwan Balmer got in Chris Turner's face and forced him to throw it away on fourth and two with 36 seconds left.

Johnny White led Carolina with 92 yards on 18 carries. T.J. Yates completed 16-of-26 passes for 149 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Hakeem Nicks led the Carolina receivers with 88 yards on eight catches, including a touchdown. Connor Barth made three field goals, all in the second quarter - one from 23 yards and two from 45 yards. Trimane Goddard led the Tar Heel defenders with 10 tackles (eight solo), an interception and a pass breakup. For Maryland, Chris Turner completed 20 of 36 passes for 209 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Darius Heyward-Bey led the Maryland receivers with five catches for 64 yards. Erin Henderson led Maryland with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Gameday Weather: Check the local weather forecast before heading for the game.

Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 2:30. The radio broadcast is also available on XM Channel 191 at 3:30. Since it's an away game, the Maryland broadcasters will be heard instead of the Tar Heel Sports Network crew.

TV Coverage: The game will be shown on ABC regionally with an ESPN mirror to other parts of the country.

Game week TV/radio coverage: "Butch Davis Live", Coach Davis' weekly radio show, will be broadcast live from the Top of the Hill restaurant on Franklin Street every Wednesday at 7:00. Inside the Huddle with Butch Davis airs Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on FOX Sports South. Inside the Huddle with Butch Davis will air on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WTVD ABC 11 in the Triangle and will review Saturday's game. The Tar Heel Football Review show featuring highlights of the previous week's games will air Tuesday's at 7 p.m. and Thursday's at 8 p.m. in the Triangle and Fayetteville on the local Time Warner Cable station.

Storylines

True offensive balance: Carolina's running game kicked into gear in a big way against Georgia Tech, netting a season-high 186 yards against an NFL-ready defensive line. It didn't have quite the same success against Boston College, a burly defensive line that is 29th in the nation in tackles for loss. Carolina had a tough 114 yards rushing on 36 attempts (3.2 yards per carry) but still had just one negative rush by a running back (Ryan Houston had a one-yard loss). Now that Carolina has gotten its running game going, it has been able to win games with whatever works - grinding it out on the ground or throwing the ball. Carolina is the No. 1 team in the league and the No. 29 team in the nation in passing efficiency with a 138.8 rating. "That's where as we grow this football team and as grow this program, if you can be really balanced, that some weeks you have to throw the ball against Boston College for 300 yards, some weeks you may have to pound the rock a little bit. But you want to be able to have both of those at your beck and call," Davis said.

Before T.J. Yates went out, Carolina was averaging just eight more rushing attempts than passing attempts in its first three games. It had beaten McNeese State by eight, lost to Virginia Tech by three and beaten Rutgers handily on the road. But after Yates went out, the running backs knew that they would have to shoulder the load more. Carolina didn't get off to a great start running the ball and offensive coordinator John Shoop told them they would have to step it up. "When T.J. got hurt in the Virginia Tech game, Coach Shoop emphasized that we needed to step up in the running game," Ryan Houston, aka "Thunder", said. "Everybody is going to know that we've got a backup quarterback coming in and they're going to try to drop and make us run the ball. So me and Shaun (Draughn, aka `Lightning') took it upon ourselves. We've got to make it easier for Cam (Cameron Sexton) by running the ball efficiently."

It started turning around for Carolina against Miami when the determined Tar Heels were without T.J. Yates for its first full game and were having all kinds of trouble running the ball. Carolina had 35 yards rushing on 33 attempts (1.1 yards per carry). But Davis repeatedly said that it was the hardest he had seen his running backs run all season long. Against Connecticut, Carolina had 146 yards on the ground (then a season high against an FBS opponent). Even though Carolina lost at Virginia, Carolina had 166 yards on 48 rushing attempts, both of which were season highs. That kind of persistence paid off as it stuck with the run against Boston College and continued to do so against Georgia Tech; Carolina had 23 more rushing attempts than passing attempts (the biggest difference between the two all season) and the 42 rushing attempts were the most in a win this season. Carolina averaged 27.3 rushing attempts in its first six games and 42.0 attempts in the last three games.

Doc Walker said it best: "I know we're in the era of the spread offense, all this hocus pocus, but it still comes down to - if you're going to be a champion, you've got to be able to take the opponent's heart, and you do that between the tackles." It's a style that Marvin Austin and the defense have embraced - a hard-hitting, physical style in which they try to bend the other team to their will. Austin said it's a style he's beginning to see a lot more of out of the Carolina offensive line in practice. The improved offensive line has helped quite a bit. Lowell Dyer has become the starting center and Alan Pelc has taken over the left guard spot. With Darity, Reynolds and Jolly manning the other three spots, it gives the line four experienced starters that all played together quite a bit last season. So the physicality of the offensive line and the way it man-handled the Georgia Tech defense is something it will have to bring to every game. Another aspect has been the contrasting styles in "Thunder' (Houston) and "Lightning" (Draughn). "Shaun comes in, he gets defenses tired. He can break a 40-yard run easy and they're tired of chasing him all day," Houston said. "Then when I come in, it's a different element. They've got to tackle this big 245-pound running back that's coming hard. They just had to tackle a 205-pound running back that runs a 4.4.They've got to chase him sideways. Then when I hit the hole, I'm fresh off the sidelines so I'm going to run hard. It's just difficult for them."

The running game, whether it's churning consistently or not, is something that is a part of the Tar Heel offense and something that the opposing defense is going to have to respect. The play that demonstrated that was the 4th-and-2 play at the Georgia Tech 31-yard line with 4:18 to go. Hakeem Nicks was the only receiver lined up at first, then Bobby Rome also split out, but the rest of the team was lined up in run-block formation. Hook, line, and sinker - the Georgia Tech defense fell for it and sold out, leaving all but two defenders that had stayed up to stop the run. But it was too late - Nicks had already run behind them and the rest of the defense had already fallen for the play-action - touchdown, Carolina.

"When you're running the football like we are, and you saw it with the touchdown to Hakeem - they have to come up and respect the run," Sexton said. "That opens up stuff downfield. That opens up stuff wide on the sidelines because they have to respect that running game. It also sets up the play-action game. It takes something off our offensive linemen that they don't have to pass-block every play. We can generate the big play not only in the passing game but in the running game as well."

Carolina's defensive line continuing to grow: Just as Carolina's offensive line is starting to click, so is the defensive line. In Carolina's first four games, the Tar Heels had seven quarterback hurries and five sacks. In the last five games, Carolina has 24 quarterback hurries and 9.0 sacks. In its four wins, it has 24 quarterback hurries and 8.0 sacks. Just like the Carolina running game started to turn around after Miami, so did a young Tar Heel defensive line. Against Connecticut and Notre Dame, Carolina had 12 quarterback hurries (seven against Connecticut). The Connecticut offense is ninth in the nation in sacks allowed (just nine all season) and even though Carolina had just one sack, it hurried the quarterback seven times and would have gotten another sack if not for Marvin Austin grabbing a desperate heave (that likely would have been intentional grounding) out of the air and returning it for a touchdown. Then against Notre Dame, which is 36th in the country in sacks allowed with 13, Carolina had four, nearly a third of the season's sacks allowed by that offensive line. Carolina also had another five quarterback hurries and it was their ability to get pressure on Jimmy Clausen with its front four that allowed Carolina to win that game.

A lack of sacks has plagued Carolina in its losses. Carolina could manage just 2.0 sacks against Virginia Tech, a team that is 111th in the nation in sacks allowed with 26. Carolina had 2.0 and just three quarterback hurries. In the loss to Virginia, Carolina had some issues getting after Mark Verica even as it shut down the Virginia running game. But it had just one sack and no quarterback hurries in the loss. Boston College is the No. 21 team in the nation in sacks allowed with 11 and Carolina had one sack but also added four quarterback hurries. Georgia Tech is 45th in sacks allowed with 16 and Carolina had two, plus a season-high eight quarterback hurries. It was the best game played by Carolina's defensive line all season, by far.

"I know that one of the real unsung heroes of the game - and I know they got credit for it and we referenced them - but certainly the defensive line. How many times they had to just be somewhat sacrificial - do your job," Davis said. "Attack the line of scrimmage. Don't allow the line of scrimmage to move and don't allow the line to get off to the second level because it is a nightmare when they're up to the second level and they're cutting the linebackers and getting into the safeties. So the defensive line - Cam Thomas obviously played extraordinarily well as did Marvin (Austin) and Tydreke Powell, the inside guys. They didn't get credit for an awful lot of tackles but they tackled the guy that could have potentially had the football a lot of the time."

It was a spot Carolina was expected to be extraordinarily strong going into the season and this young group finally seems to be clicking. Carolina is 54th in the nation in total defense, 59th in rushing defense (137.2 yards per game), 24th in pass efficiency defense (107.1 rating) and 21st in scoring defense (18.4 points per game). Those kinds of ratings somewhat offset the national rankings in pass defense (71st, 212 yards allowed) and 82nd in sacks (1.56 per game).

The Tar Heels are also 75th in the country in tackles for loss (5.3 per game). But going into the Georgia Tech game, Carolina had 43 tackles for loss and just 19.5 had come from the defensive linemen. In fact, the top two players in tackles for loss both are linebackers; Mark Paschal and Bruce Carter have 6.5 and 6.0, respectively. But after the Georgia Tech game, the split seems a little bit more equitable with 48 tackles for loss as a team and 22.5 coming from the defensive line. In the last five games alone, Carolina has faced five of the top 70 teams in the nation in terms of tackles for loss allowed. Against Notre Dame (No. 45), the defensive line had 2.5 out of 4.0 but added five quarterback hurries and 2.0 sacks, a season-high by the line. Connecticut (No. 67) the week before faced a relentless pass rush by the Tar Heels; the defensive line had a season-high seven quarterback hurries and 2.0 tackles for loss (out of 7.0 by the team). The defensive line had a season-low seven tackles as a unit against Boston College but did have four quarterback hurries. Against Georgia Tech, a team that was 69th in tackles for loss allowed, the defensive line had 3.0 of the team's 5.0 tackles for loss, all 2.0 of its sacks, two forced fumbles and six quarterback hurries. The 28 tackles it had as a unit were the most since the first week against McNeese State (29 tackles).

But the defensive line does not at all mind doing the dirty work. Their improvement has been a very important part of Carolina's improved rushing defense. An interested observer might notice how often the inside guys, particularly Marvin Austin, are holding up sometimes as many as two offensive linemen while their teammates (usually one of the linebackers) sweep in and make the tackle. "For me, it's always important to stop the run," Austin said. "That's the most important thing is stopping the run, making the team one-dimensional, making them throw the ball up and our guys can pick the ball off several times. So make them one-dimensional, go out there and rush the passer and let them throw it to our secondary. I feel comfortable with that."

In Carolina's five wins by five points or more against FBS teams (four against traditional offenses), Carolina forced Rutgers, Connecticut, Notre Dame and Boston College to attempt a combined 14.3 more passes than rushing attempts. Including Georgia Tech, that number drops to 7.2 more per game. But in Carolina's three games this season decided by three points or less, things weren't as clear-cut. Virginia Tech stuck with the run enough so that it worked, attempting just 22 passes (a season-low against Carolina) to 42 rushes. Carolina beat Miami when it ran the ball just as many times as it threw it (33 to 33). Virginia ran the ball 27 times and passed it 38 times but it was that final drive of the game that did the Tar Heels in. In the five games this season where teams have thrown the ball more than they have run it, Carolina has 14 of its 18 interceptions.

Carolina has already played four teams in the top 60 in the nation in rushing. Against No. 38 Virginia Tech which has averaged 172.6 yards per game, Carolina allowed 127 yards. Against No. 20 Connecticut which averages 203.6, Carolina allowed 168. Then Carolina held No. 57 Boston College, averaging 151.8 yards, to just 40. No. 8 Georgia Tech actually exceeded its average of 250.7 with 326 against the Tar Heels, although 85 came on one play and without it, it would have been 241. Maryland is 64th in the country in rushing with 146.9 yards per game. But Maryland was held to -12 yards on 18 rushing attempts.

That's not necessarily reflective of what Maryland can do, though. But averaging 21.3 rushing attempts in three losses and 37.3 in six wins does show that even though Maryland is going to run the ball more when it's working, it's not going to completely abandon the run. The 18 attempts against Virginia Tech were a season-low. Maryland is also averaging 11 more rushing attempts than passing attempts per game in six wins and 10 more passes than rushes per game in three losses. Making Maryland one-dimensional is not easy to do but it's something Carolina has been able to do against other opponents this season. But Maryland's offense is one that might not be as gimmicky as Georgia Tech's but is almost more tricky to defend because of its multiple looks and sets.

"They've got the ability because of a big offensive line and huge tight ends and if they want to, if they choose to, they could line up and play smash football in a heartbeat," Davis said. "They could certainly change the concept of it and they could get into some read-option stuff because of his (Ralph Friedgen's) background. One of the things that we're finding out as we started watching film last night and started breaking things down is the different number of personnel groupings that you're going to see. You're going to see multiple tight ends, multiple wide receivers, I-formation, the option stuff. So it will challenge you in preparation for it."

Starting and finishing strong: Going into the Georgia Tech game, Carolina had trailed at some point of all of its six wins during the season and had actually lost late leads in both losses. It surrendered a 17-3 lead over Virginia Tech and a 10-3 lead over Virginia. Carolina had scored on its opening drive of the game once all season and was 0-1 in that game. Things didn't look good to begin the Georgia Tech game, either. Carolina started off its first offensive series by allowing Cameron Sexton to get sacked for a 16-yard loss on the first play of the game. It would mark the second game in a row that has happened, except against Boston College the Eagles forced and recovered a fumble for a touchdown. This time, Sexton actually was flagged for intentional grounding. But he got up, dusted himself off and threw an incompletion, leaving the Tar Heels facing 3rd and 26 at the Carolina 17-yard line. He threw a beautiful strike to Brooks Foster on the sideline for a 25-yard completion at the Carolina 42-yard line and on fourth-and-one, Carolina went for it and got it. They would go on to drive for a touchdown and take a 7-0 lead just three minutes into the game.

All three of Carolina's penalties came on its first drive; the intentional grounding penalty and a holding penalty that nullified a four-yard run happened on the first drive. Then a false start turned a third and four into a third and nine and Sexton fumbled on the third-and-nine, dropping the ball and then recovering it. Carolina also allowed both sacks in the first quarter, the first on the first drive and the second on the final drive of the quarter on fourth-and-four (Carolina was also flagged for holding on that play, which was declined). But that 7-0 lead did give Carolina a bit of a cushion. "Scoring early and getting a lead although particularly early in the ballgame, it's never going to take Georgia Tech out of that offense," Davis said. "It's who they are. It's their personality. It's what they do. But getting that early lead, it really gives you a chance to play with house money."

Carolina outscored Virginia and Virginia Tech by a combined 17-3 in the first half and those two opponents combined to outscore Carolina 27-10 in the second half (including overtime, it's actually 33-13). Carolina has been shut out in the third quarter twice and the fourth quarter just once; they are 1-2 in those three games. Georgia Tech shut out Carolina in the first and second quarters and it did have a bit of a Virginia feel to it. Like the Virginia game, Carolina scored on its opening drive and then had problems getting its offense going again. But unlike the Virginia game, Carolina wasn't turning the ball over.

"I've always felt like we were pretty good coming from behind. We kind of thrived on that and kind of enjoyed it, too," Sexton said. "But we knew coming into this (Georgia Tech) game that if we got ahead and got them kind of out of their element, we didn't feel like that they could get the big play when they needed it. So we felt like if we had a lead then we could kind of control the game. So the coaches asked us this week and kind of set it as a mission - we've got to start well, we've got to get out in front and we've got to keep a lead. We kind of answered to that so that was exciting."

If Carolina can take care of the ball at Maryland and play consistent football the whole way through, it will have a good chance to win on the road. Carolina may have gotten out to a 3-0 deficit at Rutgers but it hung on, was patient and finally had a 17-3 second quarter and a 21-0 third quarter. Carolina got down even worse at Miami, getting down 17-7 at halftime. So Carolina had a 7-0 third quarter and then a 14-7 fourth quarter to pull out the win. It wasn't something did all at once and they even got down 24-14 with 9:59 to go in the game, but they didn't panic and didn't make mistakes. The Tar Heels are 2-1 on the road this season; in the two road wins, Carolina had a combined turnover margin of six gained to zero lost. In its loss, Carolina lost three turnovers and gained none.

Maryland has been like Carolina this season in that many of its touchdown drives have come quickly. Of 23 touchdowns, 16 have come on drives that were either six plays or fewer or two minutes or less. In ACC play, Maryland has adjusted well at halftime, giving up a combined 23 points in five league games. It gave up 72 points in the first half of five ACC games. Carolina is giving up more points in the second half of ACC games (30 in the first, 48 in the second) but are outscoring opponents by the same margin (+5.0 in the both halves). In three ACC wins, Carolina has outscored opponents just 38-27 in the first half (+3.7) compared to adjusting in the second half and outscoring opponents 63-21 in the second half (+14.0). In its two losses, it has outscored opponents 17-3 in the first half (+7.0) and then been outscored 10-27 in the second half (-8.9).

At The Game

Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium feed at Chevy Chase Bank Stadium should be 98.3 FM.

Tickets: Tickets are available for purchase here.

How to get to the game: For directions to the stadium, click here. For parking information and a map, click here. For all other concerns, check out the Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium A-Z guide.

What to do in College Park: For some restaurant and shopping suggestions, in the area, click here.

Watching At Home

Turn down the sound: If you're watching at home while listening to the radio or over the computer via Carolina All-Access, there will inevitably be some delay. For the reason - and a possible solution - click here.

A full list of THSN affiliates can be found here.

ABC/ESPN coverage: The game will be shown on ABC regionally with an ESPN mirror to other parts of the country. Brad Nessler will handle the play-by-play, Bob Griese and Paul Maguire will be the analysts and Stacey Dales will be the sideline reporter. For a coverage map, click here.

Names To Know

Cam Thomas: The 6-3, 330-pound junior defensive tackle may play alongside Marvin Austin but led an outstanding effort by the defensive line against Georgia Tech. Going into the game, Thomas had seven solo tackles, ten assists and 17 total tackles; five of those tackles came in the season-opener against McNeese State. In the last three games, he had just three tackles. But against Georgia Tech, Thomas had six tackles (four solo) and his first sack of the season. But what that stat sheet doesn't show is how important Thomas' presence was in clogging up the middle. On the first one, Thomas bulled his way straight up the middle, barely brushing by the lineman attempting to block him, and tackled Dwyer for a one-yard gain on fourth-and-three. Then Thomas accomplished a similar feat on fourth-and-one, stopping Dwyer for a one-yard gain. He so impressed Raycom color analyst Doc Walker so much that he remarked: "Cam Thomas was an ox," he said, adding: "Cam Thomas - cyborg!" On Thomas' sack later in the game, Walker had more praise: "Cam Thomas is my lead candidate today for the triple burger award because he plays like he's starving."

It might be surprising to outsiders, but to teammate Marvin Austin, this kind of performance is just a reflection of what he has seen every day in practice. "He's just as good as any tackle in the country," Austin said. "I'm glad to see that now he is because I see it all the time in practice. Me and him, I'm trying to match his intensity sometimes and sometimes he's trying to match my intensity. So it just goes back and forth.

"It's definitely good to see him have that good game. It feels good to see all the stuff that he's been doing and he's been working on - and then to be playing an option team where we weren't supposed to make a lot of tackles and him going out and having a good game is definitely good because he can do it. He can play the game."

Ryan Houston: Shaun Draughn has been a big reason that this running game has gotten going again, but Ryan Houston has provided the kind of spark that few backs are able to provide. The sophomore had a career-high 74 yards on 13 carries (5.7 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. He was 273 pounds when he got to Carolina and is now 241 pounds, but he is still intimidating and difficult to bring down. Now, though, he has some breakaway speed. But he still provides the perfect complement to Draughn because while Draughn can wear down defenses trying to chase down the elusive back, Houston can come in and provide and important change of pace. His seven touchdowns are third on the team; with 42 points on 53 carries, he is averaging 0.79 points per carry. Draughn, obviously not the goal line back, is averaging 0.09 points per touch (131 touches, 12 points). The only person ahead of Houston on the team is Nicks with 54 touches on offense and 54 points. There have been times in the past when Carolina hasn't always had a reliable goal-line option and Houston has certainly been that. "Even on one of the plays, we missed a block and he was one-on-one with one of their safeties," Sexton said. "I put my hands up because I knew that he wasn't going to be denied. He's such a big guy but his feet are so smooth and he makes cuts really well. When he needs those yards, it's just his mentality. It's one of those `it' things. He's born with it. He can just get those yards."

What's made Houston's effort that much more impressive is that when he comes into the game, everyone knows what he is going to do - run the ball in a short-yardage situation. So when he went in on fourth-and-one on Carolina's first drive against Georgia Tech, he was used to the situation and he felt the same way he always does. "I told the line when I come in, they know what it is," Houston said. "The defense knows what it is. They know I'm going to get the ball. They know I'm not in for pass protection. I just tell them, `Man up. Ya'll block the right guys and I'm just going to try to make what I can do and just try to run the ball hard."

He has also allowed Carolina to add a wrinkle to its offense; because the defense knows what Houston is likely to do, they have to respect it. That's what happened on the fourth-and-two touchdown pass to Nicks late in the game - the Georgia Tech defense stacked the line, expecting him to run it up the gut and Nicks was wide open in the end zone. "I didn't really think he was that open. I heard the crowd scream after he faked it," Houston said. "I thought Cam got sacked because the crowd was like, `Oh.' I'm blocking and I thought Cam got sacked and I saw the ball fly over my head. It just felt like high school again because it was the same thing in high school - third and short, they fake it to me and somebody comes wide open."

The freshmen defensive linemen: Tydreke Powell is the backup to Marvin Austin at defensive tackle and is a redshirt freshman, true freshman Robert Quinn starts at defensive end and two other talented true freshmen - Michael McAdoo and Quinton Coples - have seen limited action that has increased in recent games. Davis has said that he would love to have a defensive line rotation with as many as eight linemen but so far this season that number has generally been in the 4-6 range in the tight games. Even in more limited action, though, McAdoo and Coples have been impressive.

McAdoo, a 6-7, 235-pound defensive end, has four tackles this season and 1.5 of those have been sacks. He also has two quarterback hurries. Against Georgia Tech, he had one sack and two quarterback hurries. Coples is 6-6, 245 pounds and of his six tackles, 2.5 have been tackles for loss and 1.5 have been sacks. He also got his first quarterback hurry last week against Georgia Tech. Tydreke Powell at 6-3, 300 pounds might be the backup to Austin but he has 11 solo tackles and two assists; of those, 4.0 have been tackles for loss and 1.0 have been sacks. He had two solo tackles and his only quarterback hurry against Georgia Tech. Robert Quinn is the only starter in the bunch and has shown the potential to be an absolutely dominant defensive end in the ACC and if there were a statistic that tracked how close Quinn has been to bringing down quarterbacks or running backs in the backfield, he would likely lead the team. Quinn has 11 solo tackles and seven assists this season in addition to 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles (both against Georgia Tech) and a pass defended. His three quarterback hurries are third on the team behind Marvin Austin (four) and E.J. Wilson (10). Against the Yellow Jackets, the freshmen combined for 2.0 of Carolina's 5.0 tackles for loss, both forced fumbles and five of the eight quarterback hurries.

Wilson doesn't mind sharing the wealth with these freshmen, though. In fact, he said that it only makes him - and this team - better. "Next year, they're going to have to step up and take a bigger role. Them getting this good game experience and making a few plays this year is really going to help us next year and later on during the year," Wilson said. "I kind of feed off my teammates. The more confident they get and the more sure they feel about themselves, the better I feel about me."

Da'Rel Scott: The redshirt sophomore is 37th in the nation in rushing and second in the ACC, averaging 91.1 yards per game. He's also fifth in the league and leads Maryland in all-purpose yards with 110 per game. He is third on the team in scoring with five touchdowns and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry with 729 yards on 141 attempts. He's also fourth in receiving on the team with 15 catches for 151 yards and has thrown a touchdown pass as well on a trick play against Wake Forest. He had a rough go against Virginia Tech, rushing for a season-low 11 yards on ten carries. He did catch five passes for 57 yards in the game. In ACC home games, Scott has averaged 118 yards and 5.8 yards per carry against Wake Forest and NC State. In three ACC road games, Scott has averaged 28.7 yards per game and 1.95 yards per carry. In three ACC wins, he has averaged 91.7 yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry; in the two losses, he has 21 rushes for 47 yards, averaging 23.5 yards per game and 2.2 yards per carry.

The 5-11 speedster does have big-play potential, ranking second on the team in big-play production with ten plays of 20 yards or more. He missed the Terrapins' fourth non-conference game with a shoulder injury but in the first three, including a win against Cal, Scott had 56 rushes for 407 yards (7.3 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. In his season debut, he had 197 yards on 26 carries against Delaware. He added 87 yards on 19 carries against Cal and two touchdowns. His lone 100-yard effort against ACC teams was against NC State but he had 73 against Wake Forest. He has been held to 40 yards or fewer against Clemson, Virginia and Virginia Tech, two losses and one narrow win. Clearly the key to beating Maryland is containing Scott.

Chris Turner: Turner has had an up-and-down career at Maryland, being shuttled in and out in favor of fellow quarterback Jordan Steffy and never gaining much consistency. He took over during the first game this season and hasn't relinquished his duties since. The redshirt junior has really gotten his feet under him in recent games; after throwing three interceptions in a loss at Middle Tennessee State and two against Eastern Michigan, he has just one interception in the last five games. That interception was at Virginia in a 31-0 loss. He has not thrown an interception in the last three games. That kind of consistency has made him 50th in the nation and second in the ACC in passing efficiency. He has completed 136-of-229 passes (59.4%) for 1,668 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. In the last three games, Turner has completed 58-of-92 passes (63%) for 687 yards (229 per game) and three touchdowns. His 321 yards against a tough Wake Forest pass defense were a season-high and his 240 yards against Virginia Tech were the second-most.

Turner is 4-0 in his career against AP-ranked teams. Last season against Carolina, he completed 20-of-36 passes for 209 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He has grown quite a bit from last season, as Coach Davis has noticed. "I think his poise in the pocket is very good. His accuracy, his decision-making I think has really improved. He's indicative of a lot of very, very young quarterbacks when they get put into a situation. We've got a lot of respect for him. He's playing well," Davis said.

Moise Fokou: The 6-2 senior linebacker has had a great season and it has been even better in ACC play. He is tied for sixth in the ACC with 5.0 solo sacks and tied for 17th in tackles for loss with 7.5 He has three sacks in the last four games. His team-high five sacks are the most in a season by a Maryland linebacker since Shawne Merriman had 8.5 in 2004. He also has 4.5 of his tackles for loss in the last four games and 5.5 in ACC play. Against Virginia Tech, he had one sack, one quarterback hurry, four solo tackles and six assists. Fokou is part of a strong corps of linebackers that includes Dave Philistin and Alex Wujciak that lead this defense. Fokou is the only one among the group that ranks in the ACC in tackles (24th in the league, 6.1 per game), tackles for loss and sacks.

Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.