THE MATCHUP
Maryland Terrapins
West Virginia Mountaineers
2-0 (0-0 ACC)2-0 (0-0 Big East)
WHEN: Tonight, 7:45 p.m.
WHERE: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, W. Va.
T.V./RADIO: ESPN/105.7 FM, 1300 AM, 630 AM
LINE: West Virginia -17
LIVE GAME COVERAGE: www.diamondbackonline.com
TERP TRACKER
2006 team stats
TerpsWVU
Passing (ypg)146.0185.0
Rushing (ypg)174.0353.0
Total (ypg)320.0538.0
Points per game25.547.0
Sacks50
Penalties515
COUNTRY, ANYONE?
To get his team ready for the Morgantown experience, Ralph Friedgen blasted crowd noise out of the practice-field speakers – and continued the annual tradition of playing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” at the start of practice.
Denver’s glowing adoration of the state has become an unofficial anthem at West Virginia as it’s played after Mountaineer wins and all over Morgantown, W.Va.
Seniors Sam Hollenbach and Josh Wilson are used to the song from hearing it so many times.
“It’s my favorite song,” Wilson said laughing.
Hollenbach appreciates the song as a staple of West Virginia preparation. He said it’s probably a good song, but that he’ll be glad when it’s taken off the playlist Friday.
MORGANTOWN BLUES
Sep. 18, 2004
WVU 19 TERPS 16 F/OT
The Terps lost a heartbreaker to the Mountaineers the last time the two teams met in Morgantown, W. Va.
Each team had a chance to win the game in regulation. After Terp kicker Nick Novak missed a 49-yard field goal attempt, the Terps blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt with five seconds remaining.
In overtime, Novak hit a short field goal, but West Virginia’s Chris Henry ended it with a 7-yard TD reception.
NATIONAL NERVES?
The Terps have lost their past two games that have been nationally-televised Thursday night on ESPN.
Last year, the Terps lost at home to then No. 3-ranked Virginia Tech 28-9.
Two years ago, the Terps were embarrassed by the Hokies 55-6 in Blacksburg, Va.
SERIES RECORDS
ALL-TIME SERIES Tied 21-21-2
LAST MEETING 2005
LAST SIX MEETINGS
2005- (H)- L, Terps 19, West Virginia 31
2004- (A)- L, Terps 16, West Virginia 19
2003- (N)- W, Terps 41, West Virginia 7
2003-(H)- W, Terps 34, West Virginia 7
2002-(A)- W, Terps 48, West Virginia 17
2001-(H)- W, Terps 32, West Virginia 20
KEY MATCHUP
TERP QB SAM
HOLLENBACH vs.
WVU SECONDARY
Priding himself on not committing turnovers after throwing 15 interceptions last season, Sam Hollenbach has yet to throw an interception this season. But now, he’s got a real test against West Virginia’s 3-3-5 defense.
Mountaineer coach Rich Rodriguez said he has noted Hollenbach’s improvements from 2005 until now, but it’s still possible that he tells his players to shut down the Terp running game.
If dared to throw the ball downfield, it will be crucial for Hollenbach to continue making smart decisions, while also not hesitating to make a big play if necessary.
So far this season, Hollenbach has completed 20-of-30 passes for 292 yards. He has not thrown for a touchdown, but has still managed to run an efficient offense.
FOUR DOWNS
1. Contain Slaton
Talking about how to stop Mountaineer running back Steve Slaton, senior cornerback Josh Wilson whipped out an old ESPN SportsCenter mantra: You can’t really stop him, only hope to contain him.
Slaton’s not the only weapon in an explosive offense – he is the most-feared Mountaineer after his Sugar Bowl MVP performance last season.
2. Eliminate turnovers
Coach Ralph Friedgen has preached playing mistake-free football to his team all throughout fall camp and the first two weeks of the season. The Terps improved from week one to week two, cutting turnovers from four to just one.
Beating West Virginia may have to mean executing to perfection, as in no fumbles and no interceptions.
3. Sam’s night?
Last season against West Virginia, Sam Hollenbach threw for nearly 300 yards, but his day was ruined by four fumbles, of which he lost one. That one turnover came with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter and virtually sealed the loss.
Hollenbach said he’d rather have 100 throwing yards and a good third-down percentage than big numbers. That may just be the recipe for a shell-shocking win.
4. Yellow noise
Milan Puskar Stadium is one of the toughest places to play, and it’s even harder when the game is West Virginia’s biggest home game of the year and on a Thursday night. Friedgen has pumped crowd noise into the speakers surrounding the practice fields to try to simulate the noisy environment.
But the real noise will be much louder – something the Terps know after an OT loss there in 2004.
HEAD 2 HEAD
OFFENSE
Sophomore QB Patrick White is efficient and a mobile threat, the kind of guy Terp defenders don’t like to deal with – and he’s got plenty of weapons to throw to.
One of those weapons is RB Steve Slaton, who is itching to add to his four TDs against the team that turned him away.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Terps Dan Ennis and Adam Podlesh have been better this season than West Virginia’s Pat McAfee and Scot Kozlowski.
If Josh Wilson’s 61-yard kickoff return last Saturday is any indication, he has the game-changing ability to give the Terps a special teams edge.
INTANGIBLES
For a young Terp team, going on the road for the first time into Morgantown, W.Va. on a
Thursday night is a scary thought. The fans are going to be loud and in players’ ears all night.
The Mountaineers’ biggest off-field advantage is without a doubt 60,000 screaming fans.
DEFENSE
They don’t have the star power like the offense, but the Mountaineer defense is still stout. Coach Rich Rodriguez uses a unique 3-3-5 defense that relies on strong safety play and can also stop the run.
Against Marshall and Eastern Washington, West Virginia has allowed 7.5 ppg.
COACHING
Ralph Friedgen and Rich Rodriguez took over the same season. Since then, the Terps have won four of the six games, including the Gator Bowl. Friedgen hasn’t admitted to holding back plays for tonight, but players have. They’ve hinted he has something up his sleeve.
PREDICTION
(WVU) 37-17 (MD)
