Non-conference performances should not be ignored

Even for die hard Maryland basketball fans, Saturday’s game against Georgia Southern may have been too much of a snoozer to watch, with much more significant college football games happening simultaneously. However, while these non-conference games may not provide much in terms of excitement for fans, so far they have demonstrated one thing: comfort.

Comfort in knowing the Terps can utilize ten players without worry and still beat an inferior opponent by 17 points. Comfort in playing Alex Len only 17 minutes, yet still out-rebounding the Eagles by 22. Most of all, comfort Maryland has one of the most balanced teams in the ACC, leading to four straight victories by an average of more than 16 points.

The non-conference part of an ACC basketball schedule is usually filled with weak opponents, giving teams some time to work out various kinks before vigorous conference schedules later in the season. However, taking a look back at last year’s schedule, Maryland still struggled against “weaker” opponents. A six-point win against Florida Gulf Coast, a three-point win against Mount St. Mary’s, a four-point win against Florida International and a five-point win against Radford were all games played at home a typical Maryland team would have likely won by 15 points. We know last year’s squad wasn’t typical, and thus weren’t surprised a team with seven scholarship players couldn’t put opponents away.

This year, it seems to be the exact opposite. Replacing the one-man offense of Terrell Stoglin is an unselfish attack of a core of ten guys that have all played in every game so far this season. Most fans would be pleasantly surprised to know Maryland is fourth in the nation in assists per game. Yes, you read that right. In the nation.

Last year’s team struggled not because they lacked significant talent, but because they lacked depth. This season, coach Mark Turgeon has been able to mix up his five on-court players until he gets a combination he likes for a particular stretch. With seven scholarship players, when one or two are having an off game, there are no alternatives. With ten dependable players, foul trouble is avoided, poor shooting streaks mitigated and fatigue monitored, all while maintaining a high level of play.

Meanwhile, many of the core are freshmen, visibly improving on a game-to-game basis. With Dez Wells and Len having quiet nights on Saturday, freshman Charles Mitchell earned his first career double-double with 11 rebounds and 13 points on 50 percent shooting. Against Long Island-Brooklyn, freshman Seth Allen scored 19 points on 70 percent shooting. Those performances from a backup forward and point guard leave fans salivating over what this team can develop by March. And by the manner Maryland has handled its non-conference opponents thus far, those eager fans may not be far off.

Old School vs. New School in a battle with no clear winner

Is going to the Big 10 the right decision? It really depends on your definition of the word “right”. With Maryland’s announcement to leave the ACC and move to the Big 10, fans of all ages have come out of the wood work to give their opinion of whether or not the move is good, correct, positive or insert-judging-word-here.

But the problem with answering such a question lies in your beliefs as a sports fan in the year 2012. If you value the “old school” way of athletics, leaving a conference you were a founding member of, and one you have shared many historic events, rivalries and traditions with other teams, then moving out of the ACC is unquestionably horrific. Any chance of rekindling a Maryland-Duke rivalry is most likely out the window, and adjusting to a conference with teams more than halfway across the country is simply not what college athletics should be about.

If you are a proponent of the ever-present “sports is a business” then you most likely see the move as savvy financial positioning for the long-term. The Maryland athletic department is clearly in a mountain of debt, having cut seven sports teams, and is struggling to fill Byrd Stadium and Comcast Center on a given day. The guaranteed revenue of the Big 10 is too attractive for Maryland to turn down, and optimistically will help the program gain financial stability and eventually lead to improvements on the field.

Instead of luring prospects to the team, the team is moving to the prospects, in a way. Aside from direct monetary gain, Maryland is also moving to the Big 10 as a means to draw high school football players to a maligned team that will face legendary foes such as Ohio State, Michigan and Nebraska (and Wisconsin and Penn State and…). Often times playing on a bigger stage is enough to draw athletes to your program, and there are few football conferences with more allure than the Big 10. Basketball, meanwhile, will try to compete for conference titles in a much different landscape from the Atlantic Coast. Recently, however, teams such as Michigan State, Wisconsin and Indiana have put Big 10 basketball on the map as prominently as the football teams.

Whatever your opinion, what is easy to recognize is the widespread change the Maryland athletic department has undergone in the past three or four years. The Terps sport relatively new football and basketball coaches, a recently hired athletic director, a new apparel sponsorship with more influence than anyone anticipated and now a new conference. While no one should expect immediate results from any of these entities, it is at the very least exciting just to be in the midst of such watershed times at the University.

Heading down South to the land of the pines; A Maryland fan travels to Clemson, S.C.

For the first time in this Terp’s Maryland sports career, he took a trip down to South Carolina to watch his beleaguered football team face one of the best in the country in No. 13 Clemson. And what a culture shock it was.

Aside from the actual game (we’ll get to that later) the football culture in the South is something every fan should experience at least once. The entire town of Clemson was pretty much shut down for the day aside from eateries, which were filled all afternoon. Major roads were closed, and a sea of orange enveloped entire stretches of roads, sidewalks and plazas.

I tailgated and walked around the area for about three hours before the game, and aside from my Maryland compatriot saw exactly two other people wearing Terrapin gear. We were such an anomaly, at some point my friend and I were asked to pose for a photograph because we “weren’t wearing orange”.

While I don’t want to disrespect a College Park that throws formidable tailgates of their own, the difference here was that the Terrapins were arguably one of the least hyped games of the season for the BCS contender, yet I was still stunned at the transformation of the town from the night before.

Another aspect of the scene I was pleasantly surprised by was the lack of heckling I received as a visiting fan. Again, perhaps this was because Maryland isn’t exactly a football rival, but I was not once yelled at the entire day while I proudly wore my Terps T-shirt. There were no negative chants in my direction while I sat in the Clemson student section, although I stuck out like a sore red thumb. I doubt Maryland fans would give a Clemson fan the same treatment, and while some may say heckling visiting fans is a just enterprise, cursing them out is a slightly different story.

Once the game started, the pleasant taste in my mouth of the trip soon soured as Maryland fell behind early and for all intents and purposes was out of the game by the end of the first quarter. Even at this juncture, however, the commentary I had with Clemson fans was their genuine sympathy at Maryland’s injury situation, and not simply “Maryland sucks”.

While I don’t tend to agree with everything that goes on in the South, this trip was an eye-opening experience in the most positive way. As a Terps fan, I hope we can one day develop a similar deep passion for our football team, but as long as March Madness becomes a staple in College Park once again, I guess I can leave football to Death Valley.

Edsall needs to reassess his team

Last Saturday, the Maryland football team underwent a physical and mental test of mettle against Georgia Tech. In what coach Randy Edsall said was something he had never experienced, the injury-riddled Terps played reserve linebacker Shawn Petty at quarterback.

It took four injuries to get to it, but a Lisfranc fracture and three torn ACL’s later, Petty found himself under center for the first time since high school. And it showed.

Looking back, it was an almost ridiculous situation to put the freshman in, given his lack of practice, experience or general knowledge of how to be a quarterback at the college level. Forget basic quarterback staples, such as how to properly throw a ball, how to hand it off, and how to set your feet on a three-step drop as opposed to a five-step drop. Petty had seven practices to learn how to run a complex college offense. Audibling at the line, making checks with offensive linemen and calling out blitzes are some of the more sophisticated aspects of being a quarterback, and many full-time starters struggle with those calls. Now imagine a guy who’s barely played in his natural position on defense at the college level, much less at quarterback. Now imagine him being a freshman. Except this wasn’t imaginary, it was real life.

Petty looked lost most of the afternoon Saturday, missing open receivers running simple routes, struggling to keep his eyes downfield when the rush came and even having difficulty running up-tempo running plays. His footwork and tossing skills on pitches and sweeps seemed to slow Terp running backs down and offset the rhythm of the play at times.

Looking back at the box score, one stat jumped off the page. Maryland, whose quarterback situation is well-documented above, threw the ball 14 more times than Georgia Tech. Petty shouldn’t have thrown 14 passes all day, much less 14 more than a healthy opposing offense. Edsall needs to acknowledge the situation he is in, and not try to turn a linebacker into a pocket passer in two weeks.

The one thing Edsall still has on offense is athletic playmakers such as receiver Stefon Diggs, running back Wes Brown and running back Brandon Ross. The ball needs to be put in their hands and out of Petty’s as soon as possible and as often as possible. Georgia Tech embarrassed Maryland by playing the style Edsall should have implemented the moment quarterback Caleb Rowe went down. Instead he took a difficult team situation and placed it into the hands of a freshman playing out of position.

If Maryland wants to win another game this season, last week’s offensive approach is not the answer. An option running attack, using Diggs and other backs, is the only way to have any semblance of an offense that can move the ball down the field, while keeping their own defense off the field against offensive juggernauts in Clemson and Florida State, Maryland’s next two opponents.

It’s easier said than done, but it’s still easier than asking for 300 yards passing from a reserve linebacker.