Question & Answer Session with Testudo Times

by ggggmen08 on Oct 12, 2011 6:18 PM EDT in FUTBAW

Another week, another outstanding SBNation blog to do a Q&A with. This week we turned to UMD's best blog, Testudo Times. I supplied the questions, Ben Broman provided the responses. Enjoy.

STS: What's the latest on the QB controversy in College Park? If we do see CJ Brown, how does that change OC Gary Crowton's gameplan?

Danny O'Brien reacted really poorly to the scheme change that Crowton brought, and his confidence has dropped as a result. He's played poorly since the Miami game, and the staff made the switch to C.J. Brown, the better running QB and a much better fit for Crowton's offense, during the Georgia Tech game. Randy Edsall is refusing to make a call, at least publicly, on which of the two will start this Saturday. My gut tells me it'll be Brown - the staff just seems to have a thing for him - but it could be either and I wouldn't be surprised.

As for the scheme, it's not so much the changes Crowton will have to make so much as it is whether he'll be able to run his scheme at all. The offense has taken a decidedly Edsallian turn with O'Brien, which makes sense considering DOB is better in a pro-style offense anyway. In the 20 snaps he took against Georgia Tech, 13 of them were under center, a vast change from the early weeks when almost every snap was out of the shotgun. If it's O'Brien, expect to see a fairly conservative, uninspiring look. If it's Brown, though, you'll see Crowton's scheme at its pure, almost Oregonian form, nearly exclusively shotgun and a lot of zone read options and short, high-percentage passes.

STS: Coming into the year I felt UMD was in good shape with Davin Meggett and DJ Adams in the backfield. How have those guys performed to date?

Meggett's been very good so far; he's finishing his runs like he did his freshman season and seems to be running with more life and determination than he has in years. Adams, on the other hand, is an interesting story. One of the team's more colorful characters, perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that he and Edsall didn't hit it off. Adams was suspended for the first game for an unspecified reason, and has been in the doghouse ever since. He didn't even get a single carry against GT. That often comes at Maryland's detriment; the offense is only 1-7 (TD) in the red zone, which is usually Adams' wheelhouse. He's been replaced by Justus Pickett, a true freshman with a high ceiling but who isn't really "there" yet. Expect to see a lot of Pickett, who's shifty and has pretty good vision, come Saturday.

STS: Clemson's DL has played really well the last couple of weeks. Are there any vulnerabilities along the UMD offensive line that Clemson should look to exploit?

A week ago, I would've said no. The offensive line has only allowed four sacks - three of them coming in the same game - despite dropping back way more than Maryland is used to. But last week their best lineman, senior left guard Andrew Gonnella, suffered an ugly injury against Georgia Tech and is lost for the year. Replacing him is massive sophomore Pete White, a former four-star who weighs in at 330, which is a problem for Maryland's new-look, lighter unit. This will be the first serious playing of his career, so there's no telling how he'll perform; we know he has talent from his high school days, but he's not a great fit for a lot of the things Crowton likes his linemen to do. A good interior defensive lineman could cause him troubles.

STS: Clemson's passing game has been on point all year, but on a down-to-down basis have struggled running the ball. Maryland's run defense was bad against Temple, but respectable against GT. What should Clemson expect out of its running game against UMD?

Truth be told, I don't think anyone knows the answer to that question. Maryland is missing half a dozen defensive starters and was more or less porous through the first three games of the season. No one expected what happened against GT, which was nigh-miraculous looking back on it.

Thing is, GT's scheme is so different that no one knows if that's going to accurately scale to other, more traditional offenses. Based on previous weeks, I'd say it's likely that Clemson should be able to run the ball well enough, so long as they stay away from Joe Vellano and attack Maryland's inexperience off tackle.

STS: Give us an update on some Terrapin injuries that could have a significant impact on this game (i.e. - Kenny Tate).

Well, there's Gonnella, as I mentioned above, and Maryland's defense has been ravaged by long-term injuries. But the injuries that are in question - namely, Tate and his fellow linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield - look like they're breaking the Terrapins' way: both players were in the depth chart and are expected to start on Saturday.

STS: It's a night game in College Park. What kind of atmosphere are the Clemson Tigers walking into? Is it a sellout?

The night game will help, but the Temple loss has dissolved most of the hype around the program. It's not a sellout, though by game-day it shouldn't be too far out. The student section will be packed, as it usually is for ACC games, but past that it will likely be a rather tepid environment.

STS: Alright, enough beating around the bush. Give me your prediction. Who you got?

Maryland has really played to the level of its competition so far this year, and I think they're better than their 2-3 record. So I'm guessing that the Terrapins can keep it close, but in the end Clemson is likely going to be too much, and will probably win by about 7 or so.

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How does MD beat Miami and then lose to Temple?

Also, what do the MD fans think about Edsall? Seemed like a decent hire at the time, but I wonder what they thought about the change.

"Clemson is coming!" - Stephone Anthony

by Tigerplowboy on Oct 12, 2011 10:19 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Thats Maryland for ya . Unpredictable .

As for Coach Edsall , from what I have seen on their Testudo Times as of late they are not too happy about him at the moment . Who would be at 2-3 . Back during the winter , many of them were overly excited by thinking they were going to hire Mike Leach as head coach . The concensus was that Leach would make them a power house and an elite program , then when they hired Edsall they mostly seemed deflated . I don’t troll or anything , I just like to see what other fans are feeling about their team as well as about Clemson .

by tyeargin on Oct 12, 2011 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions

I never really thought Leach was a candidate for that job.

Not that I really disagree with what he did because that is what it takes to make some of these cry-babies grow up, but he is now the Bob Knight of college football. His only real shot will come from a mid major who wants to make a name for itself.

"Clemson is coming!" - Stephone Anthony

by Tigerplowboy on Oct 13, 2011 12:04 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Me either ,

I didn’t think they would hire Leach because of his legal baggage he wouldv’e brought with him . Would’ve been an interesting hire if they had though .

by tyeargin on Oct 13, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions

The fan base is pretty split on Edsall.

We were told by our new AD that he wanted to take the program from ‘good’ to ‘great’. There was a lot of hype and excitement. To the people that aren’t sold on Edsall, it was just kind of deflating. The flash just isn’t there that some people wanted. And the way that he has gone about running the team hasn’t endeared him to portions of the fan base and the team. Getting rid of names on jerseys, implementing strict disciplinarian code, switching our star safety (Tate) to a linebacker position (they call it STAR) that he’s ill-suited for and having him disappear from the defense, shutting down a fan favorite RB in DJ Adams without explanation, hiring Todd Bradford and Crowton as the coordinators, having our promising young QB seemingly regress… I could probably go on.

Of course, the fans that love Edsall love him for some of the same reasons people dislike him; take everything about team and discipline above, and just flip it. I’m pretty sure though that EVERYONE hates Tate at the STAR position. The Edsall defenders say that things will get better once he gets his recruits in the door. Of course, he had a pretty good base to work with coming in.

For what it’s worth, my opinion is that MD will continue to be what it almost has always been; a middle of the road ACC school. Lots of 6-6/7-5 type seasons, with a 3-9 or 9-3 season every 4 or 5 years. I just don’t see Edsall being that transformative excellence that so many fans crave.

by NAmstrong on Oct 13, 2011 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions

And honestly, if we had the chance to compete for an ACC title every 4 years or so, I'd be pretty happy.

We’re all just killing time until basketball season anyways.

by NAmstrong on Oct 13, 2011 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Your STAR position is like a hybrid SLB/SS

Its a 4-2-5 system that gets announced as a 4-3. If he’s not good at coverage, he’s not suited for the job.

Shakinthesouthland.com-Clemson sports analysis

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by DrB on Oct 13, 2011 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm actually a little worried about this one . . .

with Boyd recovering from an injury and them finding a new QB, we could lose this one.

by Lawtonfunk on Oct 13, 2011 7:28 AM EDT reply actions

There backup QB went 4-17 last week against a bad GT team

I’m worried that O’Brien will play and play like he did against Miami.

by ggggmen08 on Oct 13, 2011 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm a little worried, too, but if Tajh is able to go, and we show up with the kind of focus we have had the last 4 games, then we should be ok.

"Clemson is coming!" - Stephone Anthony

by Tigerplowboy on Oct 13, 2011 12:06 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Maryland always seems to give me an uneasy feeling .

This week to me is about Chad , Dabo , and Kevin keeping these players focused . If we can take care of business in Lane Stadium , then I feel like we should be able to handle College Park . Plus , to win I feel Tajh has to have a good game .

by tyeargin on Oct 13, 2011 12:28 PM EDT reply actions