COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen expected his young team with little experience to benefit from an early season schedule that included three straight home games against non-league foes.
“I was hoping we’d get off to a good start, gain some confidence, not beat ourselves,” Friedgen said Tuesday. “That was the plan. The plan didn’t work.”
After opening with a lopsided defeat at California, the Terrapins edged James Madison in overtime before losing to Middle Tennessee and Rutgers. Buried under the weight of 13 turnovers and 26 penalties totaling 220 yards, Maryland (1-3) is off to its worst start since 1997 – four years before Friedgen took over as head coach at his alma mater.
Time for Plan B.
“Now what I’ve got to do is stay by these guys, try to make them better and do things the right way,” Friedgen said.
re were 10 against Rutgers – Friedgen planned to bring in referees to oversee practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I really think if we can eliminate the turnovers and penalties, we’d give ourselves a chance,” he said.
The players tend to agree.
After throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble against Rutgers, senior quarterback Chris Turner took the blame for the defeat. He has since taken it upon himself to keep his teammates from giving up on a season that is dangerously close to unraveling.
Turner’s optimism comes from a stretch he endured in 2007, when the Terrapins lost three straight Atlantic Coast Conference games before defeating No. 8 Boston College. Maryland finished that season by playing in the Emerald Bowl.
“I’ve been down this road before,” Turner said. “I’m trying to preach to the guys it just takes one game, and it really is still a long season. We still have eight games in the ACC. If we can fix these mistakes – the turnovers and the penalties – we’ll be fine.”
If there’s one consolation, it’s that the Terrapins have the entire league schedule in front of them, beginning with Saturday’s home game against Clemson. Maryland must go 5-3 in the ACC to become eligible to receive a bowl bid and extend its school-record run of playing in the postseason for three straight years.
“I feel like we can go 8-0,” senior defensive tackle Travis Ivey insisted. “What gives me optimism is our work ethic. We work extremely hard in practice. We haven’t had the success we want to have, but I feel like we’re still positive and we still have our goals ahead of us. We’re going to keep working until we get it right.”
The Terps have only 14 seniors, and the roster contains 58 players with at least three years of eligibility remaining. “It’s not like you have guys that have been there before and they can relate to what has to be done. They’re learning on the run. What I have to do is be supportive of that,” Friedgen said.
“What I can’t do is get down on them. I’m not going to do that,” he said. “If I saw a lack of effort, I probably would do that. But I see them trying. I’m trying, too. It’s not a fun place to be right now, but I don’t know any other way but to just keep working and keep working. And stay positive. But I can’t hope for it to happen. I’ve got to make it happen.”
So he’s altered practice to stress the importance of holding onto the football and avoiding penalties. He’s also cut down the amount of plays in each session, but won’t move onto the next one until the execution is flawless.
“Coach Friedgen has always been good about identifying the weak spots on our team and then trying to make the corrections, or at best, hide them,” Turner said. “This week we’re focusing on holding onto the ball, putting an emphasis on staying onside, really just executing the way we know we can.”
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