You see what I did there? Instead of “sea” legs, like for pirates and such, I did “D” legs. As in defense. I’m a student of comedy.

But let me be serious for a moment, if I may.  Let me ratchet this down a notch. I want to talk frankly with you about the Maryland defensive unit.  Clearly, it’s not a world beater. I think we can agree on that. But there are signs of hope.  There’s a gleam, men!   There is a gleam.

First the bad.  The unit ranks 87th nationally and second-to-last in the ACC in total defense. Big plays were the problem–a lack of their own and a prevalence of same from the other side.  Did you know that the average length of an opponent’s offensive touchdown play is 24.9 yards?  I did the arithmetic myself.

So that’s the bad. All of that is bad.  But now, the good.  Thanks to linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield, it was a defensive play that sealed the Clemson game for the Terps, and they held star Tiger RB C.J. Spiller to just 72 yards.  But that’s not what I’m most excited about.  After all, Clemson is like a mashed potato sandwich on white bread, hold the gravy.  No offense. 

What I am excited about has been brewing for a few games now.  But first, revisit on memory lane the team’s first two games, which were putrid like rotting lizard meat.  In those first two, they gave up more than 43 points and 480 yards. No turnovers forced in either game. No sacks, either. And only five tackles for losses. That’s a key stat.  In the Cal game, Ernest Owusu matched the whole Terp unit’s tackles for losses. Maryland wasn’t playing the Owusu way.

The turnaround actually began with Middle Tennessee State. Against the Blue Raiders, Maryland had 10 tackles for losses – double the output of their first two games. To me, TFLs are telling, especially in Don Brown’s uber-complicated blitzkreig, where sacks and TFLs and general chaos fomentation are the keys to success. Of course, the unit still gave up 438 yards and a ton of big plays – to MIDDLE TENNESSEE FREAKING STATE – so they’re not there yet. But there was a gleam. A tiny, infinitessimally tiny gleam.

Against Rutgers, they showed more signs. The D only surrendered 20 points (Rutgers got two defensive TDs) and 249 yards, and they had 4 TFLs. Two INTs as well. And against Clemson, they put a lot of it together. 21 points, 274 yards, 4 TFLs, and 2 TOs.  They also cut down on big plays…Clemson’s only offensive TD came from 17 yards out. And they gave up no big plays against Rutgers either…if you stop scoring with five minutes left in the game. Whatever.  Blah.

In any case, this all leads me to believe that they just needed some time to get a feel for Brown’s calls. They’ll be tested this Saturday by a pass-happy Wake Forest team on the horizon, followed by the weird and Wildcattish Virginia scheme. They currently rank 77th nationally in TFLs, but it’s getting better.  They’re flying around the ball.  They’re not just making tackles anymore–they’re making plays.  That’s the key.  So in summary, more work to do there, but they’re on a good trajectory and seem to be learning, buying into, whatever you want to call it, the new scheme.  Here’s hoping they really are getting their legs–their “D” legs–underneath them.

For more prattling about the Terps, please visit colleague Terphed and myself over at our blog, Shell Games. Much obliged.

Tags: Demetrius Hartsfield, Don Brown, Football

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 9:50 pm and is filed under Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.