By By Jacob Ridgway
Maryland's Campus Correspondent
RepresentACC.com

Is it time for other ACC schools to "Fear the Turtle" again? That time may be coming soon as Maryland is rebuilding itself into the bowl-bound teams of Friedgen's past.

Two wins a season isn't going to get the job done. Ralph Friedgen knows that, the players know it and the fans know it. In fairness, the young Terps of last season lost five games by a touchdown or less. However, this isn't 2009 again and there's reason to be fired up about college football in College Park, Md. If the Terps can make something out of their season, Maryland could find themselves in their seventh bowl games in 10 years under Friedgen.

Everything for Maryland starts with two of the most electric players in the game. On offense there is wide receiver Torrey Smith. The redshirt junior decided against going pro to come back to refine his skills. That's bad news for opposing ACC teams because Smith can do it all. He can make big plays with his feet after the catch and doesn't mind taking a hit to get the extra yardage. The reason ACC teams fear the junior receiver isn't his only hands, but also his returns. Smith holds the single-season record for most return yards in the ACC with over 1,300. If he doesn't score, he's at least going to get his team into great field position.

Wide Reciever Torrey Smith

In all, Friedgen welcomes back 12 starters from last season. It is in the other nine starting positions where things get tricky for Maryland. The team played 24 freshmen a year ago, the most in Friedgen's tenure as coach. They are more experienced now, but that's still a lot of young talent. The Terrapins have capable players in all the key positions, but are deep at very few and could find themselves in a lot of trouble if injuries start to pile up early in the season.

Interestingly, the offense could undergo some changes with a new quarterback under center. The Terps could have an option package sprinkled in with the more mobile Jamarr Robinson as the signal caller. "I don't think we'll be like Navy or Georgia Tech or anybody, but I really think you could see a wrinkle in there," said receiver Torrey Smith.

On the other side of the ball, the defense and more specifically the secondary has some changes of its own it needs to make after it finished 97th in the country last year in pass defense. Ralph Friedgen has his work cut out for him in his 10th year, but he's got confidence in his young squad.

Offense

Every offense begins with its quarterback. Three-year starter Chris Turner was a one-dimensional passing threat, but he has graduated. The plan is to have Jamarr Robinson take the snaps this fall, a dual-threat option that has the strongest arm on the team. Robinson rushed for over 100 yards against Virginia Tech a year ago and threw no interceptions in 85 chances. The question mark is his accuracy. The junior signal caller completed just over 54 percent of his passes.

Right behind Robinson, Danny O'Brien is waiting to step in if called upon. O'Brien is a redshirt-freshman who won the backup position in the spring. O'Brien is a guy Friedgen hopes to work into some games this year. He possesses great arm strength and is very athletic.

Problems also arise in the offensive line. Two of Maryland's starters are former walk-ons and tackle Bruce Campbell left early for the NFL. R.J. Dill earned all-league freshmen honors at tackle, but he's only one of three starters returning on the line. This is one of the Terps' thin positions and could have real problems if injuries mount.

Torrey Smith sits atop of what appears to be a solid receiving corps for Maryland after leading the offense a season ago in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Adrian Cannon had an improved season in 2009 with four trips to the end zone. Cannon should relieve some of the pressure on Smith by taking some of the defensive attention and double teams away from his fellow flanker. Ronnie Tyler was the Terps third-leading receiver. Tyler is shorter at 5'9, but is a lot like Duke's Donovan Varner in that he's illusive and has breakaway speed. Tyler could have a surprise season with the attention focused on Smith and Cannon.

Tight end is a position Maryland hopes to get more production from this season. Devonte Campbell is a converted fullback who is the early favorite to start. Sophomore Matt Furstenburg will also battle for time at tight end.

Defense

Linebacker Alex Wujciak

The secondary is where the concern lies for the Terrapins with three of four starters gone from a year ago. The defensive backs really need to focus on limiting big plays for Maryland to stay in football games. Cornerback Cameron Chism had four takeaways as a sophomore and eyes an even better junior campaign. Safety Kenny Tate started less than a handful of times last year, but can really help stop quarterbacks from opening up the secondary.

A.J. Francis anchors a defensive line in which he is the only returning starter. However, Francis is a mountain of a man at 6'4" and almost 300 lbs. He was an honorable mention freshman All-American in 2009 and could have a huge sophomore season. Look for Francis to get into the backfield a lot this year and wreck havoc on opposing offensive lines. Former linebackers Bradley Johnson and Marcus Whitfield were rotated this spring to defensive end because of their speed. Friedgen said he feels his defensive line wasn't quick enough to the ball last year and these two should really help bolster that need.

Special Teams

Special teams are a definite strength for this team and could determine the outcome in tight games. Three of these guys have earned postseason accolades in their careers. Kicker Nick Ferrara was a freshman All-American in 2009 largely because he converted on 70 percent of his field goal attempts of 40 yards or more. Punter Travis Baltz is an All-ACC selection and averages over 40 yards per punt. Torrey Smith also returns as a kick returner and has shattered the Maryland kickoff return yardage record each of the past two seasons.

Named the consensus national Coach of the Year in 2001 after leading Maryland to its first ACC title since 1985, Friedgen has developed a reputation as one of the top coaches in the game.

Last year, with an inexperienced and injury-riddled team, the Terrapins finished 2-10, but seven of the 10 defeats were by 11 or fewer points and five by seven or fewer points. Friedgen's 2008 Terrapins posted an 8-5 record including wins over four nationally-ranked teams. In 2007, Friedgen's Terps upset a pair of Top Ten teams in defeating 10th-ranked Rutgers and 8th-ranked Boston College en route to a second straight bowl appearance.

In his first season as the Terps' grid boss, Maryland won its first seven games and eventually halted Florida State's reign as perennial ACC Champion, earning the league's automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series.

In 2002, the Terps made their way back to a major bowl game, winning 10 of their last 11 games and finishing in a tie for second in the ACC. The 2003 campaign provided a bit of déjà vu for Friedgen and the Terrapins as they again started 1-2, and again ran off 10 wins in their final 11 games to earn a second New Year's bowl bid.

In 2006, the Terrapins posted a nine-win campaign--the fourth time Friedgen's Maryland teams have won at least nine games--topped off by a decisive 24-7 over Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl.

In addition to amassing tremendous team success, Friedgen has also helped develop some of the league's most talented athletes, including Jim Tatum Award recipient Nick Novak, who became the ACC's all-time leading scorer in 2004.

Prior to returning to his alma mater, Friedgen was a long-time successful assistant coach at Georgia Tech, where he was credited with overseeing one of the nation's most potent offensive attacks.

Named the winner of the Frank Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in the country in 1999 while at Tech, Friedgen brought 32 years of assistant coaching experience - including 21 seasons as an offensive coordinator either in college or the NFL - with him in his return to College Park.