Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - 2006 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Terrapins quietly went about their business last year, finishing 9-4 overall, and tying for second in the Atlantic Division at 5-3. With a nine-win season in 2006, Maryland has reached the nine-win plateau in four of Ralph Friedgen's six seasons in College Park. The Terps opened the 2006 campaign with three wins in their first four games, with the only loss coming at rival West Virginia (45-24). The team dropped its first league affair at Georgia Tech on October 7th (27-23), but followed that with five straight wins, including back-to-back one-point victories over Clemson (13-12) and Miami (14-13). The team dropped a pair of decisions to Boston College (38-16) and eventual ACC champion Wake Forest (38-24) to close out the regular season, but earned a 24-7 win over Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl.

2007 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Maryland was not an offensive juggernaut a year ago, but methodically went about its business on that side of the football. The unit must replace five starters from a year ago, none more important than savvy signal-caller Sam Hollenbach. The veteran QB completed almost 62 percent of his passes in 2006, throwing for 2,371 yards and 15 TDs. Filling the void left under center will be junior Jordan Steffy, who served as Hollenbach's backup the last two seasons. Steffy has been running with the first-team offense this summer, but if he fails to produce, sophomore Josh Portis could get a chance. Portis transferred from Florida and sat out last season due to transfer rules. Whoever is under center, they will have the luxury of a full stable of receivers. The top seven pass catchers from last year are back, led by sophomore Darrius Heyward-Bey, who had a phenomenal freshman campaign, with 45 receptions, for 694 yards and five TDs. The ground game is another area of strength, as tailbacks Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore also return. The pair combined for well over 1,500 yards rushing and 11 TDs. Up front, the projected starters are all over 300 pounds. The offensive line must replace three starters from last season, but does return All-ACC right guard Andrew Crummey (6-5, 301).

DEFENSE: The Maryland defense struggled last year in stopping the run, allowing opponents to rush for 162.9 yards per game, on 4.6 yards per carry. To make matters worse, three of the team's top four tacklers are gone. The cupboard is not completely bare however, as the team's top tackler, junior LB Erin Henderson returns, after racking up a whopping 114 tackles on the year. There is much more experience returning along the defensive front, headlined by ends Jeremy Navarre (47 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks) and Trey Covington (41 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and tackle Dre Moore (47 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks). The secondary will be highlighted by seniors Isaiah Gardner (63 tackles, one INT) at one cornerback position and Chris Varner (58 tackles, one INT) at strong safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS: All-ACC punter Adam Polesh has moved on, so not having the luxury of one of the conference's top punters will certainly be something that Friedgen will have to get used to. However, a lot is expected of freshman Travis Baltz (6-2, 200), who averaged 40 yards per punt as a high school senior. Baltz will compete with senior Chris Roberts for the punting job. To further cloud the kicking game, placekicker Dan Ennis is also gone. His job will initially be turned over to junior Obi Egekeze.

2007 OUTLOOK: Are the Terrapins one of the top teams in the ACC, or the Atlantic Division for that matter? Probably not. However, Friedgen finds a way to get the most out of his teams and this year will be no different. The non- league slate has its share of potential problems with powerhouse West Virginia on the docket in mid-September and a tough road trip to Rutgers toward the end of the month. The team opens with Villanova and Florida International, so there could be some momentum heading into the WVU game. The league schedule has Georgia Tech, Virginia and Clemson coming to College Park in the month of October, with Boston College visiting on November 10th. The road slate in- conference features trips to Wake Forest, North Carolina, Florida State and NC State. Going .500 in ACC action should be enough to get this team bowl eligible and that in and of itself should be considered a successful campaign.