Wins ugly, but Terps find beauty in unity

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Steve DeShazo on Terps win over Wolfpack

Date published: 10/22/2006

By STEVE DeSHAZO

COLLEGE PARK, Md.--Trying to shore up an inconsistent defense, Maryland spent part of practice last week on remedial tackling.

"The first time we did it, it was embarrassing," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "We looked like we had never been on a football field before."

Those drills paid off, but there are some things you can't teach.

Confidence, for one. Until it proves itself on the field, a team has no right to feel good.

And for the first time in 21/2 years, Maryland's Terrapins have the makings of a swagger. Combine last week's rally from a 20-0 deficit to win at Virginia with yesterday's 26-20 victory over N.C. State, and the Terps (5-2) are finally beginning to believe in themselves.

"I've been telling people from day one, if our team has confidence in itself, we can play with anybody in the country," said junior linebacker Erin Henderson, who made a key interception for the second straight week.

"We've seen glimpses of what we're capable of. Now, we've got confidence," he said. "We've got our swagger going, and it's that much easier to make plays."

Or, as Friedgen put it: "It's like a mountain you try to climb. When you're with teams that are confident, they know they're going to win. I'm hoping we're getting better. I think sometimes we still think we're going to win. You can't look over your shoulder. If you think bad things are going to happen, they're probably gonna."

It's hard to blame the Terps for expecting the worst after two straight 5-6 seasons, but Friedgen has been waiting impatiently for that mojo to re-emerge. So has fifth-year senior tailback Josh Allen, one of the few links to Maryland's glorious three-year, 31-victory run in 2001-03.

Shredded knee ligaments and the emergence of talented juniors Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore have substantially reduced Allen's role. After rushing for 957 yards in Maryland's Gator Bowl-winning season of 2003, he missed all of 2005 with his injury and has touched the ball 28 times in seven games this fall.

But his contributions aren't limited to the field.

Date published: 10/22/2006