Terp's plan to make it two in a row against Cal Bears

Last Meeting - 2008, Week 3, MD 35 - (23) Cal 27

Before seven minutes had elapsed in the first quarter, the Golden Bears were done 14-0.  By the half, the Terp's had taken a 21-6 lead, and after three quarters the lead was extended to 28-6.  It wasn't until there was only 6:55 left on the clock that Cal finally reached paydirt for their first touchdown of the game.

Maryland's defense held Cal's vaunted running game to only 38-yards rushing on 23 attempts, picked off Kevin Riley once, stopped the Bears nine of 11 third-down tries, and was playing backups down the stretch.  On offense, the Terp's converted six of 12 third downs, had two rusher's--Da'Rel Scott (19-87-2) and Davin Meggett (13-82-1)--average over 4.5 yards per carry and break off runs of over 20 yards, and quarterback Chris Turner completed 15 of 19 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Oddly enough, Cal out-gained Maryland in yardage, 461 to 297 total yards.  Maryland also had two lost fumbles to Cal's lone interception thrown for a turnover margin of -1.

Aftermath

Cal would bounce back the following week and defeat Colorado State 42-7 two weeks later, but they would never be seriously considered nationally the rest of the season.  The Golden Bears finished the season with a 9-4 (6-3) record and an Emerald Bowl victory over Miami.

Maryland went on to defeat three more top 25 teams before finally falling to nationally ranked Boston College 28-21.  The Terp's finished the season with an 8-5 (4-4) record and a Humanitarian Bowl victory over Nevada.

Preview

Cal's offense vs Maryland's defense - The Golden Bears' new offensive coordinator, Andy Ludwig, will begin his tenure locked in a chess match with Marylands' new defensive coordinator Don Brown.  Neither will have game film of the other's scheme with players they currently coach, but the Terp's may hold the advantage due to the fact that Ludwig's philosophies are closely related to the Cal offensive system that's been in place since Jeff Tedford took over as head coach.

That combined with Ludwig's work at Utah, where he led an offense that ranked second in the nation, should be enough to go on for Maryland.  Brown was the head coach at UMass for five years prior to coming over to Maryland.  His defenses ranked in the top 20 in total defense for three of those years.  While Cal should be able to study UMass tape and figure out what tendencies Brown has, it's being reported that 75% of his Maryland defense is all brand new.

With the amount of experience Cal has on offense (seven returning starters), compared to Maryland's four starters returning on defense, the Golden Bears will have a distinct advantage on game day.

Kevin Riley returns for his first uncontested year as the starting quarterback for Cal.  Last season Riley passed for 1,360 yards and 14 touchdowns compared to six interceptions while sharing time with Nate Longshore.  That was before he fixed his mechanics that plagued him during the year.

Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen are both back to aid Riley on the ground.  Best, an '09 Heisman candidate, averaged 8.1 yards per carry on his way to leading the Pac-10 in rushing with 1,580 yards in '08.  Vereen racked up 715 yards in a backup role and has shown that he can step in for Best when needed.

Maryland linebacker Alex Wujciak returns as the fifth-ranked tackler in college football.  He'll head a defense that is heavy on blitz packages and light on experience.  Last season, Wujciak recorded 133 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

It's been said that Maryland's defensive scheme relies on reading the offense prior to the play and aligning itself properly in a predefined formation.  If this is true, the Bears will want to steal a page from last year's Terp's offense--use quick counts and no-huddles.

Maryland's offense against Cal's defense - Watching last season's contest between the two teams, it would be difficult to believe that the Bears had one of the better pass defenses in college football.  The Bears ranked seventh in turnover margin, 14th in sacks, 17th in tackles for loss, and 26th in total defense.

Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory will get another shot at Maryland's offensive coordinator James Franklin.  Last season, Franklin instituted quick snap counts and some no-huddle that gave the Bears defenders trouble in getting lined up on time.

Six starters return to Maryland's offense, including their starting quarterback, Chris Turner.  Turner finished the '08 season with 2,516 yards passing and 13 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.  After leading the Terp's over the Bears last year, he became Maryland's starter at the position.

Also returning for the Terp's will be the two running backs that run over Cal's defense when the two teams met last.  Junior Da'Rel Scott gained 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground for Maryland in '08 as their starting tailback.  Scott is backed up by sophomore Davin Meggett who rushed for 457 yards and had four touchdowns.

Cal's biggest strength on defense is their ability to cover receivers.  Senior Syd'Quan Thompson headlines the group and has shown a knack for doing it all.  In '08, Thompson had 70 tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions last season.  Like Best, there isn't a watch list that isn't paying attention to what he does every game.

In 2008, Gregory instituted the 3-4 defense at Cal.  With eight returning starters and a year under their belt in the same defense, the Golden Bears look to make major strides this season.  Those strides will have to include stopping a Maryland offense that seemed to do whatever they wanted the last time the teams met.  The three new starters on the defense, all linebackers, all have played significant time in the past, making their returning numbers look understated.

Some reports have the Maryland defense recording 50 interceptions during camp.  Is it Maryland's defense or is their offense just bad?

Special Teams

Both teams will be starting freshman kickers for field goals, both teams have very good punters, but it's Cal's return game that distinguishes itself rather quickly.  With Jahvid Best on kick returns and Syd'Quan Thompson on punts, Cal brings back two return men that each ranked 21st nationally at their respective jobs.

Prediction

Cal is home, has more returning starters, and has loads of talent at every position.  While the Maryland team has plenty of talent and a lot of hype surrounding their new defense, it's difficult to believe that the defense is so earth-shattering that Cal won't find a way to play against it.

Because Cal has so much experience, they'll beat the Terp's.  The Terp's do have plenty of young talent to keep up with the Bears, so they will be more difficult to defeat than many think.  Cal will need to protect Riley and open enough holes for Best to break into the second level.  If they do that, they should be able to win the rematch.

Maryland won't go down easily, but they will probably not come away from Memorial Stadium with a victory.

Cal Bears Examiner prediction - California Golden Bears 27 - Maryland Terp's 20