July 17, 2003

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following is the sixth in a 10-part series previewing the 2003 University of Maryland football team. The Terrapins open fall camp on August 4th in preparation for their season opener at Northern Illinois on August 28th.

Today's portion of the outlook for 2003 features takes a look at the offensive line, a position that boasts an experienced unit that will look to continue its success anchoring one of the ACC's top offenses. Check back every Tuesday and Thursday in the month of July for a breakdown on each component of this year's team (a complete list of when each position's synopsis will be posted on umterps.com can be found at the bottom of this page), a squad ranked by most preseason publications in the top 15 nationally.

Offensive Line

When a unit loses a pair of first team all-league players - as Maryland has this year with the graduation of center Todd Wike and tackle Matt Crawford - the assumption is that it is time to rebuild. In the case of this year's team, the losses don't seem to sting quite so bad.

Last season, Wike was asked to move to center from his natural position at guard as the team looked to replace another All-ACC performer from the year before in Melvin Fowler. This year, junior Kyle Schmitt (Latrobe, Pa.) heads into the season as the starter and his success will play a big role in the success of the team. Schmitt began last year as the starter but struggled early with injuries and inconsistency. He finished the year, however, playing his best football and the hope is that he will build off of that momentum. Schmitt had the second-highest composite grade of any lineman last year and the highest of any player who played over 150 plays. Working behind him will be versatile senior Ed Tyler (Franklinville, N.J.) - who will serve as the backup at three positions -- and second-year player Ryan McDonald (Hagerstown, Md.).

Maryland's guards are one of the strengths of the team heading into fall camp. Senior Lamar Bryant (Clinton, Md.) is the starter on the right side and is coming off a season that saw him earn second team All-ACC honors. Bryant posted the highest strength numbers ever by a Maryland lineman this past offseason and excels at pulling. Bryant will be backed up by a player whose attributes are very similar to his in sophomore Akil Patterson (Frederick, Md.). Patterson is another strong guard with good feet who will be working to overcome an injured knee at the start of camp, but is expected to be ready to go.

On the left side, junior C.J. Brooks (Rex, Ga.) enters his second season as a starter at guard and third as a starter overall. Brooks is a tenacious blocker and has all the intangibles one looks for in a top-flight lineman. An honorable mention All-ACC performer last year, he led the team with 53 pancake blocks while helping pave the way for the league's second-rated rushing offense. Ed Tyler will back up Brooks, but as mentioned before, can play either guard spot or center. Russell Bonham (Winston-Salem, N.C.) is a viable option if needed and has had the highest strength gains of any Maryland player over the last two years. His role will be as much preparation for the future as any, as will that of Donnie Woods (Dade City, Fla.), a highly-decorated incoming freshman.

At tackle, senior Eric Dumas (Atlanta, Ga.) shifts to the right side - Scott McBrien's blind side - to replace the departed Crawford as the starter. Dumas is athletic (33½-inch vertical jump) with good size and long arms. He will be backed up by junior Lou Lombardo (Baltimore, Md.), a starting-caliber player who enters this year in the best shape of his career.

On the left side, true sophomore Stephon Heyer (Lawrenceville, Ga.) gets the opportunity to start after surprising coaches with his talent and knowledge of the game a year ago. Like Dumas, Heyer has long arms and is stronger than a year ago after a year in the weightroom. Last season, he was called for just two penalties in 178 plays. Former tight end Ryan Flynn (Youngstown, Ohio) bulked up in the offseason and moves in as Heyer's backup at tackle. He performed well in the spring and will likely be battling newcomer Brandon Nixon (Pottstown, Pa.) for playing time this season. Nixon (6-6, 325) was highly-sought after as a prep and could be a player to watch in coming years.

"The center position is going to be a big part of how successful we are as an offensive line," said Friedgen. "In Brooks and Bryant, I think we have two of the better guards in the country and we are in pretty good shape at tackle with the return of Heyer and Dumas. Overall, I think it will be a solid offensive line and one thing we will look for is for some of our younger players to get to the point where our depth and talent is where we want it to be."

Outlook Schedule on UMterps.com:
Offense/Quarterbacks        Posted Tuesday, July 1

Tailbacks                   Posted Thursday, July 3

Fullbacks                   Posted Tuesday, July 8

Wide Receivers              Posted Thursday, July 10

Tight Ends                  Posted Tuesday, July 15

Offensive Line              Posted Thursday, July 17

Defense/Defensive Line      Tuesday, July 22

Linebackers                 Thursday, July 24

Defensive Backs             Tuesday, July 29

Specialists                 Thursday, July 31

For season ticket information, please call the Terrapin Ticket Office at (301) 314-7070 or (800) 462-TERP (8377).