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Terrapin Football Outlook Part IX
July 29, 2003 COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following is the ninth 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 Terrapin secondary, one of the strongest units on the team and one of the finest in the nation. This coming Thursday will mark the final component of this year's breakdown of each unit 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. Defensive Back One group of athletes who appear set for a breakout season are the Terrapin defensive backs. Rated by The Sporting News as the 10th-best unit in the country, this year's secondary is both talented and deep. It returns all four starters from a year ago as well as players fighting for playing time both against them and behind them. Maryland's defensive style puts pressure on the opposing quarterback and, in turn, pressure on its own secondary, and this year's group of backs may be better equipped to succeed in that environment than any fielded in recent history in College Park. Coming off of an outstanding sophomore campaign at field cornerback is Domonique Foxworth (Randallstown, Md.), a player who turned in one of the best performances in the ACC in his first year as a starter. A first team all-league selection, Foxworth is a hard-working player with strong cover skills who finished 15th in the NCAA in passes defensed last year. His primary backups will likely be senior Reuben Haigler (New Cumberland, Pa.) and redshirt freshman Chris Choice (Suitland, Md.) while speedy newcomer Josh Wilson (Upper Marlboro, Md.) will also be seeking playing time. Haigler and Choice both had strong offseasons and the only thing that will keep Haigler off of the field is the fact that the Terps are deep and three defensive backs graduate this year. He would surely be a starter if given a redshirt this year, but that decision is often a tough one and should his play be necessitated, he proved in the spring that he is more than up to the challenge this year. At the boundary corner, senior Curome Cox (Arlington, Va.) is the most experienced player on the team, having started 33 games heading into this season. A crafty player who excels in press situations, Cox is one of four postseason honors candidates in the secondary. Challenging Cox for playing time will be fellow senior Jamal Chance (Ephrata, Pa.), a player who sat out last season but showed that he did not waste the time by impressing coaches with his play in the offseason. At a minimum, Chance will see the field in nickel and dime situations and will be a big part of the defense whether starting or being used as a reserve. Also working on the short side of the field will be sophomore Gerrick McPhearson (Columbia, Md.), a talented player who will be working to overcome injury but performed well in limited duty last year. Senior Dennard Wilson (Upper Marlboro, Md.) made the move from corner to strong safety last year and the move proved beneficial for he and the defense. Wilson was a steadying force in the secondary, giving it a solid tackler (he posted a career-high 72 stops) to go along with an experienced player familiar with coverage schemes. "Dennard, to me, is one of the unsung heroes of our defense," said Friedgen. "He is a real consistent, positive player and I feel like he gives a lot of confidence to our younger players. But if you look at who is there, play-in and play-out, Dennard is a guy who is there more often than not." Backing up Wilson is another converted corner who had his best year last season in senior Andrew Smith (Fort Meade, Md.). Smith is another player who will likely play in nickel and dime situations while converted quarterback Chris Kelley (Germantown, Md.) is also vying for playing time in dime situations as well as on special teams. Kelley is a big hitter with a nose for the ball who impressed in the spring. Junior Curtis Williams (Huntington Station, N.Y.) is one more talented player at strong safety seeking playing time. Williams makes big plays whether at safety or on special teams, so he too will see the field. Former transfer Madieu Williams (Lanham, Md.) enters his senior season as a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski and Jim Thorpe Awards, a credit to the hard working free safety and a tribute to his all-around skills. He is a player with the size to support in the run, the speed to cover one-on-one and instincts which seem to have him all over the field. He finished fourth on the team in tackles last year while posting four interceptions in his first year at the Division I-A level. He will be backed up by junior Ray Custis (Germantown, Md.) - the strongest player, pound-for-pound, on the team -- and Marcus Wimbush (Washington, D.C), a big hitter who will looking for playing time for the first time in his collegiate career. The depth ahead of him will be the primary factor holding him back at this point. "Because of the confidence we have in the ability of our secondary, we will be a team that presses very well and that disguises defenses very well," said Friedgen. "We have a lot of players who can play in the defensive backfield and it is clear that it is probably the deepest unit on our defense, if not our team." Outlook Schedule on UMterps.com: Offense/Quarterbacks Posted Tuesday, July 1
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