QB Leads Terp Offense
September 18, 2003 01:40 PM | General
September 18, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – As quarterback Scott McBrien goes so goes the Maryland offense.
The 6-foot-1, 182-pound senior has had and up-and-down season so far, but the former West Virginia transfer is coming off a solid showing in last weekend’s 61-0 rout of The Citadel. In that game, McBrien completed 12 of 20 passes for 178 yards in just one-half’s worth of action.
In the opener against Northern Illinois, McBrien passed for just 110 yards and he threw for only 61 yards in a loss to Florida State.
Last year McBrien was impressive for the Terrapins, completing 162 of 284 passes for 2,497 yards and 15 touchdowns. He finished 12th in the country in passing efficiency (141.3 rating) and was voted the outstanding offensive player in Maryland’s win over Tennessee in the Peach Bowl.
“Scotty has one of the quickest releases of anyone we’ll play this year,” said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. “We’ve got to get him moving around a little bit. When he gets his feet set and square and throws on time he’s really accurate and quick with the ball.”
McBrien will have a few more weapons rested and healthy when he takes on his former team Saturday in College Park. Oft-injured tailback Bruce Perry (5-9, 203, Sr.) sat out the win against The Citadel and may be ready to go for WVU along with offensive guard Lamar Bryant (6-3, 313, Sr.), a fifth-year senior who earned all-ACC honors last season.
Perry has game-breaking abilities when he can get on the field. Two years ago he was the ACC player of the year after rushing for more than 1,200 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. Last year, injuries limited him to just 72 carries for 341 yards and a touchdown.
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| Quarterback Scott McBrien was effective against West Virginia last year, throwing for one TD and running for another. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
“Perry was the player of the year in the league two years ago and is a great ball catcher,” said Rodriguez. “He’s one of those guys who is good with and without the ball. He’s a great route runner and he gives them great flexibility.”
Running in Perry’s place is a very capable backup in Josh Allen (5-11, 207, So.), who rushed for more than 100 yards in Maryland’s win last year against West Virginia in Morgantown and finished the season with 405 yards and eight touchdowns. In three games this season, Allen has picked up 204 yards and two scores.
“Allen is a quality guy who did a lot of damage against us last year,” Rodriguez mentioned.
The strength of the Maryland offense resides in a physical offensive line that rivals Wisconsin as being the largest on the West Virginia schedule. Maryland’s starters go 295, 318, 297, 313, and 301 across the front.
“All of their front guys are big,” said Rodriguez. “Size wise and strength wise they’re going to be as big and as strong as anyone we play all year.”
Perhaps Maryland’s best offensive lineman is junior C.J. Brooks (6-6, 318, Jr.), a fourth-year junior who is rated one of the best guards in the ACC.
Maryland’s wide receiver corps features two physically gifted pass catchers in Jafar Williams (6-2, 210, Sr.) and Latrez Harrison (6-2, 223, Sr.). Both receivers are big and physical and will be a handful for the Mountaineer secondary. The two have combined to catch 13 passes for 148 yards so far this season.
“Their wide outs are pretty big and pretty talented,” said Rodriguez. “We don’t want to isolate our DBs on them one-on-one all day because they’ll break a big play. Big plays is what killed us against them last year.”
Tight end Jeff Dugan (6-5, 258, Sr.) hasn’t caught a lot of passes this year (two for 22 yards), but he provides size up front for extra pass protection or running blocking support.
Fullback Bernie Fiddler (6-1, 244, Sr.) also doesn’t see the football a lot and is used primarily as a blocker.
Junior Steve Suter (5-10, 192, Jr.) is another offensive weapon for Maryland. Last year the Manchester, Md., resident returned a punt for a touchdown against West Virginia and shows five for his career. Last weekend Suter returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown against The Citadel, and he is also used on offense as a wide receiver. Suter is one of the fastest players on the Maryland team, having clocked 4.35 in the forty.
“He’s one of the most, if not the most, dangerous return man we’ll face this year,” said Rodriguez. “We’ve got to have a good plan for him because he hurt us last year. Apparently he’s healthy again according to what he did last week and he can change the momentum of a game with one kick or one punt.”
Last season’s game proved a turning point for Maryland. The Terps scored 28 second-half points to turn a good game into a rout. From that point on, Maryland lost just one of its final eight games to finish the year with 11 victories.
“If they’re going to beat us, we’ve got to make them beat us playing their best,” said Rodriguez. “It’s important that we win, but it’s important that we play well and make sure if somebody beats us that they do it with their best shot in all three phases.”
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