Maryland has to wait a little longer than most teams to kick off its season, as the game against Navy doesn't take place until Labor Day. That's appropriate, since it seems like the start of the 2010 season has taken forever to begin anyway.
The Terrapins are coming off a 2-10 season that saw it lose the most games in school history and nearly cost Ralph Friedgen and the coaching staff their jobs. Though Friedgen and company got a reprieve through this coming season, the summer hasn't been especially kind to the program either, with injuries seeming to occur on a daily basis at practice.
And the season-opening opponent won't do the Terps any favors either. Though Navy is probably the better team anyway, it enters the game with a chip on its shoulder, since it feels it doesn't get the local attention that the state school does. It also has a tested quarterback in dark horse Heisman candidate Ricky Dobbs, and a triple-option offense that is extremely difficult to stop.
It's going to be a great atmosphere, for sure. The game will take place at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium, where the NFL's Ravens play, and fans of both schools should be well-represented. There's even some hardware on the line, as the winner will get the much-coveted Crab Bowl Trophy from the Touchdown Club of Annapolis to take back to campus.
But more than that, Friedgen is simply hoping to take home a win. Beating Navy would be a very big victory for the program, particularly as its coaches struggle with their job security and increasing fan apathy. It would bring badly needed optimism to the program, and serve notice that the preseason last-place predictions are overly pessimistic. But a loss, particularly a blowout loss, would start the "Fridge on the hot seat" line of questioning right away, exactly the kind of distraction the program is looking to avoid as it tries to rebound from last season's disastrous results.
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Maryland Terrapins
