Through the first half of Ralph Friedgen's final game as Terps coach, his players have responded by giving Maryland a 16-3 lead at the half.
The Terps latest scoring drive featured all running plays, as the Terps ran it down ECU's throat, using a good mix of D.J. Adams, Da'Rel Scott, and Davin Meggett. The first play of the drive was a 44 yard Meggett run all the way down to the ECU 22 yard line. From there, the Terps seemed determined to pound it in. And they did just that four plays later, as Adams punched it in from the 1 yard line, giving Maryland the 16-3 lead.
And despite the score, East Carolina should feel fortunate that the score isn't worse. Maryland has squandered several scoring opportunities in the first half. They have not been able to capitalize on short fields, hit on short field goal attempts, or even hit an extra point try.
The defense, on the other hand, has been playing very well, getting 3 turnovers and forcing ECU to punt on most possessions. The Terps have played very physical with the Pirates, making sure to wrap up on every tackle and not allow ball carriers to get many yards after the catch. They have effectively held down the explosive ECU offense to 3 points in the first half.
Heading into the second half, it will be up to the Terps defense to continue to hold down the explosive ECU offense, as they have put up some massive point totals earlier this season. As for the offense, they must be able to capitalize on scoring opportunities to really put this game away.