As assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Northwestern in 1995, Ron Vanderlinden helped to engineer the Wildcats' famous dream season, as they captured their first conference title since 1936.
Three years later, after one unspectacular 2-9 season as head coach at Maryland and an offseason plagued by injuries and lawsuits, Vanderlinden is wishing his job was as simple as it when he was still an assistant.
The Terps finished last season a mediocre 2-9 overall and 1-7 in the ACC-their only conference win a 16-10 home victory over Duke.
Maryland's strongest returning players are a pair of linebackers, seniors Eric Barton and Kendell Ogle. Ogle and Barton anchored the defense in 1997, each recording over 130 tackles. Ogle is the ACC's leading returning tackler and was second in the ACC last year with 134 tackles. During a four-game stretch, Barton made over 48 tackles despite wearing a cast on his right hand.
"Eric Barton and Kendall Ogle are every bit as good as any [linebackers] in the conference," Vanderlinden said. "If they stay healthy and continue to perform as we expect, they are as good as there is in this country and will be high draft choices."
During the offseason, however, Barton's alleged aggressive behavior put him in legal trouble.
Barton, a preseason All-America pick and the Terp's 1997 defensive MVP, was accused of assaulting two men at an on-campus hip-hop concert in May and pleaded not guilty to counts of first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. Barton's troubles seemed to be over when the case was dismissed in August, but the campus judiciary board also began evaluating the charges. If Barton is found guilty by the University, the legal case could be reopened.
"The legal system will sort it all out and I'm confident the right thing will happen," Vanderlinden said. "It should take care of itself."
In another offseason legal distraction, former coach Mark Duffner filed a lawsuit alleging that the University owes him money for consulting fees and radio and television appearances.
On the field, the Terps have focused on improving the secondary, which gave up an average of 420 yards per game last season, the most in the ACC. Early in the season, Florida State burned them for 461 yards. Cornerbacks Cliff Crosby and Lynde Washington should be stepping in to make improvements.
At the outset of preseason, the quarterback position was up in the air, a competition between juniors Ken Mastrole and Trey Evans and two true freshmen. Although Mastrole was not the favorite for the starting job, he surprised coaches during practice and secured the job when Evans tore his ACL in late August, sidelining him for the season. Mastrole last played in 1996, when he started three games as a redshirt freshman.
Offseason injuries also plague the offensive line. Starting center Ben Thomas, on the other hand, has gone home to Massachusetts for medical testing and may not return to the team this season. Thomas experienced an irregular heartbeat and other unexplained medical problems.
Offensively, the Terps will concentrate on running the ball.
But sophomore tailback LaMont Jordan, by far the leading returning rusher, severely twisted his ankle in an intrasquad scrimmage and hopes to be back by the Terps' season opener.
"We're converting a program that had been a run-and-shoot program," Vanderlinden said. "Historically, I think if you look at football teams that can run the ball and are physical up front, those are the teams that have won."
In the midst of a five-year rebuilding cycle, Vanderlinden is fielding one of the youngest teams in Division I-A. Twenty-one freshmen and sophomores, including 10 true freshmen, are on the roster. Such youth is a challenge for Vanderlinden, but he does foresee a time when the program will run smoothly.
"When I first arrived here, and throughout the first year, I found our program to be like an automobile with manual transmission, a car with no power steering, no brakes," he said. "That's the kind of automobile I learned on and it sums up the state of affairs of the Maryland program. You've got to constantly work the clutch and the shift and there's been a lot uphill.
"There will come a time, like so many programs in this conference currently, when we will become automatic, when things will pretty much drive themselves... when the players will take control of the program and all we'll have to do is steer them and give them direction."
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