Football hosts streaking Terrapins Saturday

Parents' Weekend is all about showing off in front of your parents. You show how much cleaner your room is than last year's was and how much better you're doing in classes this semester.

Saturday, the football team (2-6, 0-4 in the ACC) will be trying to show off the progress it has made since last season when it hosts a resurgent Maryland (4-2, 1-1) at 1 p.m. in Wallace Wade Stadium.

The 2002 Blue Devils are markedly different from last year's team. They have been competitive in six games already this season--triple the number of times they threatened during last year's 0-11 campaign. They are, however, coming up just short of victory.

"The difference [between winning and coming close] is execution of a few critical plays in the game," head coach Carl Franks said. "You don't know when those plays are going to be, so you've got to be sharp and play every play as best you can--know what you're doing on every play--so you give yourself a chance to execute on those plays."

The Blue Devils failed to execute on too many plays against No. 12 N.C. State last week, Wake Forest the week before and Virginia the week before that, as they lost each game despite outgaining their opponents.

The Wake Forest and N.C. State losses saw the Blue Devils enter the red zone five times in the first quarter. The Blue Devils were actually outscored 7-3 on these possessions--the Demon Deacons blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown and the Blue Devils missed a field goal, failed on a field goal fake, got sacked on a 4th and short play and made a field goal on the other four possessions.

"Good teams are going to play well in the red zone," Franks said. "Good defenses will play well on the goaline. Good offenses are going to get the ball in the endzone when you get that chance."

Focusing and executing in the red zone have been focuses in practice this week. Against Maryland, the Blue Devils will need to make the most of their opportunities. The Terrapins' stingy defense has held opponents to just 15.9 points per game-the lowest average in the ACC.

For the Terrapins, the name of the offense is Chris Downs. The senior running back emerged from the special teams unit after an injury to Bruce Perry, the expected star tailback. Downs has rushed for 600 yards in seven games--212 of which came last week against Georgia Tech.

"I personally get excited to play against a good running team because I know they're going to try to run it," Duke linebacker Ryan Fowler said. "And I like to stop the run. I feel like I have a bigger part in stopping the run than I do in the pass."

If the Blue Devils--who have held opponents to an average of 121.8 yards per game on the ground--are able to put the brakes on Downs, Maryland's fate will be determined by the arm of junior quarterback Scott McBrien.

The West Virginia transfer has been reasonably productive for the Terrapins, passing for six touchdowns, four interceptions and 1169 yards.

"I don't think their passing attack is as potent as N.C. State's was," Fowler said. "They have a good running game, but that's what we specialize in."

The Blue Devil defense is excited for another physical game--the kind in which it flourishes.

"Our defensive backs are tough," the junior co-captain said. "These guys like to come up and stop the run too. Even when they're having a bad day in the passing game, they're an integral part of our run stop. Everyone wants to go and hit somebody."

Convinced they can play with anyone, Duke will look to show the Parents' Weekend crowd that moral victories are no longer the standard for the team--and that success will be measurable in the standings. Maryland, which is trying to recover the glory it lost in its early losses, has seen enough on film to not look past the Blue Devils.

"I think [Maryland is] coming together as a football team and I think we are too, so that ought to make it a pretty good football game," Franks said.

Robert Samuel contributed to this story.