homecoming football tab

The book of A.J. Francis

Homecoming Football PreviewFriday, October 19, 2012

“You’ve got to understand who you are ...

You can change, but who really wants to?

If you could be voluptuous,

why wouldn’t you?”

By Connor LetourneauSenior sta� writer

It’s Mike Francis’ day to play stay-at-home dad. His wife, Carrie Francis, is at work, leaving him to look after their 3-year-old son until he heads o� to stock shelves at Walmart.

Shots ring out. Before Mike can fi gure out what’s going on, a man bursts through the front

door of the family’s Severn home, sprints through the living room and darts out the back.

Mike rushes to the front window and sees a man with a pistol walking up his driveway.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Mike screams. “He don’t live here! He don’t live here!”

T he man with the pistol dashes down the street. Mike turns around to fi nd his son A.J.,

an unusually large child, sitting on the living room couch.

Mike doesn’t know it yet, but his son will grow to be 6-foot-5 and a colossal 305 pounds. He will land a major Division I football scholar-ship as a defensive lineman and eventually help anchor a Terrapins football defense that ranks top-10 nationally.

He will become a collegiate

standout, better known for his wit than for his sacks or blocked field goals.

He will garner headlines w it h h i s v iv id accou nt of “Grandpa Shaky,” his now-91-year-old, Jheri-curled great-grandfather who supposedly buried $100,000 in his mat-tresses. He will write a Terps-

Larger than lifeSix things you may not know about Terps defensive end A.J. Francis

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Defensive End A.J. Francis (clockwise from left) as a baby; with his parents; Mike and Carrie, at their wedding; in front of his car as a high school student and with his mom after a Terps game. The senior has started every game for the Terps this season. photos courtesy of carrie francis

EVEN THE DIAMONDBACK | XXXDAY, SEPTEMBER XX, 20122 THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 20122 FRIDAY, October 19, 2012 | HOMECOMING FOOTBALL PREVIEW | THE DIAMONDBACK

inspired rap song the women’s lacrosse team will play during pregame warmups.

He will become the only amateur athlete on Sports Il-lustrated’s second-annual Twitter 100, a list of the best people to follow on the social network. The honor will recog-nize his commitment to giving his 3,113 followers (as of Thurs-day night) a constant stream of comical musings on topics ranging from professional wrestling to political debates.

B ut t hose publ ic a nt ics obscure the real story of A.J.

He’s a guy who emerged un-scathed from a violent, drug-ridden neighborhood with the support of his parents. He’s a guy who has helped his family through trying times and who does things — such as musical theater — most other top ath-letes avoid. He’s a guy who plans — not hopes, plans — to run the entire state of Mary-land someday.

“I’m an open book, man,” A.J. said T uesday. “I want people to think about things I’ve gone through because I feel like I can be an example for people who have gone through similar things to not give up.”

1. He doesn’t care about money.

Carrie had just graduated f ro m M e a d e S e n i o r H i g h S c h o o l i n A n n e A r u n d e l County and had designs of en-tering the Air Force to begin a career in military intelligence. College wasn’t for her, she fi gured, so she might as well serve her country.

Her plans quickly changed, however, when the 17-year-old learned she was pregnant with her first child. Instead of joining the Air Force, she’d s p end her d ay s ch a n g i n g diapers and keeping house. Carrie moved into a modest home in Pioneer City town-

hou se s, a n i mp over i she d neighborhood in Severn, with her longtime boyfriend Mike.

The couple married when A.J. was 2 years old and did its best to make ends meet. Mike stocked shelves at Walmart overn ight a nd d id ca r ap-praisals for an auto auction during the day. Carrie took a job booking fl ights for America West Airlines.

As time wore on, it became increasingly clear Pioneer City was no place to raise a child. Some of their neighbors were dealing drugs, others were tra� cking stolen goods.

The breaking point came when a suspect in a drug deal gone awry ran through the family home and, weeks later, a 3-year-old A.J. picked up a crack pipe while taking a stroll through the neighborhood with his grandparents.

Carrie’s father, who worked for the Department of Defense and helped out when money was tight, went house-hunt-i n g w it h Ca r r ie’s mot her that day. The Francis family m o v e d i n t o We d g e w o o d Forest, a middle-class duplex community on the other side of Severn, later that month.

After that, the family’s cir-cumstances steadily improved. Carrie and Mike went back to school and got higher-paying jobs. Carrie started working for Verizon, while Mike began coaching and counseling at Glen Burnie’s North County High School.

They made enough for A.J. to have everything he needed to lead a well-rounded life — cable TV, a small recording studio in his room and football gear.

W h e n A . J . e n r o l l e d a t Gonzaga College High School, a Catholic school in Wash-ington, he couldn’t help but notice his family fi t into a dif-ferent tax bracket than most of his classmates.

While many of his friends drove BMWs to school, A.J. slapped his alarm clock at 5

a.m. each morning and walked to the MARC station. While teammates returned to luxu-rious homes in Potomac after practices, A.J. headed back to a duplex crammed with acquain-tances, relatives and family friends — anyone in need of a place to crash.

Most of h is classm ates’ parents covered Gonzaga’s $18,500 per year tuition. A.J. ea rned a schola rsh ip that covered 90 percent of the cost of attending, and his grandfa-ther covered the rest.

Today, he looks back fondly on his time at Gonzaga. It was a welcoming place with a faculty and sta� committed to develop-ing well-rounded individuals.

It also helped him recog-nize the importance of being genuine. It made him respect people who don’t care about how much money his family has, people who love him for being himself.

“A.J. w il l hang out w ith

anyone,” said Jay Clark, A.J.’s best friend since elementary school. “It’s not about whether you’re an athlete or whatever. It’s about if you’re real.”

2. He performed in three high school musicals.

W hen Mike was growing up i n Pioneer City, he a nd h is friends th rew rocks at neighborhood children who played soccer.

K icking a ball into a net simply didn’t fit into their world view. Soccer was foreign, something their hardscrabble upbringings didn’t allow them to experience.

So they rejected it. They berated and injured kids who dared to be di� erent. It was all they knew.

“It was more jealousy than anything,” Mike said.

When A.J. was born in 1990, Mike, who was 20 at the time, made a decision: His son would

ex perience ever y t h i ng he didn’t. His son would dare to be di� erent.

The father’s only requirement? Whatever A.J. decided to do, he’d have to give it 100 percent.

T hat mea nt when A .J.’s mother signed him up for an elementary school fashion show, the 5-year-old had to strut down the walkway in his mini tuxedo with utmost confi dence. That meant when he wrote a play for his middle school talent show, he had to make sure each word was chosen with precision. That m e a n t w h e n A .J. s t a r te d playing football for Severn Athletic Club as an 11-year-old, he couldn’t simply settle for being a decent player. He’d have to dominate.

“No one’s better than you,” Mike regularly told his son. “Life is not easy. Life is not promised to you. Life is not given to you. I don’t care what it is; you must always strive to be the best.”

For the most part, A.J. was the best at everything he did.

He maintained higher than a 3.5 GPA throughout middle and high school. He earned a reputation during his fresh-man year as the top rapper at Gonzaga. He played in the 2007 U.S. Army All-Ameri-can Bowl, a game for top high school prospects.

And when a friend asked him to try out for the school musical his sophomore year, A.J. saw another opportunity to show-case his talents. After all, he’d already impressed teachers and classmates singing bass in the school chorus. Transferring those skills to the stage seemed a natural transition.

Francis landed the role of Big Jule, a gun-wielding gambler in Guys and Dolls. He loved everything about it — the re-sponse from the crowd, the challenge of playing an older

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EVEN THE DIAMONDBACK | XXXDAY, SEPTEMBER XX, 20122 THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012FRIDAY, October 19, 2012 | HOMECOMING FOOTBALL PREVIEW | THE DIAMONDBACK 3

A.J. Francis (center) celebrates with classmates during his graduation ceremony at Gonzaga College High School, a private school in Washington, in 2008. photo courtesy of carrie francis

character and the camaraderie with his cast mates.

He appeared in Annie the following spring, and earned a spot in West Side Story his senior year. Due to his massive frame, he was typecast as the elder authority fi gure.

F r a n c i s d i d n ’ t m i n d , though. He enjoyed the thrill of performing, of having a stage to showcase a larger-than-life persona.

“Just thinking back now,” A.J. said, “I’ve done so many weird things in my life. I don’t know why. All I know is it’s been fun.”

3. He’s struggled with mental illness in his family.

The Terps enjoyed a land-mark season in 2010. After a 2-10 debacle the previous year, coach Ralph Friedgen’s squad tallied nine wins, including a Military Bowl victory.

It was also a notable cam-paign for A.J. The redshirt

sophomore started nine of the Terps’ 13 games and recorded a career-high 44 tackles.

But while his teammates spent Saturday nights cele-brating the team’s newfound success at R.J. Bentley’s or Cornerstone, A.J. stayed in his dorm room and had three-to four-hour phone conversations with his mother.

On Aug. 23, 2010, just two weeks before the Terps’ sea-son-opening win over Navy, A.J.’s parents separated. After careful discussions with his son, Mike said he agreed to leave the family home for two days. He never returned.

T he news cou ld n’t have come at a worse time for Carrie. A year earlier, she was laid o� from her job as an IT special-ist and was su� ering from de-bilitating arthritis and chronic migraines. It was around that same time she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she said.

W hen M i ke moved out, Carrie said she became in-creasingly unstable. She was still in the process of finding

a proper medication regimen and was experiencing a range of emotions. One day, she’d be so depressed she could hardly get out of bed. The next, she’d have uncontrollable bouts of rage.

She felt a lone. She felt scared. Outside of her parents, the only thing that helped her make it through was the love and support of her only son.

A.J. called his mom nearly every day after practice that season to make sure she was holding up. Sometimes he’d call, and she’d have nothing to say. He’d stay on the phone with her for hours without uttering a word. Knowing he was there was enough to lift her spirits.

Today, Carrie’s doing much better. She lives in a basement apa rtment at her pa rents’ home with her 12-year-old daughter Meme, and her fits of rage are becoming increas-ingly rare. She found a medi-cation that works for her, has come to terms with her divorce and makes it to all of her son’s home games.

Still, every once in a while when she’s alone, she refl ects on those da rker days. She thinks about everything A.J. did for her in her time of need — every gesture of support, every “I love you” — and she cries.

“A.J. was my rock,” Carrie said as tears filled her eyes. “He’s never been a mama’s boy, but he takes care of his mother.”

4. He started a pro-fat-guy “movement.”

The fi rst words Francis ever heard were, “Oh my God.” The doctor delivering him simply couldn’t believe his size. Mea-suring 2 feet and weighing nearly 10 pounds, A.J. was a baby giant.

And he just kept getting bigger. By the time he was 9 months old, he wore size-three shoes and T-shirts meant for toddlers. When he reached 18 months, he was already showing signs of the elite defensive

lineman he’d one day become.As a 1-and-a-half-year-old,

A.J. made his first of nine trips to Alice Springs, Australia — a midsize town in the country’s Northern Territory where his mother’s parents were sta-tioned for 18 years.

There, he met Fletcher, a baby orphan kangaroo his grandparents had recently adopted, and began rough-housing with him. One mis-placed step later and Fletcher had a broken leg. Normally, injured kangaroos are eutha-nized, but A.J.’s family decided to see how he’d fare wearing a cast. Over the next several we e k s, A .J. he lp e d nu rs e Fletcher back to health.

Given his almost legend-ary appetite, it was perhaps a good thing A.J. didn’t have a taste for kangaroo. Ask a Terps football player about A.J. and he’ll almost surely launch into a story about the behemoth’s eating habits.

B e f o r e t r a n s f e r r i n g i n March, quarterback Danny O’Brien used to regale report-ers with the tale of his visit with A.J. to the North Caro-lina-based restaurant Cook-Out. Then a redshirt sopho-more, A.J. reportedly ate two full trays — two burgers, four sides, a milkshake and a 40-ounce soda — in one sitting.

About two years ago, A.J. started championing a new cause, one that would allow him to eat as much as he wanted without scorn. He calls it “Fat Guy Friendly” and — like many things A.J. gets behind — it’s all about embracing one’s self.

“You’ve got to understand who you are,” A.J. said. “Being fat is like a lifestyle. It’s one of those things you can’t really r u n a w a y f ro m . Yo u c a n change, but who really wants to? If you could be voluptuous, why wouldn’t you?”

O u t s i d e o f a s e r i e s o f hashtags littering A.J.’s Twitter account, there seems to be little to support his claim that “Fat

Guy Friendly” is a movement. No rallies have been organized in its name. No clubs have formed in its honor.

Still, A.J. remains adamant it’s picking up steam.

“It has really caught fi re the last couple months man,” he said. “I’ve been using that term for a while. It’s one of those things — you keep chipping away at the tree, sooner or later it’s going to fall.”

5. He plans to become thegovernor of Maryland.

Francis was walking home from the school bus when an Anne Arundel County police o� cer stopped him on the side-walk, fl ashed a gun and asked him to sit on the curb.

T he cop told A .J. he re-sembled someone suspected of robbing a nearby liquor store. Both were black and both were wearing New York Yankees sweatshirts. A.J. tried to explain he was 12 years old, a good six years younger than the suspect. He also argued he was wearing a di� erent color sweatshirt than the alleged robber. His was blue, while the suspect’s was gray.

T he officer didn’t buy it and pulled out his handcuffs to arrest the middle schooler, A.J. said.

Suddenly, the cashier who’d been robbed approached the cop. She said A.J. wasn’t the one who’d held her at gunpoint, and the o� cer let A.J. continue walking home.

Less than a year later, A.J. once again stared down the barrel of a gun. After pulling into a McDonald’s parking lot with his father to grab lunch, six officers told the Francises to put their hands on their heads. As black men driving a white truck, A.J. and Mike fit the description of two bank robbery suspects.

The cops were eventually

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A.J. Francis visited Australia often as a child. At 1 and a half years old, Francis accidentally broke a kangaroo’s leg, but helped nurse him back to health. photo courtesy of carrie francis

persuaded they’d stopped the wrong men and moved on with their day. A.J. was shaken, though.

The 13-year-old begged his father for an explanation. He wanted to know why a kid who tried to stay out of trouble wou ld be accused of such heinous crimes.

“He told me that’s how it’s going to be my whole life as long as I look like as much of a menacing presence as I do,” A.J. said. “He told me, ‘Don’t ever forget moments like this, because you never know when they can happen again.’”

Those experiences — as well as numerous others like them — helped lay the groundwork for Francis’ political ambitions. They strengthened his convic-tion that this state is burdened with systematic flaws, flaws that often work against under-privileged minorities.

And that’s why A.J. has a very specific political aim: He wants to be the governor of Maryland. After trying his luck in the NFL and maybe en-joying a few years wrestling in the WWE, he plans to run for governor as a Democrat.

T h e d r e a m o r i g i n a l l y sprouted from a sixth-grade election. After losing a bid to serve as class president at Old Mill Middle School, a dis-traught A.J. decided he didn’t need to lead a group of 12-year-olds. He would simply govern the state.

Six years later, his ambi-tion to fol low i n the foot-steps of Gonzaga alumnus Gov. Martin O’Malley was so strong it played a critical role in his college decision. After weighing o� ers from a handful of ACC programs, A.J. nar-rowed his search to Georgia Tech and this university. Both schools fulfi lled his chief re-quirements of solid academics

and proximity to a major city.B u t t h e T e r p s o f f e r e d

something the Yellow Jackets couldn’t. A government and politics degree from this uni-versity would surely hold more weight come election time than a diploma from a South-ern school. If A.J. was serious about l iving in the Gover-nor’s Mansion, he fi gured, his options were limited.

“He could always be the governor of Maryland with a degree from the Univer-sity of Maryland,” Mike said. “Georgia Tech, not so much.”

A.J. made the most of his decision. He earned that gov-ernment and politics degree in December, and interned this summer in the o� ce of Mary-land Rep. Steny Hoyer, the sec-ond-ranking Democrat in the House. A.J. is a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage, taking any available opportunity to en-courage others to vote in favor

ofthe state referendum on the issue. He’s also adamant about expanding gambling in the state of Maryland, and has no qualms defending who and what he votes for in each election.

“I’m [political], but I’m not getting into any kind of politi-cal conversation with him,” linebacker Demetrius Harts-fi eld said with a chuckle. “He’ll just kill me. I wouldn’t want to get involved.”

A.J. doesn’t allow party lines to dominate his view of politics. For him, the political process is about far more than elec-tions and debates. It’s about making every voice heard, about helping people on soci-ety’s margins fi nd their way.

That’s why he hopes to es-tablish a non-profit aimed at helping the children of Pioneer City. He saw drugs ruin child-hood friends’ lives. He knows parents who have resorted to stealing food to feed their

ch i ld ren. He watched h i s father struggle to provide a better life for his family, only to move back to Pioneer City when he was laid o� in March 2010 from his counseling job at North County High School.

A.J. understands life will never be easy. He just wants to make it a bit less di� cult.

“Everybody has an avenue that they can make themselves a better human being through,” A.J. said. “It’s just a matter of finding out what it is for you personally. That’s why my goal is to help people make it out of situations that might plague them currently.”

6. He doesn’t enjoy talking with the media.

A.J. struts into the Terps’ football team house with a Cheshire grin and takes his seat at an empty table in the room’s far corner.

The reporters act quickly. Some put down ham sand-wiches; others leave players m i d - i n t e r v i e w. W i t h i n moments, a horde of record-ers and microphones surround A.J. as he slowly leans back in his chair and exhales. He seems in his element.

But looks can be deceiving. A.J. — the one who regularly holds court with reporters, the one who always seems to know precisely how to answer a question — does not look forwa rd to add ressing the media each week.

W h e n h e w a s y o u n ge r, sure, he relished the oppor-tunity to entertain writers and broadcasters. It was new. It was exciting.

But over the course of his five-year college career, his enthusiasm waned. He grew bored with the repetition, with the constant barrage of similar questions. For someone who aims to get the most out of every moment, sitting in a chair and breaking down op-posing o� enses gets taxing.

A .J. consta ntly treads a fine line during interviews. He wants to say something unique, something interest-ing. He hates sounding like e ve r y o t h e r pl aye r wh o’s

ever sat in front of a micro-phone. Doi ng so wou ld go against the very essence of everything he represents.

At the same time, he tries to avoid being overly brash. T he last thing he wants to do is provide the opposition bulletin-board material. He’s a lways awa re a m isplaced joke could hurt the week’s ultimate objective: winning on Saturdays.

The balancing act grows burdensome, especially for someone with a reputation for dazzling the media. He has an expectation to fulfill, and if there’s one thing he abhors, it’s letting people down.

“I understand it’s part of the deal,” he said. “It’s like front squats. I hate front squats. I know I’ve got to do them to get better, and talking to the media is part of playing college football. It’s just what it is.”

So A.J. accepts his role and tries to embrace it. He arrives at Gossett Team House’s Young Dining Hall each week — albeit a bit late sometimes — and puts on a show.

When a reporter asked him earlier this season how he’d feel facing former defensive coordinator Don Brown in an upcoming contest with Con-necticut, he launched into a full-blown impersonation of the mustached coach. Mimick-ing Brown’s gravely bass, he detailed highlights of Brown’s pregame speech at the 2010 Military Bowl — complete with references to homicide and burial plots.

And when a writer asked him a few weeks ago about rabid West Virginia fans, he plainly explained that it makes sense Mountaineers supporters are overzealous. After all, he rea-soned, there isn’t much to do in West Virginia. He should know. He has cousins there who hang out at Walmart on the weekends.

“It’s the nature of the beast,” A.J. said of his relationship w it h re p o r te rs. “ T h e re’s nothing I can do to stop it. I’m always going to talk to the media. For some reason, you guys really, really like what I have to say.”

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Defensive End A.J. Francis (No. 96) said, “There’s nothing I can do to stop it. I’m always going to talk to the media. For some reason, you guys really, really like what I have to say.” charlie deboyace/the diamondback

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ATLANTIC DIVISION

contender or pretender?Which teams have a chance to be ACC champions at the season’s halfway point?

Follow @DBKSports on Twitter for news, updates & more

COASTAL DIVISION

Terps — CONTENDERThe ACC’s surprising leader at the halfway point of the season, the Terrapins football team has already sur-passed expectations. The nation’s No. 9-ranked defense has carried the Terps throughout the early part of the season, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs has produced explosive plays on both o� ense and special teams. The Terps, however, will need to bolster their stagnant running game if they truly want to contend.(4-2, 2-0 ACC)

No. 12 Florida State — CONTENDERFlorida State probably boasts the best all-around team in the ACC. If it weren’t for a stunning 17-16 upset at N.C. State on Oct. 6, the Seminoles might even be in the running to play in the BCS National Champion-ship. Quarterback E.J. Manuel leads an o� ense averaging a league-high 46 points per game, and the team’s defense ranks No. 3 in the country. Florida State is one of the favorites in the ACC.(6-1, 3-1 ACC)

No. 14 Clemson — CONTENDEROne of the most exciting teams in the sport, Clemson can and will score with the best of them. Quarter-back Tajh Boyd and playmaking wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins shoulder the load for a scoring o� ense ranked No. 2 in the ACC. If the Tigers are going to compete for the ACC title, though, they’ll have to shore up a defense that’s allowing more than 27 points per game.(5-1, 2-1 ACC)

N.C. STate — PRETENDERAfter its Oct. 6 upset of Florida State, N.C. State has a chance to potentially push itself into ACC contention. Led by senior quarterback Mike Glennon, the Wolfpack have a balanced o� ensive attack. While its o� ense and defense don’t necessarily rank among the conference’s best, the team has proven it can win, some-thing it will have to do against the division-leading Terps tomorrow if it wants to contend.(4-2, 1-1 ACC)

WAKE FOREST — PRETENDERWake Forest has enough talent to win conference games, but the team is too � lled with holes to compete this season. Its athletic department suspended eight players for a violation of team rules and star wide receiver Michael Campanaro has been forced to miss time with a broken hand. The Demon Deacons have a chance to make a bowl game, but it’s unlikely they’ll contend in the ACC with a decimated roster.(3-3, 1-3 ACC)

BOSTON COLLEGE — PRETENDERIn the ACC, teams don’t get much worse than Boston College. The Eagles rank in the bottom half of the conference in nearly every major statistical category, both o� ensively and defensively. Quarterback Chase Rettig has compiled a respectable 1,653 passing yards and 11 touchdowns so far this year, but his perfor-mance won’t be enough to carry Boston College anywhere near contention.(1-5, 0-3 ACC)

VIRGINIA TECH — CONTENDERRanked No. 16 in the AP preseason poll, Virginia Tech has struggled to meet expectations. The Hokies lost three of four games from Sept. 15 to Oct. 6, including a defeat at the hands of lowly Pittsburgh. Led by star quarterback Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech is still deep and talented enough to contend for the division crown. If they’re going to challenge for the ACC title, though, the Hokies will have to be more consistent.(4-3, 2-1 ACC)

MIAMI — CONTENDERDespite concerns about Miami’s depth and experience, the Hurricanes sit atop the Coastal Division. Quar-terback Stephen Morris has compiled 1,991 passing yards and nine touchdowns this season and leads a Hurricanes passing game ranked No. 24 in the nation at 296.9 yards per game. Miami can contend on the strength of its o� ense, but it’ll have to lock down a defense that’s allowing 32.3 points per game. (4-3, 3-1 ACC)

DUKE — CONTENDERSenior quarterback Sean Renfree leads this surprising Duke team, passing for 1,517 yards and 10 touchdowns for the nation’s No. 34-ranked scoring o� ense. But the team’s hot start has been marred by a suspect defense that allowed Virginia Tech to score 41 unanswered points in a comeback win last week. The Blue Devils’ record says they’re contenders, but they likely won’t earn the conference’s respect until they notch a marquee win.(5-2, 2-1 ACC)

NORTH CAROLINA — PRETENDERNorth Carolina is serving a one-year bowl ban, so its ability to win the ACC Championship is moot. That doesn’t mean it can’t play spoiler, though. The Tar Heels are ranked No. 21 in the country in scoring o� ense at 40.3 points per game and boast the No. 22-ranked defense in the nation. They can’t play for an Orange Bowl berth, but that doesn’t mean they can’t ruin one of their division rivals’ chances.(5-2, 2-1 ACC)

GEORGIA TECH — PRETENDERIn true Yellow Jackets fashion, Georgia Tech lives and dies by the run. Led by quarterback Tevin Washington, its triple-option attack ranks No. 3 in the nation with 331 rushing yards per game. The Yellow Jackets’ defense, though, hasn’t been so successful. They have allowed 30.2 points per game this season, and they’ve given up 42 points or more in each of their past three games. They’ll have to improve on that side of the ball if they want to contend.(2-4, 1-3 ACC)

VIRGINIA — PRETENDERVirginia had high hopes entering the season, but an 0-3 start in conference play has dampened its expecta-tions. Its run game is just as solid as it has been in years past, but the quarterback duo of Michael Rocco and Phillip Sims has been less than impressive. Couple that with a defense that ranks No. 102 in scoring defense, and it looks like the Cavaliers have little hope of an ACC title game berth.(2-5, 0-3 ACC)


team that can make things happen as well.”

Unfortunately for the Terps, those other guys haven’t made things happen for quarterback Perry Hills. Marcus Leak, the team’s No. 2 receiver, has 299 yards on 19 catches — more than 150 fewer yards on only two fewer catches — and senior wide receiver Kevin Dorsey has just eight catches this season.

The running game has been even worse. The Terps’ 71.33 rush yards per game rank No. 118 in the nation, and only one of their four starting running backs — Diggs’ high school teammate Wes Brown — is averaging more than 3 yards per carry.

Diggs has been the only real constant on o� ense. He leads the team in receptions, total yards and receiving touch-downs. He’s been named the ACC Rookie of the Week twice. And he’s always one missed tack le away from a ga me-changing play.

He caught a tipped pass for a 29-yard touchdown in the Terps’ loss to Connecti-cut. He scored catch-and-run touchdowns of 42 and 56 yards in the Terps’ loss at West Vir-ginia. His latest feat wasn’t on o� ense, but on special teams, as he returned the opening kicko� 100 yards to score the team’s fi rst points in a win at Virginia last week.

Overall, more than a third of Diggs’ catches this season have gone for more than 20 yards, and he’s averaging 21.6 yards per reception — nearly eight more yards than Hills’ average per completion.

So why doesn’t he get the ball more?

Edsall and o� ensive coordi-nator Mike Locksley should take a page out of the Mountaineers’ playbook. Their star wide re-ceiver Tavon Austin — who Diggs drew favorable compari-

sons to heading into the teams’ Sept. 22 meeting — never goes too long without getting his hands on the football. He’s compiled 851 yards and eight touchdowns on 75 offensive touches this season, which includes a 13-catch, 179-yard, three-touchdown performance in a win over the Terps.

Sure, those lofty numbers are unattainable in College Pa rk — Edsa l l ru ns a con-servative offense and Hills has just 85 completions this season — but Diggs has the talent to make an Austin-like impact on the Terps.

Aust i n pl ays i n t he slot and out of the backfield. He receives passes and runs the ball. There’s no reason to think Diggs can’t do the same.

He’s shown he can turn a short out route into a 50-yard touchdown. He’s shown he can catch a downfi eld pass as well as any receiver on the roster. And he’s shown he can be an absolute terror when he has room to catch and run.

“I’m just trying to make a play, just trying to do my job,” Diggs said last month. “Big players make big plays in big games.”

Diggs is a big player. He’s made big plays. He’s had big games.

B ut he’s ave ra g i n g ju s t 4 .7 to u c h e s p e r g a m e . I f the Ter ps ca n double that nu m b e r, t ho s e bi g ga m e s could become monstrous.

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BY THE NUMBERS

6Number of games Diggs has played in his

Terps career

21Number of receptions Diggs has through

six games this season

453Number of receiving yards Diggs has

compiled this year

21.6Number of yards Diggs averages per

reception, a team-high

3Number of receiving touchdowns Diggs

has caught this season

1,013Number of all-purpose yards Diggs has

totaled so far

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VITALEFrom PAGE 8

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been the Terps’ top playmaker all season, averaging a team-high 21.6 yards per reception in his freshman season. charlie deboyace/the diamondback


Terps’ biggest need? More Diggs

Top playmaker should get more touches

Every time Stefon Diggs touches the football, he makes something happen.

It’s been easy to see. He’s only played six games in his Terrapins football career, but he’s already established himself as undoubtedly the team’s top playmaker. The freshman has amassed 483 yards on just 28 o� ensive touches this season, an average of more than 17 yards per play.

That’s one of the biggest problems facing the Terps at the halfway point of the season, though. If Diggs is the top weapon on an o� ense lacking firepower, why is he averag i ng fewer t ha n f ive touches a game? Why isn’t he

getting the ball every play?Coach Randy Edsall has an-

swered this question before. He’s spoken glowingly about the freshman’s maturity, his knowledge of the game and his penchant for making the big play. Despite the praise, though, the second-year coach seems intent on transitioning him to the college game slowly.

“He is just a true freshman, so we want to bring him along at a pace that is good for him and good for our team to make sure that we do not overload h i m to the poi nt where he cannot be as productive as his abilities would allow,” Edsall said earlier this month. “He has been involved, but we are extremely fortunate that we have some other guys on our

JOSH VITALE

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the Terps’ leading receiver, is averaging more than 17 yards per play this season, but is getting fewer than � ve o� ensive touches per game. � le photo/the diamondback

See VITALE, Page 7

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