Homecoming Football Tab

Homecoming Football Preview Friday, October 19, 2012

The book of A.J. Francis “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?”

2EVEN 2

FRIDAY, October 19, 2012 | HOMECOMING THE DIAMONDBACK THE FOOTBALL DIAMONDBACK PREVIEW | XXXDAY, | FRIDAY, |SEPTEMBER THEAUGUST DIAMONDBACK XX, 31, 2012

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

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

By Connor Letourneau Senior staff 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 off to stock shelves at Walmart.

Shots ring out. Before Mike can figure 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 find 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 scholarship 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 is v iv id accou nt of “Grandpa Shaky,” his now-91year-old, Jheri-curled greatgrandfather who supposedly buried $100,000 in his mattresses. He will write a TerpsCONTINUED ON 3

2EVEN FRIDAY, October 19, 2012 | HOMECOMING FOOTBALL PREVIEW | THE DIAMONDBACK

CONTINUED FROM 2 inspired rap song the women’s lacrosse team will play during pregame warmups.

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

But t hose publ ic a nt ics obscure the real story of A.J. He’s a guy who emerged unscathed from a violent, drugridden 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 athletes avoid. He’s a guy who plans — not hopes, plans — to run the entire state of Maryland someday.

“I’m an open book, man,” A.J. said Tuesday. “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 rom M e a d e S e n ior H i g h School i n A n ne A ru ndel County and had designs of entering 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-yearold learned she was pregnant with her first child. Instead of joining the Air Force, she’d sp end her d ays ch a n g i n g diapers and keeping house.

Carrie moved into a modest home in Pioneer City town-

hou ses, a n i mp over i shed 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 overnight and did car appraisals for an auto auction during the day. Carrie took a job booking flights 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 trafficking 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-hunti 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 circumstances 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 hen A .J. en rol led at Gonzaga College High School, a Catholic school in Washington, he couldn’t help but notice his family fit into a different tax bracket than most of his classmates.

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

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A.J. Francis (center) celebrates with classmates during his graduation ceremony at Gonzaga College High School, a private school in Washington, in 2008. a.m. each morning and walked to the MARC station. While teammates returned to luxurious homes in Potomac after practices, A.J. headed back to a duplex crammed with acquaintances, relatives and family friends — anyone in need of a place to crash.

Most of h is classmates’ 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 grandfather covered the rest.

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

It also helped him recognize 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. will hang out with

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.

When Mike was growing up in Pioneer City, he and 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 different. 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 th i ng he didn’t. His son would dare to be different.

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 confidence. 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 nt wh e n A .J. s t a r te d playing football for Severn Athletic Club as an 11-yearold, 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.”

photo courtesy of carrie francis

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 freshman year as the top rapper at Gonzaga. He played in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American 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 showcase 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 response from the crowd, the challenge of playing an older CONTINUED ON 4

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FRIDAY, October 19, 2012 | HOMECOMING THE DIAMONDBACK THE FOOTBALL DIAMONDBACK PREVIEW | XXXDAY, | FRIDAY, |SEPTEMBER THEAUGUST DIAMONDBACK XX, 31, 2012

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 CONTINUED FROM 3 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 figure.

Fra ncis d id n’t m i nd, though. He enjoyed the thrill of performing, of having a stage to showcase a largerthan-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 landmark 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 campaign 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 celebrating 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’ season-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 off from her job as an IT specialist and was suffering from debilitating 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 increasingly 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 increasingly rare. She found a medication that works for her, has come to terms with her divorce and makes it to all of her son’s home games.

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Still, every once in a while when she’s alone, she reflects on those darker 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. Measuring 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 stationed for 18 years.

There, he met Fletcher, a baby orphan kangaroo his grandparents had recently adopted, and began roughhousing with him. One misplaced step later and Fletcher had a broken leg. Normally, injured kangaroos are euthanized, but A.J.’s family decided to see how he’d fare wearing a cast. Over the next several we ek s, A .J. help ed nu rse Fletcher back to health.

Given his almost legendary 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 fo r e t ra n s fe r r i n g i n March, quarterback Danny O’Brien used to regale reporters with the tale of his visit with A.J. to the North Carolina-based restaurant CookOut. Then a redshirt sophomore, A.J. reportedly ate two full trays — two burgers, four sides, a milkshake and a 40ounce 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?”

Outside of a series of 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 the governor of Maryland.

Francis was walking home from the school bus when an Anne Arundel County police officer stopped him on the sidewalk, flashed a gun and asked him to sit on the curb.

T he cop told A .J. he resembled 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 different color sweatshirt than the alleged robber. His was blue, while the suspect’s was gray.

The 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 officer 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 CONTINUED ON 5

2EVEN FRIDAY, October 19, 2012 | HOMECOMING FOOTBALL PREVIEW | THE DIAMONDBACK

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CONTINUED FROM 4 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 conviction that this state is burdened with systematic flaws, flaws that often work against underprivileged 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 enjoying a few years wrestling in the WWE, he plans to run for governor as a Democrat.

T he d rea m orig i na l ly sprouted from a sixth-grade election. After losing a bid to serve as class president at Old Mill Middle School, a distraught A.J. decided he didn’t need to lead a group of 12-yearolds. He would simply govern the state.

Six years later, his ambition to follow in the footsteps of Gonzaga alumnus Gov. Martin O’Malley was so strong it played a critical role in his college decision. After weighing offers from a handful of ACC programs, A.J. narrowed his search to Georgia Tech and this university. Both schools fulfi lled his chief requirements of solid academics

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 and proximity to a major city.

B ut t he Ter ps of fered something the Yellow Jackets couldn’t. A government and politics degree from this university would surely hold more weight come election time than a diploma from a Southern school. If A.J. was serious about living in the Governor’s Mansion, he figured, his options were limited.

“He could always be the governor of Maryland with a degree from the University of Maryland,” Mike said.

“Georgia Tech, not so much.”

A.J. made the most of his decision. He earned that government and politics degree in December, and interned this summer in the office of Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House. A.J. is a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage, taking any available opportunity to encourage 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 political conversation with him,” linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield 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 elections and debates. It’s about making every voice heard, about helping people on society’s margins fi nd their way.

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

ch i ld ren. He watched h is father struggle to provide a better life for his family, only to move back to Pioneer City when he was laid off 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 difficult.

“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.

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The reporters act quickly.

Some put down ham sandwiches; 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 recorders 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 forward to addressing the media each week.

W h e n h e w a s yo u n ge r, sure, he relished the opportunity 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 opposing offenses gets taxing.

A .J. consta ntly treads a fine line during interviews.

He wants to say something unique, something interesting. He hates sounding like ever y ot her pl ayer who’s

ever sat in front of a microphone. 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 Connecticut, he launched into a full-blown impersonation of the mustached coach. Mimicking 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 reasoned, 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 rep or te rs. “ T he 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.” sportsdbk@gmail.com

2EVEN 6

FRIDAY, October 19, 2012 | HOMECOMING THE DIAMONDBACK THE FOOTBALL DIAMONDBACK PREVIEW | XXXDAY, | FRIDAY, |SEPTEMBER THEAUGUST DIAMONDBACK XX, 31, 2012

contender or pretender?

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

ATLANTIC DIVISION

COASTAL DIVISION

Terps — CONTENDER (4-2, 2-0 ACC)

The ACC’s surprising leader at the halfway point of the season, the Terrapins football team has already surpassed 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 offense and special teams. The Terps, however, will need to bolster their stagnant running game if they truly want to contend.

VIRGINIA TECH — CONTENDER (4-3, 2-1 ACC)

MIAMI — CONTENDER

No. 12 Florida State — CONTENDER (6-1, 3-1 ACC)

Florida 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 Championship. Quarterback E.J. Manuel leads an offense 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.

(4-3, 3-1 ACC)

No. 14 Clemson — CONTENDER (5-1, 2-1 ACC)

One of the most exciting teams in the sport, Clemson can and will score with the best of them. Quarterback Tajh Boyd and playmaking wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins shoulder the load for a scoring offense 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.

(4-2, 1-1 ACC)

(5-2, 2-1 ACC)

(3-3, 1-3 ACC)

(5-2, 2-1 ACC)

(1-5, 0-3 ACC)

Written by staff writers Joshua Needelman and Daniel Popper

Follow @DBKSports on Twitter for news, updates & more

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North 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 offense 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.

GEORGIA TECH — PRETENDER (2-4, 1-3 ACC)

BOSTON COLLEGE — PRETENDER

In 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 offensively and defensively. Quarterback Chase Rettig has compiled a respectable 1,653 passing yards and 11 touchdowns so far this year, but his performance won’t be enough to carry Boston College anywhere near contention.

Senior quarterback Sean Renfree leads this surprising Duke team, passing for 1,517 yards and 10 touchdowns for the nation’s No. 34-ranked scoring offense. 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.

NORTH CAROLINA — PRETENDER

WAKE FOREST — PRETENDER

Wake Forest has enough talent to win conference games, but the team is too filled 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.

Despite concerns about Miami’s depth and experience, the Hurricanes sit atop the Coastal Division. Quarterback 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 offense, but it’ll have to lock down a defense that’s allowing 32.3 points per game.

DUKE — CONTENDER

N.C. STate — PRETENDER

After 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 offensive attack. While its offense and defense don’t necessarily rank among the conference’s best, the team has proven it can win, something it will have to do against the division-leading Terps tomorrow if it wants to contend.

Ranked 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.

In 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.

VIRGINIA — PRETENDER (2-5, 0-3 ACC)

Virginia had high hopes entering the season, but an 0-3 start in conference play has dampened its expectations. 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.

2EVEN FRIDAY, October 19, 2012 | HOMECOMING FOOTBALL PREVIEW | THE DIAMONDBACK

VITALE From PAGE 8 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 offense. He leads the team in receptions, total yards and receiving touchdowns. He’s been named the ACC Rookie of the Week twice.

And he’s always one missed tackle away from a gamechanging play.

He caught a tipped pass for a 29-yard touchdown in the Terps’ loss to Connecticut. He scored catch-and-run touchdowns of 42 and 56 yards in the Terps’ loss at West Virginia. His latest feat wasn’t on offense, but on special teams, as he returned the opening kickoff 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.

BY THE NUMBERS

6

Number of games Diggs has played in his Terps career

21

Number of receptions Diggs has through six games this season

453

Number of receiving yards Diggs has compiled this year

21.6

Number of yards Diggs averages per reception, a team-high

3

Number of receiving touchdowns Diggs has caught this season

1,013

Number of all-purpose yards Diggs has totaled so far So why doesn’t he get the ball more?

Edsall and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley should take a page out of the Mountaineers’ playbook. Their star wide receiver Tavon Austin — who Diggs drew favorable compari-

THE DIAMONDBACK THE DIAMONDBACK | XXXDAY, | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER AUGUST XX, 31, 20127

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 ll ru ns a conservative offense and Hills has just 85 completions this season — but Diggs has the talent to make an Austin-like impact on the Terps.

Austi n plays i n the 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 downfield 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 avera 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 Terps ca n double that nu mb er, t hose bi g ga mes could become monstrous. sportsdbk@gmail.com

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

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Terps’ biggest need?

More Diggs Top playmaker should get more touches JOSH VITALE 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 offensive 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 offense lacking firepower, why is he averag i ng fewer tha n five touches a game? Why isn’t he

getting the ball every play?

Coach Randy Edsall has answered 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 him to the point where he cannot be as productive as his abilities would allow,” Edsall said earlier this month. “He Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the Terps’ leading receiver, is averaging more than 17 yards per play this season, but is getting fewer than five offensive touches per game. file photo/the diamondback has been involved, but we are extremely fortunate that we have some other guys on our See VITALE, Page 7