For Terps, a Special Challenge

Ray Rychleski left his office Saturday night after a full day preparing for No. 3 Virginia Tech, went home and flipped on ESPN. If the Maryland special teams coach was looking to relax, though, Saturday was the wrong day to check out college football highlights.

Rychleski saw that Minnesota had lost its lead over Wisconsin on a blocked punt that was recovered for a touchdown with 30 seconds left in the game. He saw that Michigan State had lost its momentum against Ohio State on a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown late in the first half. And when he returned to practice on Sunday, he brought those fresh horror stories with him.

"I tell my players, 'Look at all the screwy things that happen on special teams,' " he said. "Those things, you can't have them -- especially when you're playing Virginia Tech."

The Hokies, of course, have made a habit of using special teams to change the direction of games. This year's rout over Georgia Tech was fueled in part by a blocked field goal attempt that D.J. Parker returned 78 yards for a touchdown. "There's just no bigger play in football," Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer told reporters after the game.

Against West Virginia, Parker recovered a muffed punt at the Mountaineers 30-yard line, and Virginia Tech quickly turned that turnover into another touchdown. Last year, the Hokies blocked four kicks, including one field goal against West Virginia that was returned 74 yards for a touchdown.

"I'd be lying to say I'm not nervous," said Rychleski, who loudly reminded his players of the Hokies' blocking proclivities during a kicking drill on Sunday. "We're playing a team that's known for special teams and that's exciting for me. You want to find out how you measure up. If they're one of the best -- or the best -- I want to see how we measure up."

Through six games, his unit has measured up quite well. Maryland's kickoff return team is ranked second in the ACC and fifth in the country. The Terps' punting unit, which has been among the nation's 10 best three out of the last four years, is ranked second in the ACC and 10th in the country.

Walk-on kicker Dan Ennis hit the first 11 field goal attempts of his career before missing two in the rain against Temple. The Terps have blocked two punts, executed a successful reverse on a kickoff, recovered a poor snap on a Clemson punt and forced a fumble on a West Virginia kickoff return.

But one weakness has cropped up in the special teams. Maryland's punt-return unit ranks last in the ACC and 101st in the country, a fact that both Rychleski and Coach Ralph Friedgen have discussed with their players this week.

That unit, known as "the Marauders," is composed of a diverse mix of players, including defensive stalwarts (Josh Wilson, David Holloway), little-used reserves (Greg Powell, J.P. Humber) and highly regarded freshmen (Danny Oquendo, Jeff Allen). It's a unit that has thrived under Rychleski; in 2002, Steve Suter set a Maryland record for punt-return yards in a season and tied the NCAA record with four touchdowns. This year, Jo Jo Walker's longest return is a 22-yarder against Temple, and he's averaging 5.6 yards per return.

"I want to get Jo Jo where he breaks one all the way, because we used to be very good at that," Rychleski said. "Every phase you want to be first in the conference, that's what you shoot for. And that phase is not holding its own right now."

On Sunday, coaches analyzed every punt-return play this season, concluding that part of the explanation for the low average is Walker's reluctance to call for fair catches, and that part of the problem is missed blocks by some of their younger players. Walker, who also returns kickoffs, said he thinks the punt-return unit is nearing a breakthrough as it prepares for the Hokies.

"They've always had a great special teams, since I was growing up," he said of the Hokies. "They raised their level. We've got to match it."

Terrapins Note: Maryland's Oct. 29 game at Florida State will start at 3:30 p.m. and be broadcast by either ABC or ESPN.