ESPN College Football

1. College football administrators worry that if they adopt a four-team postseason playoff, fans may have trouble coming up with the time and money to travel to a conference championship game, a bowl semifinal and a championship game. Washington athletic director Scott Woodward is not among the concerned. “Man, I’d love to be in that situation, to travel three times,” Woodward said. “At the end of the day, (only) two teams have to do it. It’s a hell of a problem to have. I’d love to have it.”

2. Maryland coach Randy Edsall, like most coaches, is not happy that recruiting now begins with sophomores. To solve that, Edsall suggested that a scholarship offer may be made only by the university financial aid office. That means a prospect will have to have filled out an application. In other words, he would be a senior. “It’s got to slow down,” Edsall said. “There’s too much pressure. Now the parents get involved and they want to be more recruited than the kid. Are we really helping these guys when they are 15 or 16?”

3. Another year, another UCLA quarterback competition that no one wants to win. As Pac-12 blogger Kevin Gemmell wrote Wednesday, veterans Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut are being pushed by redshirt freshman Brett Hundley. Bruin fans are used to lacking a standout. No UCLA quarterback has thrown for 2,500 yards since Drew Olson did so in 2005. That’s a passing total surpassed by 58 FBS quarterbacks last season alone.

USC-Oregon, Oregon-USC. Ducks-Trojans. Kiffin-Kelly! Barkley-Black Mamba!

Golly, doesn't anybody else have a chance in this Pac-12 conference? Should we just call off the regular season and have the Ducks and Trojans settle things in a 13-game series?

(That actually might be fascinating to watch. Think about all the interesting weekly coaching adjustments).

Well, that's not happening.

So then the question before us is a radical one. It might very well split up the space-time continuum and send us spinning into a massive black hole: Which team possibly might shock the world? Which team could break up this apparently preordained marriage at the top of the conference, one reportedly written in gold leaf onto the granite facade of Mount Rushmore?

It's a dangerous question, I know. Not the sort of one entertained by the meek. But if you are brave, read on.

Hey, you in the gray shirt, you're not brave! Better stop reading.

We warned you.

Kevin Gemmell: The general consensus is that Oregon and USC will meet for the Pac-12 title. But which team could put a wrinkle in that plan?

Whenever you are dealing with a could question, you always have to stipulate with ifs. X could happen if Y and Z fall into place. The team that strikes me as having the fewest ifs is Utah.

My first thought was to go wayyyyy out there and tinker with the idea of Oregon State being the team to shock the Pac-12. The Beavers could be the surprise team if they get the running game in order, and if the offensive line holds up, and if Sean Mannion continues to mature, and if all of that experience from last season pays off. But that's just too many ifs, and way too far to reach.

Utah, however, has a lot of pieces in place already to be the surprise team this season. First, its schedule helps, because the Utes don't have dates with Oregon or Stanford. Their first three games are in-state, and the fourth is at ASU, which will likely still be adjusting to life under a new head coach. That's potentially 4-0 out of the gate.

Then they get an extra week to prepare for the big showdown -- at home -- with USC. That game will be high-noon in the Pac-12 South, and Rice-Eccles will be jumping. If the Utes can somehow get over that hump, they have four more winnable games before traveling to Washington, which could be a hiccup. That notion alone, however, is one major if. USC also has extra time to prepare, because it's a Thursday game.

Another reason to be encouraged is that all reports are that quarterback Jordan Wynn is healthy. He's chock full of experience, and has shown he can be an elite quarterback when he gets his rhythm. The only reason to think the running game will take a step backwards is that Utah has to replace two stud offensive tackles in Tony Bergstrom and John Cullen. But John White IV has shown to be a very capable -- if not special -- running back. He shouldn't have any trouble adapting.

Also, unlike a lot of other teams with new coordinators, the transition to Brian Johnson should be silky, since he's a veteran of the system and has worked with Wynn since Day 1.

The Utes have one of the top -- if not the best -- defense in the conference. With plenty of returning starters and the most feared defensive lineman in the Pac-12, they should be able to win a game or two on defense alone.

Given the way their schedule is laid out -- combined with returning talent on both sides of the ball and an outstanding coaching staff -- it's not outside the realm of possibility that the Utes could emerge from the South.

Ted Miller: One word: Plastics.

No, wait. That's something else. Our word is "schedule."

Now we have four words: California Freaking Golden Bears! You're back. Welcome. You remember where everything is, right, up here in the national rankings? No, coach Tedford, you don't have to sleep on that twin mattress in your office. You have the view suite down the hall. Yes, it has been a while. Yes, breakfast is included. Eggs Benedict? Well, your wife did tell us about your cholesterol. You want us to stick it? Well, then, Eggs Benedict it is!

The Bears have the schedule to upset the Trojans-Ducks destination wedding. And the talent, by the way.

Schedule? Cal plays host to Oregon, Stanford and Washington, the likely three top teams in the North Division. Plays host, by the way, at an awesomely cool renovated Memorial Stadium that will put the Strawberry back in the Canyon. The Bears went 30-9 in Memorial Stadium between 2005-2010 before playing their home games in AT&T Park in 2011, including 7-0 marks in 2006 and 2008.

Every team is better at home. Cal fans would tell you their team is better-er at home. Sure, it's had its share of mega face-plants in front of the home fans -- Oregon State in 2007 (altogether now "ouch"), USC in 2009, and that three-game home losing streak to end 2010 with a whimper. But there is no doubt it will be better to play the Ducks, Huskies and Cardinal at home, particularly with the Ducks and Cardinal breaking in new quarteracks.

And Cal isn't breaking in a new quarterback. What if, just maybe, Zach Maynard plays the entire season like he did the final four games of the 2011 regular season? And what if offensive coordinator Jim Michalczik works his magic with the line his second year back in Berkeley? And what if all that young talent -- Mustafa Jalil, Stefan McClure, Todd Barr, Viliami Moala, Brennan Scarlett, David Wilkerson, Chris McCain, Michael Coley, Avery Sebastian, Cecil Whiteside, etc. -- breaks through on defense?

We'll probably get a pretty good measure of the Bears early on. They will take a 2-0 record to Ohio State on Sept. 15. That is a winnable game, but it will require the Bears to go East and show some fire. You might recall that they didn't exactly do that in recent years at Tennessee and Maryland.

Then they visit USC. Jeff Tedford is 1-9 against USC, losing those nine by a combined count of 291-144. The Bears can afford to lose at USC, though a poor showing might cause the team to question itself and make it seem like these are the "same ole Bears." That, however, is not a divisional game. The larger issue is holding serve at home, which would give Cal an advantage in the event of a tie atop the North.

As Kevin noted above, we have a surfeit of "ifs" for both scenarios. It just feels as though Oregon and USC are that far ahead of everyone else.

But you do know that you never know until you do know.

1. The 14 months that Randy Edsall has spent at Maryland makes Rich Rodriguez’s three years at Michigan look like a storybook career. To recap, Edsall took over a 9-4 team and went 2-10. And when quarterback Danny O'Brien decided he wanted to transfer, Edsall managed to take a stand that made himself look not only mean but anti-education. Rodriguez, as John U. Bacon depicted so well in his book "Three and Out," dug himself into a hole and couldn’t climb out in time. Edsall needs to stop digging.

2. Maybe Miami has so much agony from its NCAA troubles that it won't notice. The ACC schedule released Monday has the Hurricanes on the road to Boston College, Kansas State, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame (at Soldier Field in Chicago) in the first six weeks. As for the league schedule overall, the website trumpets that ACC teams play 10 games against teams in the ESPN.com Way Too Early Top 25. The website doesn’t mention the 14 games against FCS opponents.

3. For 14 years, the powers that be in college football have been telling us that the BCS is the best way to decide a champion. They have dismissed any talk of a playoff. And in the matter of weeks, one after another, the most ardent playoff foes all have executed a complete reversal. Just like that, they are now searching for the best way to install a four-team playoff. What none of them have said is why they changed their minds. Is it falling ratings? Empty bowl seats? Fan unhappiness? Fatigue from defending the BCS?

A glimpse at the future ...

On the evening of Jan. 17, an Arizona State pep rally broke out in the most unlikely of places -- at a basketball game.

With the Sun Devils cruising to a win over Northern Arizona, the Sun Devils' newly minted head football coach, Todd Graham, took the microphone at halftime.

"One of the things I can guarantee you is we will be blue collar, hard-nosed and physical," Graham told the spirited crowd. "We are going to restore the Best of the West!
We will work to bring Pac-12 championships, BCS bowl championships and a national championship to Arizona State!"

The above is plagiarism. Apologies. It's a paraphrase of Graham's introduction from his official bio on the website of the Pittsburgh Panthers, where Graham bolted Wednesday for Arizona State after just one 6-6 season.

College football is a crazy business. Sometimes it makes you want to take a shower. But to employ a hackneyed term that has become so because it's so convenient: It is what it is.

Graham is going to get hammered in Pittsburgh and all points outside -- and some points inside -- Tempe. Graham, for a second time in his career, is one-and-done. He previously bolted Rice for Tulsa after a single season in 2006. Not only did Graham suddenly leave the Panthers in the lurch, but he announced his decision to his players via a secondhand text message.

That won't play well with many folks. Panthers players are blistering him on Twitter. And it will stick to Graham for a while. It looks cowardly and reminds folks of the horrible transition for Randy Edsall from Connecticut to Maryland, where his first year was an absolute disaster. When the media comes calling this spring and next fall, it will be a central part of their "Meet Todd Graham at ASU" stories.

It will mostly be malarkey. But it will be everywhere, which is often how malarkey becomes accepted truth.

Look, folks: Being a college football coach is a job. It is not a charitable calling. Loyalty? There are going to be more than 25 coaching changes next fall. There are 120 FBS teams. The nature of the business is to get fired or to climb. It's best to do the latter.

Todd Graham wants to coach at Arizona State more than Pittsburgh. Most folks would. So instead of doing something he doesn't want to do, he's doing what he wants to. His only loyalty should be to his family and friends, not his bosses.

Some will throw around insults like "liar." They will say things like Graham told his players he was staying. Well, he was staying. Until he got a better offer. The lesson the players should learn from this is to be ambitious and to learn how the big-boy world works. In other words, Graham just helped them grow up.

By the way, this is not an inconsistent opinion from me. Some Arizona State fans might recall this about former Sun Devils coach Dennis Erickson when he left Idaho.

Is this a ringing endorsement of ASU's hiring of Graham? No.

Understand: The only Pitt game I watched this season was the Panthers' home date with Utah. The Utes won 26-14, manhandling what looked to me like a feckless team with the worst offense in the history of the world.

That said, Graham has a solid track record. Sure, he bolted Rice after one season. But he did so after taking a 1-10 team to its first bowl game in 45 years and winning Conference USA Coach of the Year.

At Tulsa, he went 36-17 and 3-0 in bowl games. His final season, 2010, he won 28-27 at Notre Dame.

He's a defensive guy -- he got his start in big-time college coaching working for new Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia -- who is known as much for potent offenses. To use his term, he likes "high-octane football." He's a longtime believer in the no-huddle, spread-option.

He had some clumsy media moments this past season. He's a fast talker who doesn't shy away from taking shots at players. But the general feeling among Pitt fans was positive. Until he left. Now he's the second coming of Lane Kiffin.

How's the third coming of Lane Kiffin going?

Still, it's impossible to ignore the reality that being a perceived mercenary climber brings baggage that will make Graham's job more difficult.

It's likely some Sun Devils will greet any early talk of "family" and "the Sun Devil way!" with eye rolls. Graham's reputation will make it more difficult for him to mend a fractured locker room. Selling loyalty and commitment to recruits will not be easy. It also will make it harder for school administrators to get boosters to open their wallets.

The first question some will ask: "What's his buyout?"

Here's a statement from Arizona State:

"Criteria for our head coach was established, and the word that was at the forefront of discussions was `energy'...energy towards promoting our program in the community and with former players. Energy towards instilling discipline, leadership and in recruiting. Energy towards representing our brand in every facet of the program," notes Love. "In Todd, we have not only hired a young and sitting head coach, but one with a history of success on the field and in hiring top-notch assistant coaches. For the first time in his career, he will be taking over a program with a strong nucleus at the beginning. We are excited to watch Coach Graham take over a very well-positioned program and elevate it to the next level."

So: boilerplate.

Arizona State's coaching search was sloppy. Graham was well down the list of top candidates. And the June Jones debacle -- no matter how the school has tried to spin it afterward -- was embarrassing.

But the ultimate measure of this coaching search is no different than the ultimate measure of Todd Graham. And it is devoid of sentimentality: wins and losses. Stay out of trouble with the NCAA. Graduate players who stay off the police blotter. Yes, in that order.

It's time to take a look back at the weekend that was in Landover, Md., where the Irish notched their third consecutive victory.

The Good: Notre Dame played its most complete offensive game of the year Saturday, beating Maryland 45-21. The Irish notched more than 500 yards of total offense for the fifth time in 10 games this season, jumping out to a 17-0 lead early and never looking back. The victory — along with several other dominoes falling into place — has the Irish ranked for the first time since the season began.

The Bad: Time to nitpick, and in this case the offensive line (and Tommy Rees) are the unlucky recipients of an extra big microscope in a week the Irish left little to complain about offensively. Still, Notre Dame surrendered three sacks Saturday after not allowing a single one in its last five games. The Irish had allowed just five sacks on the season prior to Saturday.

The Ugly: Maryland's uniforms? Or the Terrapins' play? Tough call here, though watching quarterback Danny O'Brien's season come to an early end because of a broken bone in his upper left arm added injury to insult.

Turning point: Inserted for Robert Blanton (stinger), cornerback Lo Wood came up with a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter, the Irish's second third-quarter score, to make it 38-7. It probably would not have been much of a competitive game anyway, but this one sealed the deal with plenty of time remaining.

Call of the day: Jonas Gray punched it in from 1 yard out on fourth-and-goal in the final minute of the first half, making it 24-7 Irish at the half. Sure, it's not that difficult to gain a yard (or have faith in your team to), but Maryland had just scored on the previous possession to cut the lead to 10, and a Terrapins stop there could have changed the momentum of the game.

Next up: Notre Dame's next challenge after beating a two-win Maryland team will be beating a three-win Boston College team. The Eagles are coming off a 14-10 win over North Carolina State, their second victory in three games. Keep an eye on linebacker Luke Kuechly, who could finish this season as the leading tackler in the FBS for the second consecutive season. Saturday will also be Senior Day at Notre Dame Stadium.

Jonas Gray was the last man standing Saturday night in the bowels of FedEx Field, trying to put into words what made Notre Dame so sharp in a game so many could have excused it for not being motivated to play.

"It's just knowing that we can play better," the senior said. "Even when we do play well, just knowing that we have a lot to take and still can play better. Just doing the small things, paying attention to detail — it's all about our preparation during the week."

Whatever that message was got through to an Irish squad whose bowl forecast would have likely looked similar at 6-6 or 9-3, though a 45-21 win over Maryland now has them trending toward the latter. Preparing to face a pair of ACC bottom-feeders could make life dull at the LaBar Practice Complex, but whatever Brian Kelly said throughout last week got through to his players.

The Irish's rout of the Terrapins was more than just a beatdown of an overmatched opponent. It was a sign of maturity for a team that has been plagued by simple mistakes and slow starts at times this season.

They are a big reason for the Irish's three losses. They would not result in a fourth -- Maryland was not winning Saturday, period -- but the fact Notre Dame did not let anyone's mind wander spoke of the team's focus in the final quarter of the season.

"It's one of the big things the coaches talked to us about, is it's a great win but it came from hard work and consistency throughout the week," Tommy Rees said of staying sharp. "And we just gotta keep that going week-in and week-out."

Perhaps the results should not be surprising. Kelly, after all, has won 21 of his last 23 regular-season November and December contests, including 15 in a row. The Irish are now 5-0 in such contests under Kelly after losing their previous six November games.

And Kelly, the second-year Irish coach, does not post depth charts in the locker room, leaving the unnamed No. 2s on their heels for moments like Saturday, when Robby Toma, Mike Golic Jr. and Lo Wood played big roles in key spots.

"In terms of the way we rep out our 1s and 2s, they get similar quality reps," Kelly said Sunday. "So I think all those things lead to when you have an injury or you have somebody that can't go, that next guy knows he's prepared and knows that you have confidence in him to do his job."

Gray has blurred the line between 1 and 2 as well as anyone this season, coming off the bench to begin the season before starting the last three contests. Expectations varied for the senior coming entering 2011, and they sunk lower following his season-opening fumble that resulted in a 14-point turnaround.

But after scoring his 10th and 11th touchdown in his last seven games Saturday, in addition to notching his first career 100-yard performance, Gray made it clear those expectations have never been higher.

"I could've done a little bit better on blitz pick-up," Gray said. "Just finishing the game, playing consistent and trying to have just an entire good game and a complete game, and I've yet to do that."

The numbers told a different story Saturday. Do even better against three-win Boston College, and you may just prove even more skeptics wrong.

Before Notre Dame's win Saturday night over Maryland, representatives from the Champs Sports Bowl passed out pins to media members in the FedEx Field press box.

Telling? Likely.

Another week, another round of bowl projections with Notre Dame pegged for Orlando, Fla., as our experts Brad Edwards and Mark Schlabach think the Irish are destined for Disney World, against Florida State. ACC blogger Heather Dinich currently has the Seminoles in the Champs Sports Bowl as well.

The opponent could vary, given the muddied middle of the ACC. Virginia and Georgia Tech could be potential Champs Sports Bowl teams with strong finishes. But with the Big East having no teams in the latest BCS standings, the conference's second-most attractive team -- behind the conference champion -- will probably be a longshot when pitted against the Irish, who have more talent and a larger traveling fan base than any school in the Big East.

The Champs Sports Bowl can replace its pick of the next-available Big East team for Notre Dame once in a four-year cycle, and it would be tough to pass the Irish up this season, given the current climate of the Big East.

Big East blogger Andrea Adelson has the Irish headed to the Champs Sports Bowl as well.

LANDOVER, Md. -- A dominant 45-21 win over Maryland lands the following Notre Dame players extra accessories for their already flashy helmets:

Jonas Gray: What more can you say about the senior, who entered this season without a touchdown? He now has 11 in his past seven games, scoring in all seven. He had his first career 100-yard rushing game, going for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

Cierre Wood: The junior was every bit as good as Gray, adding a 3-yard touchdown himself. Wood finished with 99 yards on just 18 carries, and the duo was relentless against the Maryland front-seven all night long. Wood also had a key block that sprung open Tyler Eifert on the tight end's 34-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

Michael Floyd: The senior made a nice 19-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to make it 17-0 Irish early. Floyd finished with nine catches for 90 yards and proved trouble for Maryland's defense all night long.

Robby Toma: The little guy finally got his chance and took advantage of it. Replacing the injured Theo Riddick, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Toma finished with a career-high seven catches for 73 yards.

Tyler Eifert: The junior matched a career-high with eight catches and finished with 83 receiving yards. His 34-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter made it 45-14 late.

Tommy Rees: The sophomore did a terrific job running the offense, completing 30 of 38 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns. He hit seven different receivers and, during one stretch, completed 17 of 18 passes.

Lo Wood: Not a bad way to get your first pick. The sophomore intercepted Danny O'Brien and raced it back the other way for a 57-yard touchdown to make it 38-7 with 7:18 left in the third quarter. Notre Dame now has pick-sixes in consecutive Shamrock Series games, as Darrin Walls had a 42-yard interception return for a score against Army last season at Yankee Stadium.

Ben Turk: The junior was not needed much, but he delivered when called upon. Turk landed two punts inside the Maryland 10, and the only one he didn't went for a career-long 58 yards.

LANDOVER, Md. — Robby Toma was fielding postgame questions from reporters Saturday night when Tony Alford stuck his head in.

"What did you do?" the receivers coach asked. "What did you do?"

"I don't know," Toma replied with a smile. "This is new to me."

The career-best seven catches for 73 yards was new. The starting role in place of the injured Theo Riddick (hamstring) was a change. And the ability to capably fulfill Notre Dame's next-man-in philosophy in the Irish's 45-21 rout of a hapless Maryland team made the not-so-easy look not only simple, but rewarding.

Notre Dame beat a two-win Terrapins team, as expected. But they did it by improving their play in nearly all facets of the game, most notably on offense.

In notching their fifth 500-plus-yard offensive performance this season, the Irish ran 84 plays, the most in the Brian Kelly era. They showed a steady balance, with 46 runs and 38 passes. And they ran the offense at a tempo that embodied the pace Kelly has wanted to push at, one his quarterback ran efficiently throughout the evening.

"We wanted to kind of go with a hurry up, no-huddle — we're always no-huddle, more of a hurry-up, push the tempo a little bit," Tommy Rees said. "I think it worked out. I think we caught them and they weren't lined up. And you can tell throughout the game that — hats off to Maryland — but throughout the game the guys were getting tired, and I think that has a lot to do with how we pushed our tempo."

Rees finished 30 of 38 for 296 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. During one stretch that ended in the third quarter, the sophomore completed 17 of 18 passes.

The run game, which has looked dominant at times, was never as sharp as it was before a Notre Dame-heavy crowd at FedEx Field.

Jonas Gray finished with a career-high 136 yards and two touchdowns. Cierre Wood finished with 99 yards and a score.

But the numbers cannot convey the helplessness of the Maryland defense, evident on two separate plays involving the two running backs.

Facing a third-and-10 from his own 8 on Notre Dame's third drive, Wood rushed for 13 yards. Facing a third-and-17 from his own 20 on the Irish's first drive of the second half, Gray bursted up the middle for 19 yards.

Notre Dame ended up scoring on both drives, the latter kicking off a 14-point third quarter that extended the Irish lead to 38-7 and their third-quarter margin this season to 77-13.

"I think our guys settle into the game, they're tuned in, we can talk to them and they know exactly what we want to do in the third quarter and they go out and do it," Kelly said. "Again, our guys understand how important it is to get some adjustments made at halftime. There's good communication. Our guys go out and execute."

There were other signs of improvement across the board aside from Toma, the run game and Rees. Namely, reserve cornerback Lo Wood stepping in for Robert Blanton (stinger), taking a third-quarter interception back 57 yards for a touchdown and making it 38-7.

There was Mike Golic Jr. filling in nicely for Braxston Cave at center, and Ethan Johnson bringing his veteran presence to the defensive line in his first game since Oct. 1.

And, of course, there was that tempo, which showed that opponent and circumstance were irrelevant in the Irish's attempt to make something of this week and next, when three-win Boston College comes to town.

"It was a big emphasis this week, to play at a fast tempo, and we did that well," Gray said. "A few guys were getting gassed — we're not used to doing it, even myself. But that's a dimension of this offense we're trying to continue to keep doing. And when we do that we're a pretty good offense and hard to stop."

And if the offense was getting gassed, does that make for an exhausted defense?

"Oh yeah, yeah," Gray said. "Just a lot of exhaustion. They can't line up as fast as they want to, just small things like that. And Coach Kelly's done a great job of dialing plays up."

LANDOVER, Md. — Notre Dame ran all over Maryland in a 45-21 victory Saturday night at FedEx Field.

Jonas Gray rushed for 136 yards, Cierre Wood added 99 and Tommy Rees completed 30 of 37 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns, hitting seven different receivers and completing 17 of 18 passes during one stretch.

Lo Wood starred defensively for Notre Dame, making a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter to extend the lead to 38-7.

The Irish have now won three in a row since their loss to USC, improving to 7-3 on the season, which matches last year's regular-season win total. They beat an ACC opponent for the second week in a row, and they will face a third, Boston College, for Senior Day next Saturday.

Be sure to keep it here for more postgame coverage.

LANDOVER, Md. -- Will Andrew Hendrix get in for the first time in three games? Will Notre Dame finish with two different 100-yard rushers?

These are the relevant questions as we enter the fourth quarter with Notre Dame holding a 38-7 lead over Maryland.

Cierre Wood and Lo Wood were the scorers in the third period -- the former notching a three-yard touchdown run, the latter taking an interception 57 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Wood has 79 yards on 14 carries. Jonas Gray has his first career 100-yard game, with 125 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. The most telling play may have been a third-and-17 from the Irish 20, when Gray rushed it 19 yards up the middle for a first down on a drive that ended with Cierre Wood's score. Maryland simply has no answer for the run.

Notre Dame has now outscored its opponents in the third quarter this season by a 77-13 margin, and it has not allowed a third-quarter offensives score in nine of 10 games.

LANDOVER, Md. -- Notre Dame enters the break with a 24-7 lead over Maryland. Here's a quick look at how it has happened:

Stat of the half: Notre Dame has had its way on the ground, rushing for 138 yards on 26 carries, a 5.3 yards per carry average. Jonas Gray leads the way with 84 yards, but Cierre Wood is right behind him with 69 yards on just nine carries. Maryland does not have an answer for the Irish's ground attack, which should look to wear down the depleted Terrapins front even more in the second half.

Best player in the half: Gray has 84 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. The senior now has 11 touchdowns in the past seven games and has scored in each of the past seven games, this after never reaching the end zone in his career before the Irish's Sept. 24 game at Pitt.

Best call: Brian Kelly sent his offense back out to the field on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the final minute of the first half. Jonas Gray rewarded his coach's faith with his second 1-yard touchdown run of the game, making it a three-score game right before the half. Notre Dame will get the ball first to start the third quarter as well, so the Irish are in great position to stomp Maryland out early.

LANDOVER, Md. -- Notre Dame's rushing game has had its way so far against Maryland, resulting in a 10-0 Irish lead after one.

Jonas Gray has six carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, a one-yard punch that came two plays after a 14-yard gain that brought him down at the 1. Gray now has 10 touchdowns in his last seven games, scoring in all seven.

Cierre Wood has four carries for 38 yards so far, largely on a few nifty moves when reaching the second level. Notre Dame is averaging 7.9 yards per carry through one quarter.

Maryland has moved the ball ever-so slightly enough to pin Notre Dame deep on several occasions, but its banged-up front-seven has no answer for the Irish's running game. The Terrapins will have to do something more on offense if they want any chance of hanging with the Irish throughout the night.

LANDOVER, Md. — Darius Fleming is tonight's game captain for the Irish, joining season captain Harrison Smith. Fleming, normally No. 45, is wearing No. 46 tonight in honor of teammate and fellow Chicago native Steve Filer, who is out for the year with an apparent ACL tear.

Maryland won the toss — flipped by Joe Theismann — and will receive the ball first.

Also worth noting is that senior end Ethan Johnson was lined up with the first-team defensive line in warmups. Johnson is expected to play tonight for the first time after spraining his right ankle on the first snap Oct. 1 at Purdue. He has dressed for the three previous games but did not see any action.

LANDOVER, Md. — Greetings from the home of the Washington Redskins, where Notre Dame will play a home game against Maryland roughly six miles from the Terrapins' campus.

Players from both teams are warming up on the field now, with Maryland's uniforms clearly taking the cake in terms of creativity, attention-grabbing and whatever other adjective you choose to use.

Despite the proximity to College Park, I have seen only a handful of Maryland fans the past two days -- on the way here, in the parking lots and in the stands. This is clearly a pro-Notre Dame crowd, and they are getting a treat inside this new stadium: a Jumbotron.

The debate has been raging on whether Notre Dame Stadium should and would eventually get one, and judging by tonight, the Irish would certainly get their money's worth. A long pregame show on the Irish has been taking place before the game, with interviews with Brian Kelly and past Notre Dame legends.

We're about 45 minutes away from kickoff, so don't go anywhere, as I'll be live-blogging throughout the night.