Kenny Tate

A surprise on Maryland's injury report: linebacker Kenny Tate is listed as doubtful for Georgia Tech. We don't know why yet. Tate had nine tackles and an interception against Towson last week. He's 11th in the ACC in tackles at 8.8 per game. His absence would be a blow to a defense already without linebacker Darin Drakeford and defensive lineman Andre Monroe, among others. Maryland started three first-year players on defense against Towson last week. Tate plays a hybrid position called "Star.

COLLEGE PARK -- No one had any illusions about what was going to happen on Senior Day at Byrd Stadium. The Maryland Terrapins were undermanned and overmatched in Saturday's final home game against No. 10 Florida State, so the question was not whether the Seminoles would breeze through town on their way to next week's showdown with No. 7 Florida - they did - but how the Terps' disappointing season would be perceived after their third straight lopsided...

- Kenny Tate, who last season struggled away from the safety position where he became one of the ACC's best, will remain at linebacker next season, Maryland coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday. Tate, an all-ACC selection at safety in 2010, was moved to linebacker under then-defensive coordinator Todd Bradford before last season. Although Bradford has since been replaced by first-year coordinator Brian Stewart, Tate - who has sat out all of this spring with a knee injury - will remain at linebacker in Stewart's new 3-4 system.

No, there are no moral victories in college football. It's a big-boy sport. But if you're a Terps fan and optimistic by nature, you saw some positive developments from Maryland today. I use the word “developments” because that's what you need to look for with this young Maryland team. *There was Perry Hills passing for 305 yards despite taking some savage hits. He was sacked five times. *There was Stefon Diggs., who had has first 100-plus receiving day with 113 yards on three catches.

This is part of a series of 2008 Maryland football commitment Q&As leading up to signing day Wednesday. All answers are provided by the featured player. Name: Kenny Tate Born: May 15, 1990 Hometown: Forestville Nickname: "Six" Height: 6 feet 4 Weight: 215 pounds Position: Wide receiver High school: DeMatha Senior statistics: 32 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns Rankings: Rivals.com: Four stars, No. 23 wide receiver, No. 4 player in Maryland; Scout.com: Four stars, No. 16 wide receiver.

Baltimore Sun reporters Jeff Barker and Don Markus and intern Connor Letourneau -- co-sports editor of The Diamondback -- weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland sports. How did the Kevin Anderson-to-Stanford story get started, and has it really been put to rest? Jeff Barker: I don't know quite how it began. Was somebody trying to get Anderson in the mix for the Stanford athletic director position by floating his name like a trial balloon?

At 6 feet 4 and 220 pounds, Kenny Tate looks like a linebacker. Beginning with spring practices next week, Maryland's All-Atlantic Coast Conference safety from 2010 will do more than look the part — he'll play it, too. Maryland coach Randy Edsall said Friday that Tate is moving to "Star"— a hybrid linebacker-safety position in which he will essentially be an outside linebacker. The shift means that Tate, a solid NFL prospect, will have undergone position shifts under each of his head coaches before his college career is over.

COLLEGE PARK - Fifth-year Maryland linebacker Kenny Tate - who missed all but four games last season with a right knee injury - will be sidelined three to four weeks with an injury to the his left knee. It's the latest preseason blow to ther Terps ' defense. Defensive lineman Andre Monroe had knee surgery this week and is out for the year. Defensive lineman Keith Bowers (unspecified) and defensive backs Matt Robinson (shoulder), A.J. Hendy (ankle) and Isaac Goins (mononucleosis)

Maryland linebacker Kenny Tate, a preseason all-conference pick who starred at safety last season, will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, coach Randy Edsall said Sunday. Edsall said Tate, a senior and team captain, will seek a medical redshirt to return in 2012. Following surgery, he will be out six to nine months, according to the school. Edsall would not disclose the nature of Tate's injury. "This is just something that he's had. He's just taken a hit in one of the games this year," the coach said.

At 6 feet 4, Kenny Tate was a formidable safety, towering over receivers and his defensive backfield teammates. With Tate's imposing size, it made sense for Maryland to shift the all-Atlantic Coast Conference player to linebacker where he can do what he does best - unsettle quarterbacks. But the offseason move - as well as the switch of linebacker David Mackall to defensive end - has other implications for Maryland's defense as well. The moves have opened up opportunities for increased roles for other players in the defensive backfield vacated by Tate - including an expected leadership role for second-year safety Matt Robinson . Switching players' positions is akin to changing the letters in a crossword puzzle.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Perry Hills lay motionless on the Milan Puskar Stadium turf after enduring a blind-side hit on a West Virginia blitz in the final moments of Saturday's first half. The Maryland quarterback stayed on his back for several minutes before being assisted to the sideline. But he was soon trotting back onto the field after missing only one play. Like Hills, Maryland kept absorbing blows Saturday from the No. 8 Mountaineers and kept getting up. But the Terps eventually fell victim to three turnovers, several big West Virginia scoring plays and too much Tavon Austin in a 31-21 loss to the Mountaineers before an announced crowd of 58,504.

It's West Virginia week. Does it feel like a rivalry game, Terps fans? My story for tomorrow's paper talks about the West Virginia-Maryland series. I asked Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen about the rivalry, and he said it still matters. I think it's got everything a rivalry needs to foment a healthy, non-violent hatred. Of course, what it's lacking lately is balance. The Mountaineers have won the past six meetings. Maryland's last win came in the 2004 Gator Bowl.

Heading into Saturday's game at Temple, Maryland's defense, which certainly looks like the team's strongest unit this season, will get back a couple players who had been injured. Defensive linemen Keith Bowers (knee) and Isaiah Ross (hamstring) will both return Saturday. Strong safety Matt Robinson (shoulder) had hoped to play, too, but coach Randy Edsall says he's not quite ready. Neither is linebacker Kenny Tate. “With each week that goes by, I think we're getting closer with Kenny,” Edsall said.

Baltimore Sun reporters Jeff Barker and Don Markus and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland  sports. Is Randy Edsall on the hot seat? Jeff Barker: I'm going to preface my response by saying that this is not my opinion. Rather, it's  something I've spoken to the athletic department about because it's obviously an important subject and you don't want to just be guessing. The best answer right now is that Maryland says he's not on the hot seat.

You've already got a true freshman quarterback, so why not pair him with a true freshman tailback? Maryland said today that Albert Reid -- a 5-foot-10, 200-pound true freshman from Washington -- will start Saturday in the opener against William & Mary. That's because the original starter, redshirt freshman Brandon Ross, has a hamstring injury. Reid will likely share the spot Saturday with sophomore Justus Pickett and true freshman Wes Brown. It'll be running back by committee.

Here are notes as the Terps practice for Saturday's opener against William & Mary. I will have a full-length story on another topic later in the day. ** You were wondering about senior kicker Nick Ferrara? He was omitted from the depth chart on Monday, and freshman Brad Craddock, the Punter (and kicker) from Down Under, was awarded the kicking job. Coach Randy Edsall said Ferrara, who had hip surgery during the offseason, is experiencing soreness and is day-to-day. Ferrara had been kicking during the preseason, but Edsall said the kicker “had some issues.” Ferrara surely wants to finish his career as well as he started it. You remember him as a freshman?

Et cetera Terps men land two sophomore lax recruits Two rising high school sophomores, St. Mary's defenseman Hunter Smith and Winston Churchill attackman Louis Dubick , have committed to play lacrosse at Maryland, the national runner-up the past two seasons. Smith, an All-Star at the Baltimore Summer Kickoff, plays club ball for the Annapolis Hawks and Looney's Lacrosse Club. He also considered North Carolina and Duke. Dubick totaled 50 goals and 47 assists last season, helping his team to the state semifinals and becoming the first freshman to be named first-team All-Montgomery County.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Perry Hills lay motionless on the Milan Puskar Stadium turf after enduring a blind-side hit on a West Virginia blitz in the final moments of Saturday's first half. The Maryland quarterback stayed on his back for several minutes before being assisted to the sideline. But he was soon trotting back onto the field after missing only one play. Like Hills, Maryland kept absorbing blows Saturday from the No. 8 Mountaineers and kept getting up. But the Terps eventually fell victim to three turnovers, several big West Virginia scoring plays and too much Tavon Austin in a 31-21 loss to the Mountaineers before an announced crowd of 58,504.

Baltimore Sun reporters Jeff Barker and Don Markus and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Marylandsports. What is going on with all the injuries on Maryland's defense and can the Terps weather the storm? Jeff Barker: If there is one Maryland unit I figured to be improved, it was the defense. The unit should still be better than last season - players seem to be taking to new coordinator Brian Stewart's 3-4 - but the Terps have taken a big preseason hit. Defensive lineman Andre Monroe is out for the season.

COLLEGE PARK - Fifth-year Maryland linebacker Kenny Tate - who missed all but four games last season with a right knee injury - will be sidelined three to four weeks with an injury to the his left knee. It's the latest preseason blow to ther Terps ' defense. Defensive lineman Andre Monroe had knee surgery this week and is out for the year. Defensive lineman Keith Bowers (unspecified) and defensive backs Matt Robinson (shoulder), A.J. Hendy (ankle) and Isaac Goins (mononucleosis)