TAKING FLIGHT

Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen put his defense through a tough practice regimen this week in preparation for Eastern Michigan's hurry-up spread attack.

After a pair of scout team offenses ran 49 plays in 20 minutes Wednesday, Friedgen said the offensive scheme that has troubled his team would not wear the Terps down again.

But if his defense was tired Saturday, it was for an entirely different reason: The Terps' explosive offense.

The Terps scored on nine of 13 possessions against the Eagles, with only one of the drives lasting longer than seven plays.

"I never thought I would say this, but I almost wish they were taking more time to score the way we were playing," Friedgen said.

The defense wasn't at its best in the 51-24 win over Eastern Michigan, but it didn't need to be. The Terps (3-1) posted their most points since scoring 55 in a win against Duke Sept. 25, 2004. They cruised to victory in their final tune-up before ACC play begins with a trip to Clemson on Saturday.

The Terp offense flourished despite the absence of starting running back Da'Rel Scott, who sat out with an injured left shoulder, by getting a boost on the ground from quarterback Josh Portis and receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who combined to rush for 179 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries.

Running back Morgan Green scored his first two career touchdowns, quarterback Chris Turner added a pair through the air and wide receiver Danny Oquendo notched a fourth-quarter passing touchdown on a trick play. Even much-maligned kicker Obi Egekeze was an offensive star, making all three of his short field goal attempts.

"There were a lot of drives we were in the red zone, and we didn't take advantage," Green said. "I think the score could've been 70 to whatever. We could've got 70."

The Terp defense allowed 453 yards of total offense and three 80-yard touchdown drives to Eastern Michigan (1-3) but hung tough with three interceptions and a blocked punt.

Throughout the week, the Terps were forced to address their recent history of playing down to weaker opponents. The team that was surprised at Middle Tennessee three weeks ago responded with a convincing win against their MAC opponent.

"I'm happy right now," said Heyward-Bey, who had a 32-yard touchdown catch and has now reached the end zone in all four games this season. "Going into the ACC schedule, we've shown we can score 51 points. We know our strengths and weaknesses. We go in knowing what we've got to do to win it."

The Terps set the tone early when linebacker Adrian Moten blocked a punt on the first drive of the game, leading to Egekeze's first field goal of the season.

Early in the second quarter, Green, a sophomore who picked up 40 yards on 12 carries in the first significant game action of his career, broke a 20-yard run off the right side for his second touchdown of the game and a 17-0 Terp lead.

The Eagles, led by back-up quarterback Kyle McMahon, cut the lead to 10 at the half with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns but made too many mistakes in Terp territory to ever seriously threaten a comeback.

But allowing Eastern Michigan to move the ball so effectively throughout the game got the Terps' attention. A week after allowing 423 yards passing in a win against Cal, the Terps let up 282 yards through the air and another 171 yards on the ground.

Friedgen said the defense looked lethargic, attributing the breakdowns to injuries and poor coverage by the linebackers. Defensive backs Terrell Skinner, Nolan Carroll and Richard Taylor all missed the game, forcing several players to play more than usual.

"It's not acceptable any more," cornerback Kevin Barnes said. "Now that we're getting into conference play, we're going to play a lot better offenses. This has to be the last week that can happen and [the team] expect to win."

On the other hand, the offense looked ready for ACC play. The Terps averaged 8.2 yards per play, and when offensive coordinator James Franklin got the ball into his playmakers' hands, plays normally worked out.

Heyward-Bey had runs of 35 and 46 yards. With the Terps up 13 and searching for a knockout punch late in the game, Portis handed to Heyward-Bey, who flipped to Oquendo, who uncorked a perfect left-handed spiral deep down field to Isaiah Williams for a 43-yard touchdown. Portis ran through the Eagle defense almost single-handedly on the next possession to score the last Terp touchdown.

It amounted to points early and often for the Terp offense.

"My mindset is to score every drive, every first play," Heyward-Bey said. "We might as well defeat their emotions early than wait until later."

Sorry, Terp defense.

TERP NOTE: Green split series with Davin Meggett, who became the first true freshman to start at running back for the Terps since LaMont Jordan in 1997. Meggett, slowed by a hamstring injury during the week, struggled to just 23 yards on eight carries. Friedgen said Scott could have played but the rest will allow him to be closer to full strength against Clemson next week. ... Moten left the game in the second half with an injured wrist. Doctors believe the linebacker tore ligaments in the wrist, Friedgen said Sunday. Moten will be re-evaluated today. ... Safety Dominique Herald left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury Friedgen said will probably end his season. Herald did not play in the first three games of the season and had requested a redshirt this season but was forced into action Saturday because of injuries in the secondary. He recovered Moten's first-quarter blocked punt and returned it 15 yards to the Eastern Michigan 10-yard line before the injury.

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