At linebacker, it's in with the new

Even as the Terrapins football team came into this season noticeably thin at linebacker, it could at least take solace in the top-heavy talent available at the position.

With proven playmakers in Kenny Tate and Demetrius Hartsfield joined by Darin Drakeford — who had 36 tackles last season, the most by a non-starter — it seemed a given that the linebacker corps would carry on the ever-dependable tradition of past units.

That proved true in the team's season-opening win over Miami, when Tate, Hartsfield and Drakeford combined for 38 tackles, a forced fumble, a sack and an interception.

But that was also the last time the trio would be together for an entire game. Drakeford has made just two tackles since suffering an ankle injury against the Hurricanes, and he hasn't appeared in a game since Sept. 24.

And with Tate and Hartsfield each going down in recent weeks, the Terps have been left with what would have been a worst-case scenario for the coaching staff entering the season: three freshman starting linebackers.

With Lorne Goree, Mario Rowson and Alex Twine all now plugged into the starting lineup, though, things haven't been as bad as initially foreseen.

"That was kind of a depth concern at the beginning of the year," defensive tackle Joe Vellano said. "They probably never thought they'd be sitting here starting these games like that. I thought they've truly done a great job just learning, adapting. They've still got to go to school; it's not just football transition, it's kind of a life transition, really."

The freshman corps has been together since midway through the third quarter Oct. 8 against No. 20 Georgia Tech, when Hartsfield left the game with an undisclosed injury.

With their help, the Terps held the Yellow Jackets' high-octane offense scoreless after Hartsfield's injury, a defensive effort that nearly allowed the Terps to engineer a remarkable second-half comeback.

"I do feel like I'm getting more comfortable," Goree said after the team's win over Towson earlier this month. "The first game I was asked to start, I was a little nervous. I wasn't as confident as I should have been, just looking at the crowd and stuff. I've never played in anything like that."

The freshman trio has been far from perfect, of course, as last weekend's matchup with No. 8 Clemson demonstrated. While Goree led the Terps with 12 tackles and a sack, and his linebacker accomplices were plenty serviceable, the team's defense was porous and surrendered 49 points to the vaunted Tigers attack.

The Tigers' explosion can't be pinned entirely on the freshmen; the defense, as a whole, was overmatched. But the young Terps learned the hard way what can come of missed tackles and blown assignments.

"It's not testing their athleticism, it's just testing their football IQs," Vellano said. "Stuff happens fast out there. You can rewind game film all you want, but it's a different game when you're playing. I think they've done a great job, and getting that game experience is key."

And although it's no secret the Terps will welcome the return of their more seasoned linebackers, the experience being gained by Goree, Rowson and Twine should prove invaluable to their future.

"Those kids are giving us everything that they have … and we've already got some things going in our mind on what we do when those [original starters] come back," coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday. "The one thing that I know is while Kenny, Demetrius and Darin aren't in there, we're getting some valuable experience and playing time for some young men who are going to be around here for a long, long time."

cwalsh@umdbk.com