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Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 7 Todd Wike

Back from a long hiatus, it's time to get to the final portion of the Stocked Fridge series.

The suspense was killing you, right? Like an end-of-a-TV-season cliffhanger?

Or not.

Anyway, one of the great strengths of Ralph Friedgen's early teams at Maryland was the offensive line.

Maybe they weren't great in numbers, but the individual talent meshed together perfectly.

And there's a case to be made Todd Wike was the most effective of them all.

An all-conference player at left guard as a junior, he switched to center in 2002 --- and earned all-conference honors there, too.

His versatility was a crucial piece to Chris Downs' splendid 2002 season, as his presence at center also helped Maryland acclimate Scott McBrien at quarterback that year.

Overall, he started 45 games at Maryland and missed only three to injury over the course of his career.

Toss in the consistent play, and Wike is undoubtedly one of the top Maryland players of the last 10 years.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 8 C.J. Brooks

Unquestionably one of the most consistent players to come through Maryland in the last decade, C.J. Brooks was also one of the most durable.

Including postseason games, Maryland played 50 games during the four seasons Brooks was active.

He started all 50.

Brooks was also a two-time first team all-ACC pick, maintaining that position even when the Terrapins' offense tailed off his senior season. That was a tribute to his own quality play, as well as the value he provided during three straight 10-win seasons to start his career.

The left guard led the Terps in "big blocks" (granted, that's a fuzzy stat in some ways) as both a sophomore and a junior, and and enjoyed one of his best individual games when he helped spring Bruce Perry loose for a huge day at Wake Forest in 2003.

Like most linemen, Brooks probably didn't get as much credit as he probably should have for Maryland's success early in Ralph Friedgen's tenure. But there's no question he's one of the most productive and valuable players to suit up in College Park since Friedgen arrived.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 9 Randy Starks

One of the first recruits Ralph Friedgen signed upon arriving at Maryland happened to be one of his best.

That would be defensive tackle Randy Starks, who turned in a monster season as a sophomore, followed it up with a strong junior year and was gone to the NFL after helping to anchor two especially strong defenses.

Starks had 93 tackles (12.5 for loss) and 6.5 sacks in 2002. A season later, the tackle total dipped to 74, but 14.5 were for loss and 7.5 were sacks. In total, he had 31 quarterback hurries in those two seasons.

In some ways, it was almost too perfect. A dynamic in-state player blessed with oodles of athleticism arrived, played well for a couple seasons and took his wares to the NFL. Starks wasn't the first Terrapin to leave school early, but his career arc mirrored that of several stars at other positions (Shawne Merriman, Vernon Davis and Darrius Heyward-Bey all spring to mind).

Starks was a second-team all-ACC pick in 2002, a first-team choice in 2003. A case can be made those honors could have flipped, but no matter. He was a dominant college defensive tackle, and the effectiveness of the unit around him is a reflection of just how valuable a star at that position really is.

Maryland's enjoyed the services of some solid interior defensive linemen during the Friedgen years. None, however, was better than Starks.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 10 Steve Suter

It's been so long since Maryland actually returned a punt for a touchdown that it's tough to imagine just what sort of impact Steve Suter had for the program.

Unsurprisingly, he's the last punt returner to bring one back to the end zone, doing so on New Year's Day 2004.

Suter had six punt returns for scores in 2002 and 2003, setting an NCAA record for punt return yardage in a season (771 in 2002) and at one point owning the ACC record for career punt return yards (1,171). The ACC mark now belongs to Virginia Tech's Eddie Royal.

A random Suter stat: Maryland was 10-0 when he scored a touchdown of some variety in 2002-03. If nothing else, his huge chunk plays in special teams or as a slot receiver made him an electrifying figure during Maryland's football renaissance.

Unsurprisingly, he was a first-team all-conference pick in 2002 and 2003. Yet as a senior, his numbers dipped considerably, managing 27 punt returns for 163 yards and no scores as the entire program endured the malaise of a 5-6 season.

No matter. Suter made a massive difference for two seasons, setting records left and right. It's rare that a return man is actually expected to uncork an touchdown return every week. Suter actually managed to oblige fans on a semi-regular basis at the peak of his career --- and that makes him one of the top players in the Ralph Friedgen era.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 11 Nick Novak

Things couldn't have started much worse for Nick Novak when he started his career.

The end, though, turned out to be just fine.

Novak missed his first five field goal attempts and was an uninspiring 4-for-11 when he lined up for a 46-yard field goal in the final seconds of a 2001 game at No. 22 Georgia Tech with Maryland down 17-14. Sure, the Terrapins were 5-0, but this was the first game that could truly validate that record.

Novak nailed the field goal. Then another in overtime. By the time his time in College Park was through, he had 80 field goals --- and the ACC career scoring record.

Novak made all five of his go-ahead or game-tying attempts in the final minute or overtime in his career. His late field goals locked up victories against N.C. State in 2002 and 2003. He was twice a first-team all-conference pick, with a pair of honorable mention nods sandwiching his best seasons.

Perhaps an especially telling stat is Novak made seven field goals of at least 50 yards in his career. In the five seasons since he graduated, Maryland has one.

Novak ranks first in ACC history in field goals made, fifth in extra points. And despite an inauspicious start, he wound up producing a critical moment in Maryland's turnaround season. Put together, he's worthy of a spot near the top of the list of the best Terps of the Ralph Friedgen era.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 12 Matt Crawford

Great teams are usually built upon great offensive lines.

That's why three of the top dozen players in the Ralph Friedgen era --- at least according to this list --- were multi-year starters on the line during the early part of the Aughts.

Matt Crawford was one of the anchors, a holdover from the Ron Vanderlinden years who warranted plenty of credit for the success of Bruce Perry, Chris Downs and others.

He was a second-team all-conference pick in 2001. Crawford snagged first-team all-conference honors in 2002. One publication even rated the right tackle as a third-team All-America pick.

He managed it after recovering from ACL, MCL and PCL tears in his left knee suffered late in he 2000 season, and his comeback earned him the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award --- given to the league's most courageous player.

Crawford started all but two games in his final two seasons (and 43 total) for teams that didn't enjoy particularly strong offensive line depth. There's no doubt he's among the most valuable players to pass through College Park in the last decade.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 13 Scott McBrien

The simple argument for including Scott McBrien high on the list of the greatest players of the Ralph Friedgen era is simple.

Summed up pithily: Twenty-one, and a winner.

McBrien led Maryland to a 21-6 record in two years as the Terrapins' starting quarterback, including blowout victories in the Peach and Gator bowls. He was 3-0 against West Virginia, the school he started his career at before fortuitously (for Friedgen) transferring to the school a few miles up the road from where he played high school ball (DeMatha).

He threw more than twice as many touchdowns (34) as interceptions (16).

He rolled up 5,169 yards despite playing for a team that ran far more than it threw.

He helped produce a pair of memorable fourth-quarter comebacks against N.C. State in 2002-03.

He's third on the school's career list in touchdown passes, fourth in yardage. He's the only quarterback to manage back-to-back 2,400-yard seasons for the Terps.

But ultimately, it comes down to the wins. That's how the masses, for better or for worse, measure quarterbacks. As a result, McBrien's results as well as his stats make him the best quarterback to pass through College Park in the last 20 years.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 14 Erin Henderson

The stock answer to questions about Erin Henderson and how he compared to his older brother E.J. never changed.

One would never say anything. The other never stopped talking. Both were exceptional college linebackers.

None of those standard Ralph Friedgen assertions would ever be questioned. E.J., of course, was a conference player of the year and a Butkus Award winner.

Erin, meanwhile, etched out a nice two-year career of his own.

He had a pair of 100-tackle seasons (114 in 2006, 133 in 2007), and he produced a crucial 45-yard interception return for a touchdown as a sophomore against Virginia that capped the Terrapins' 28-point burst after trailing 20-0.

He was a second-team all-conference pick as a sophomore after missing the entire 2005 season with a torn ACL. He improved to first-team all-ACC status as a junior, then bolted for the NFL with a degree in hand.

It wasn't hard to fault Henderson for leaving, and he made clear when he made his announcement he effectively made up his mind early in the season. The extra season in College Park could have bumped him into the top 10 players of the Friedgen era, but he still ranks among the top linebackers to play for the Terps in that time.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 15 Madieu Williams

The No. 1 humanitarian from the Ralph Friedgen era is almost certainly Madieu Williams. After all, the guy gave $2 million to Maryland's school of public health last year to fund initiatives in both globally (notably in Sierra Leone) and locally (in Prince George's County).

As a college player, he was pretty impressive, too.

Williams played just two years at Maryland, transferring in after a couple seasons at Towson. But once he got on the field, the only question was why he wasn't a coveted commodity for a major program in the first place.

Williams was twice a second-team all-conference pick, rolling up 80 tackles in back-to-back seasons while adding seven interceptions.

And, yes, those tackle totals are quite impressive when compared to other defensive backs in the last nine years

TOP TEN TACKLE SEASONS, MARYLAND DEFENSIVE BACKS, 2001-09

86: Madieu Williams, 2003
85: Chris Kelley, 2004
82: Milton Harris, 2005
82: Madieu Williams, 2002
80: Tony Jackson, 2001

76: J.J. Justice, 2007
73: Josh Wilson, 2005
72: Dennard Wilson, 2002

69: Isaiah Gardner, 2007
68: Marcus Wimbush, 2006

Overall, it's not a leap to say Williams is the best safety to play at Maryland during the Friedgen years. A spot in among the top 15 players overall in that span is more than appropriate.

Maryland's Stocked Fridge: No. 16 Darrius Heyward-Bey

It was only two years ago Darrius Heyward-Bey was as close to a face of the program as Maryland was going to find.

He was fast. He was charismatic. He wasn't a me-first wideout. And for much of the season, he quietly went about his business.

Then he exploded at the NFL Draft combine, lured the speed-crazed Oakland Raiders into taking him No. 7 overall and barely made an impact as an rookie in the pros.

That postscript doesn't factor into this ranking. But it's worth wondering if Heyward-Bey's college career will be re-examined, particularly if his initial impressions in the NFL --- fast, hard-working, well-meaning but not particularly effective --- hold true.

It would be unfortunate if that happens, because Heyward-Bey's production at Maryland was an accurate reflection of where he was as a player. The speed was there. The effort was there. But the product was still extremely raw.

Sometimes that led to some amazing things. The two long touchdown passes against Miami in 2006 (65 and 96 yards) come to mind. The 11 receptions as a junior against Wake Forest do, too.

And then there were times he was a non-factor, especially in 2008. There's responsibility to spread around for that, some of which does reside with Heyward-Bey himself.

At the same time, he was an incredible downfield weapon, a second-team all-conference pick as a freshman and an honorable mention choice as a senior.

Plus, he fares quite well when stacked up on Maryland's career lists:

Receptions: Third (138)
Receiving yards: Second (2,089)
Receiving touchdowns: Tied for third (13)

That's pretty impressive, particularly for a guy who spent a good chunk of his career transitioning from sprinter to receiver.

An extra year would have helped Heyward-Bey land higher on the list of the top players of the Ralph Friedgen years, but no matter. So far, he's been the most influential wideout of that era and was one of the few semi-consistent downfield threats the Terrapins have developed in the last decade. Regardless of what's happening in the pros, his legacy as an dangerous-if-raw college receiver should remain intact.