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Furstenburg's chance comes with injuries around him for Terps

Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin has done what he can to alleviate the problem of his incredible shrinking tight end unit.

The best solution? An increase in the use of 10 personnel (one back, no tight ends) groups.

For a tight end-based offense, though, there's only so much that can happen.

"It's still pretty grueling," tight end Matt Furstenburg said. "For two guys, it's pretty tough --- for any camp."

But that's what the Terrapins dealt with for much of the last two weeks. Furstenburg and redshirt freshman Dave Stinebaugh remained relatively healthy. Walk-on Ryan Schlothauer dealt with some nagging ailments.

And Devonte Campbell and Will Yeatman will miss Maryland's Sept. 6 opener against Navy, while Lansford Watson is done for the year.

It's restricted what the Terps could do, but there are encouraging developments. Furstenburg, who started the opener last year at California, continued his promising development from the spring.

Coach Ralph Friedgen observed Furstenburg is about 30 or 40 percent better than a year ago, and his workmanlike approach to camp is especially welcome. Rather than dwell on a hip pointer, Furstenburg endured some pain and remained the likely starter.

"He survived," tight ends coach Charles Bankins said. "That's the only difference that stands out. He's a little more vocal, but he's letting his play speak for itself. He's done a great job and toughed it out and hasn't really complained much."

Stinebaugh, not expected to play a prominent role, instead could be the Terps' first option at what amounts to an H-back spot to open the season.

The biggest question with Stinebaugh after last season was whether he could get bulked up enough to play this year. During camp, his ability to push through weariness is probably the more significant concern.

"My focus with him at this point is when you're in the jungle, they're looking for the weak animal," Bankins said. "You want to sludge around and all that stuff, that's who they're going to attack. You better at least look like you're not tired."

Campbell, who suffered a knee injury on Monday, could miss at least two games. Bankins said Yeatman (broken finger) is in good enough physical condition to play with one hand, though that would clearly limit his effectiveness in some areas. As a result, there's no doubt both Furstenburg and Stinebaugh will receive plenty of chances.

Assuming, of course, Survivor: Tight End doesn't claim another victim.

"[It was like] here we go again, another guy's down," Furstenburg said. "Then we were down to two. Things happen for a reason, we just took advantage of it. Stinebaugh's gotten a lot better, and I've gotten a lot better, I think. ... We're going to be thrown right into the fire right away. We've got to produce."

No easy answers for Maryland's tight end troubles

Navy was already going to show up to its Sept. 6 opener against Maryland without any tight ends on its active roster.

At this rate, so is Maryland.

The revelation of Devonte Campbell's knee injury last night --- one that is likely to keep him out of at least the Terrapins' first game, if not a few more --- is just the latest development to hamper what figured to be an improved unit this year.

Lansford Watson is done for the year, an MCL tear taking him out in the first week of camp.

Will Yeatman, nearly two years removed from his last game at Notre Dame, is recovering from a broken finger.

Campbell, who missed a week with a concussion, is now out, too, leaving the Terps without the most versatile player in the unit heading into the opener.

What's left are players who are mostly untested (Matt Furstenburg), still probably a little undersized (Dave Stinebaugh) and generally unknown (Ryan Schlothauer). In some form or fashion, all three have to be considered likely possibilities to play in 11 days.

Furstenburg has one catch for nine yards, and did start last year's opener at California. Stinebaugh and Schlothauer have never taken a college snap. It's an understatement that Maryland is uncertain just what it can expect at the position.

The short-term answer could simply turn out to be a lot of wide receiver sets, since Maryland's injury bug hasn't zapped that unit just yet.

Or it might mean using more fullbacks (although that's relative, since Taylor Watson is still rehabbing a knee injury and won't be back).

Furstenburg, in particular, stands to gain from the injuries. Campbell and Watson entered camp as the most experienced options, and Furstenburg seemed ticketed for a season of blocking and perhaps not a whole lot else.

Not anymore. And to his credit, he's enjoyed a strong camp while attrition impacted his unit.

But just to be safe, maybe he should ask for the position's name to be changed. At this point, it's clearly tempting fate to be a tight end in College Park.

Bankins wants tight end pecking order to evolve quickly

Charles Bankins' first season as Maryland's tight ends coach wasn't what he was accustomed to.

The unit wasn't particularly impressive in the spring. It slogged through camp. It was barely noticed in the fall.

Tommy Galt, a fifth-year senior whose forte was blocking, played well. Beyond him, there simply wasn't much production from a group that seemed stuck in a perpetual logjam.

"You're talking to a guy who's had a national championship and a guy that had two backs go over 1,000 yards for two seasons at Hampton University," Bankins said. "I'm used to guys competing to be the top players at their position in the country or in the conference or what have you. I think it might have been the first or second time I've coached that I didn't have an all-conference player. It was kind of different."

OK, so the still untapped talent of guys like Devonte Campbell and Lansford Watson didn't come together last season. But that wasn't the most frustrating part of the season.

Bankins waited for someone --- anyone --- to emerge as the Terrapins' clear-cut top tight end.

And waited.

And waited.

And after months of hoping it might happen, Maryland was 2-10, the season was over and the unit was still unremarkable.

Bankins hopes he won't need nearly as much patience this season.

"We're going to have one guy that's going to step up and be the bell cow, and then the rest of the guys are going to know their role and get it done," Bankins said. "I don't know who the bell cow is going to be, but that's our plan. I told them by the end of the first two weeks of camp, somebody's got to rise to the top. I'm not kumbaya, feel-good, democratic. I'm a Darwinism guy --- survival of the fittest."

The best candidate for that could be Campbell, but Watson will have a say as well. So, too, will Will Yeatman, who played tight end for Notre Dame in 2006 and 2007. Another credible option is holdover Matt Furstenburg.

All but Yeatman were part of the unit last year, which means Bankins has invested as much in reshaping his unit's outlook as trying to polish and improve its skills.

"We got to get out of that as a position and has a team that I just wait my turn and it's time to go," Bankins said. "Every day you have to compete. ... It was like 'I'm afraid to buck the crowd.' I told them you guys are like a union here --- 'We can only work 60 hours. That's it. We're not working anymore.' Hold on and come back to the group. Like I said, I'm a Darwinism guy."

There are signs the unit is, for lack of a better term, evolving. Campbell is more versatile. Bankins said Watson, despite some knee swelling early in camp, is more upbeat than in the past. And Yeatman, with his previous experience and eagerness to return to football after a two-autumn hiatus, is pushing his new teammates as well.

"As a group, we've been more positive," Bankins said. "I think they're excited about the opportunity. They see in goal-line, we typically go three backs and two tights. They're like 'We should go two backs and three tight ends.'"

That would allow plenty of the fittest to survive. And maybe that could happen.

Ultimately, though, Bankins would like to see one set starter. If so, maybe things will start getting back to normal for him --- and Maryland's offense as well.