Inside the Carroll injury

The main topic on today's teleconference with Ralph Friedgen --- and perhaps the only one with some immediacy --- was the loss of cornerback Nolan Carroll to a broken tibia.

There's plenty more on the injury in tomorrow's dead-tree edition (it'll be in there playing hide-and-seek with 20 Redskins stories; good luck finding it).

Anyway, Friedgen said Carroll was operated on last night and had the bone screwed back together.

"Apparently he had broken his leg in high school in a similar place and was hit just above where he broke it before," Friedgen said. "When he went to make a tackle and Derek Drummond was in pursuit. ... [Nolan] swung his leg around and it looked like Derek kicked him in the shin."

In short, it was a freak play --- precisely the sort Maryland can't afford to have. Already, Maryland was without tackle Bruce Campbell (turf toe/right foot) and safety Jamari McCollough (left ankle), and Friedgen said neither will likely play next week against Middle Tennessee.

As for Carroll's absence, Friedgen rattled off a familiar set of names of possible replacements for the fifth-year senior.

"Cameron Chism came in and played pretty well," Friedgen said. "He played only 10 or 12 plays, and probably should have had an interception. He's going to have to step it up. Trenton Hughes played very well on special teams. He's another guy who has to raise his game.

"I would think Dexter McDougle, I don't think we'll be able to redshirt him. We'll probably have to play him. We hope a guy like Richard Taylor can come in and help us."

Maryland will take all the help it can get; it ranks 117th nationally in pass efficiency defense after two games.

--- Patrick Stevens