| 65. Maryland Terrapins |
| #12 in Big Ten |
If nothing else, 2019 hopefully provides the Maryland football program with some stability after a 2018 that was anything but. That has already been hashed out plenty, and speculating on how much it impacted on the field results is pointless. It is worth noting that Maryland was one of the hardest teams in the nation to peg last year, looking as good as anyone in the Big Ten on some days, and looking like they belonged in the basement on others. The beat Texas, should have beaten Ohio State, and their three Big Ten wins all came by 27 points or more. But they also got throttled by Temple, Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State and Michigan, all by 21 points or more. Gone is Ty Johnson, and his low usage, freaky ypc numbers, but in Anthony McFarland Jr., they found a freshman, who actually put up better ypc, and did it on 11 carries per game, as opposed to just 7 for Johnson. The chunk play reliant ground game has been a staple of Maryland for a few years now, so it will be interesting to see if the new staff can keep that aspect rolling. It has made their offense far more fun to watch than a typical offense with similar overall numbers. It’s not the guy(s) carrying the ball that concern me, it’s the guys blocking for them, with Maryland graduating three all-Big Ten offensive linemen. Granted, those honors may have been more a product of those rushing numbers, than their actual performance, because the S&P+ numbers for their offensive line, are not pretty. #83 in the nation in line yards, #108 in stuff rate, bottom ten nationally in sack rate, for both all downs and standard downs. At least just bottom twenty in passing downs. Oddly, that may actually be a positive for Maryland fans, that the guys they lost weren’t actually as good as the postseason honors would suggest. One of the odder decisions of the previous regime was how adamantly they stuck with Kasim Hill at quarterback. Between the two, Tyrrell Pigrome was the better runner, and Hill thought to be the better passer, except he never looked right passing last year, failing to throw for even 100 yards in six of his ten starts. Hill suffered his second torn ACL, and entered the transfer portal, but Pigrome is not getting the job by default. Virginia Tech transfer Josh Jackson, and incoming four star recruit Lance LeGendre should be in the mix. It does not appear LeGendre is enrolling early, so him winning the job out of the gate would be surprising. New defensive coordinator Jon Hoke, who at 62 is getting his first solo coordinating job since 1999-2001 under Steve Spurrier at Florida, is tasked with continuing the growth from a year ago. The Terps rose from being probably the worst defense in the Big Ten in 2017, to firmly in the middle last year, led by an outstanding secondary, that could be even better this year. Maryland was susceptible to the big passing play, but held opponents to just 54% completions, and forced the second most interceptions in the Big Ten. With a pair of all-conference cornerbacks returning, the back line will need to lead the defense again.
| KEY PLAYERS |
| RB | Anthony McFarland Jr., Sophomore |
| WR | Jeshaun Jones, Sophomore |
| K | Joseph Petrino, Sophomore |
| . |
| CB | Antoine Brooks Jr., Senior |
| CB | Tino Ellis, Senior |
| S | Antwaine Richardson, Senior |
Alright, with the Spring Game officially over, I'd like to take the time to pick apart what I saw, what my hopes are, what my fears are, and what my take on all of it is, with some insight of the team in mind.
The spring game was a mess weather-wise. Sure, it was beautiful and sunny, but there were 30+ MPH sustained winds. So, from a kicking stand point, it was atrocious. Punts were low and un-aimed, and FG's were out of the question, but we're in good hands there, as Petrino was 12-14 last year, and nearly perfect on Extra Points.
However, punters........who the hell knows. It was awful. No other way to put it.
As for the OL/DL. Vanilla, as in all Spring games, it was a hat on a hat, and there were no stunts or twists. Also, the DL looked to "allow" the QB to make plays, but the DL is beefier with the Gaddy Twins anchoring, and McLean making noise last year, in a 3-4, should be pretty solid.
LB's - You have Isaiah Davis, Keandre Jones, Eley (who was highly sought after) in this group who are very good players and experienced. Who will factor in that 4th spot is anyone's guess, but 8 guys have seen the field, so it will be a battle for sure.
DB's - What's thought to be a weakness, really isn't. Tino Ellis and Marcus Lewis both return, and while losing Savage to the NFL obviously hurts, as he really had a nose for the ball, Savoy, the transfer from VT, has been moved to the defensive side of the ball for the same reason. Plus, Brooks #25, is a monster, and is returning as well to play a hybrid role in the 3-4 scheme, much like he did last year. Locks says of his defense, that every starter has his full confidence, and no adjustments will need to be made, unless one of the freshmen, like 4-star Nick Cross, can come in and knock someone off the starter spot.
Now, for offense. This is the most exciting part for me, and I'm a defensive guy all the way. Why? Well, even though many don't see a QB in Pigrome, I do. He's a Gatorade All-American, and what he does well, is keep his eyes down the field, and create more time for himself, then, can take off and pick up TD's. Not yards, but usually, he runs for a score. He's been the most dynamic QB on our roster, and I believe should have been the starter last year in that horrid triple option we ran. What does he do horribly? Hold the ball too long, looking to make a play. Many times, he held the ball too long behind the line, got sacked, and lost the ball. If he can get that clock working in his head, and become a better check down guy, he will be awesome in Locks' offense.
But wait, don't we have anyone else? Josh Jackson....another transfer from VT, is supposed to be coming in as well. If he can put up the numbers in the B1G that he did in the ACC, he may beat out Piggy. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards, and had 20 TD's. That's more productivity from a QB on Maryland's roster in over 2 years I believe! If he does come in, and is in game shape after breaking bones in his leg, then look for him to become the starter.
The 4-star QB we stole from FSU in the last minute, will be omitted here. I know nothing about him.
Now, during the spring game, we saw Tyler Desue (who was supposed to be a more mobile, poor man's Kasim Hill), and Max Bortenschlager. Both were very accurate, but like I said, the DL kinda allowed them to make plays. However, the balls were accurate and on time, in 30+ MPH winds. I was very surprised by this, because I don't want either one to start, but they were very impressive on timing and accuracy. Piggy was held out due to a "knee tweak", which they said was not threatening to his playing time, which leads me to believe he's the guy to start as of right now.
The TE's were the major jump out of the Spring game though. Big bodies that Durkin recruited that were very young, but were meant to be hybrid players with some speed. Locks loves them! He used 4 different TE's if I'm not mistaken, and all of them had soft hands, caught the ball while running in stride, and WITH THEIR HANDS! No body catches! This will be huge for whichever QB takes the field. They will be used a lot, and will be a key role in misdirection in the passing game.
The WR's- DJ did one other thing while here, and that was to recruit tall, lengthy, athletic WR's from down south. Jeshaun Jones who busted onto the scene vs Texas, is 6'2", Demus, Piggy's favorite target, is 6'4", Comma is 6'2", Darryl Jones is 6'3"....you get the point. Not many under 6'2", because we needed guys who could high-point the ball in the endzone. We haven't had those guys for years. Moore wasn't even 6 ft. So now, we have big mobile TE's and speedy tall WR's. With Locks' offensive mind, and the calling from Scotty Montgomery, with teachings from Air Raid offense from Ruffin McNeill, we're bound to see some passing we haven't seen in a while at Maryland, and it's about time.
Now, for the RB's. Do I even need to mention how deep and talented we are here? Leake, Harrison, Fleet-Davis, Funk, and of course, MacFarland, all had amazing games throughout their careers so far, and anyone of them has the ability to break a big run.
The OL, will be the key to it all though. With that said, there are 3 Seniors, 5 Juniors, 2 RS sophomores, and 4 RS freshmen, one of which, Jaelyn Duncan, is a 4-star recruit who can really move, has cracked the starter spot at LT it looks like, and caught a pass in the Spring game.
So, I'm not so sure I'm too worried about this unit, since Locks has said that the starters on both sides, are solid, but he's still shuffling some things around to fit his offense.
Now, none of this factors in other teams of course. We all know you have to win your battles and the better players win out. I can only hope that Locks and staff puts us in better positions to win, other than last year, when we mostly started behind the sticks every down.
As for the schedule, and my ever so optimistic outlook....
Howard- W
Syracuse- L
Temple- W
PSU- L (but, hoping for payback and catching them early, Locks will want to make this a priority)
Rutgers- W
Purdue- W
Indiana- W
Minnesota- W
Michigan- L
Ohio State- L
Nebraska- W (Scott Frost is a punk)
Mich St- L
This is my hope. A bowl chance and improvement from last year with drama behind us. I think DJ left the cupboard full for Locks to use. I just hope he can do it, and get the "but New Mexico" losers off his case.
Time will tell.
