Know Your Opponent: Week Five Maryland Terrapins

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Head Coach: Mike Locksley

Overall: Fifth season at Maryland, 24-28 overall

Bowl Appearances at Maryland:

2022 Record: 8-5 (4-5), Won Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Mascot: Testudo

Colors: Red, White, Gold and Black

Outfitter: Under Armour

National Titles: One (1953)

Conference Titles: 11

Heisman Winners: Zero

Last Week: 31-9 win at Michigan State

Statistical Leaders

Passing: Taulia Tagovailoa – 87-135 (64.4% for 1112 yards with 8 TDs and 3 INTs)

Rushing: Roman Hemby - 50 carries for 255 yards with 4 TDs

Receiving: Kaden Prather – 14 catches for 209 yards with 2 TDs 

Tackles: Beau Brade – 23 tackles

Stat of the Week: The Maryland Terrapins enter this game at 4-0 and are outscoring their opponents 37.3 points per game to 12.3 points per game. Maryland’s closest game thus far is an 18-point win over Charlotte on September 9.

Terrapins Talking Points

1. The Veteran – Taulia Tagovailoa

Taulia Tagovailoa has been the starting quarterback for the Maryland Terrapins for a long time. He played a bit in 2019 before taking over as the full-time starting quarterback during the 2020 season. Tagovailoa has seen it all and he’s very comfortable in the Maryland offense and taking on Big Ten defenses. The Terrapins do not have quite the same level of skill talent they’ve had in the past few seasons but they are still quite good. Kaden Prather, Corey Dyches and Jeshaun Jones are the top three pass catchers and all three are right around 200 yards receiving. Roman Hemby and Colby McDonald are extremely efficient running the ball and give Maryland’s attack great balance. While Tagovailoa won’t hurt Indiana’s defense like Akron’s DJ Irons did (with his legs), the Maryland attack is very formidable. 

2. Improvement on Defense 

Maryland absolutely had to get better on defense to improve their ceiling in 2023. After surrendering 23.2 points per game last season, Maryland is currently giving up just 12.3 ppg. They are holding opposing offenses to just a 37.25% conversion rate on third down and have sacked the quarterback ten times. The Terrapins have 20 tackles for loss and are plus eight in the turnover department. Granted, Maryland has not played any terrific offenses but they are clearly better on defense than they have been under Mike Locksley.

3. Look Ahead Spot

Indiana is coming off of a four-overtime victory against Akron and quite frankly, the Maryland Terrapins would be forgiven for looking right past the Hoosiers towards their October 7 date against Ohio State.