2024 At First Glance: Week Five Maryland Terrapins
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Written by: Nick Gonzales
Hoosier Huddle’s ‘At First Glance’ series carries on as we preview Indiana’s week five matchup against the Maryland Terrapins. A familiar foe for the past 10 years, the Hoosiers hope to snap Maryland’s three-game win streak against them.
Week Five: Maryland Terrapins
Date & Time: Saturday, September 28 at TBA
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN
TV: TBD
Terrapins at a Glance
Head Coach: Mike Locksley
Record at Maryland: 29-33 (15-32 in Big Ten)
Overall Record: 31-59 (8.5 seasons)
Last Season: 8-5 (4-5 in Big Ten)
Terrapins Returning Leaders
Passing: Billy Edwards Jr. – 10-of-30 (33.3%), 128 Yards 1 Touchdown 1 Interception
Rushing: Roman Hemby – 680 Yards on 142 Carries 4 Touchdowns
Receiving: Tai Felton – 48 Catches for 723 Yards 6 Touchdowns
Tackles: Ruben Hyppolite II (LB) – 66 Tackles (47 solo), 2.5 Tackles for Loss, 1 Sack
Terrapins Preseason Predictions
Athlon: 11th in the Big Ten
Lindy’s: 11th in the Big Ten
Phil Steele: 10th in the Big Ten
SP+: 44th Nationally
Impact Newcomers for the Terrapins
Josh Kaltenberger, OL, Transfer from Purdue
Aliou Bah, OL, Transfer from Georgia
Jalen Huskey, DB, Transfer from Bowling Green
MJ Morris, QB, Transfer from NC State
Biggest Questions Facing the Terrapins
Will Maryland be able to succeed in the Big Ten after losing their star QB Taulia Tagovailoa?
Can Coach Locksley finally have a winning conference record?
How can Coach Locksley beat a ranked Big Ten opponent after failing to do so in previous years?
Will Maryland win its fourth bowl game in a row?
Program Preview
The Big Ten is one of the oldest college athletic conferences in the country, but Maryland hasn’t been a part of it for very long compared to schools like Indiana, who joined the conference in 1899. This will be the 13th time the Terrapins and Hoosiers face off. Maryland has a 5-7 record against the Hoosiers, two of those losses coming from their two matchups in the early 1930s. Maryland has a three-game winning streak against the Hoosiers and will try to make it four.
Since Mike Locksley became the head coach for Maryland in 2019 (he was interim head coach for the Terrapins in 2015), he has seen some success. After struggling in his first two seasons with a losing record, the Terrapins recorded a 7-6 record in 2021, and back-to-back 8-5 seasons in 2022 and 2023. Maryland has made a bowl game the past three seasons and won them all. However, since Maryland joined the Big Ten in July of 2014, they have failed to record above .500 in the conference (closest being their first year going 4-4 in the Big Ten).
Maryland shouldn’t feel too comfortable coming into this year with the new additions of schools in the Big Ten. Plus, with the loss of Taulia Tagovailoa and five offensive linemen. They have seen success in the past few years but will need to prove themselves this year as a worthy adversary in the Big Ten.
Offensive Preview
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Maryland’s offense did a good job at staying relevant last year with their new offensive coordinator, Josh Gattis, ranking just outside the top 20 nationally according to SP+. The Terrapins averaged 29.7 points per game and 387 yards per game. Because of this, they were the fourth-ranked overall offense in the Big Ten in 2023. However, the offense has changed dramatically since then and it’s hard to measure how they’ll perform this year. Don’t be surprised if this team starts out 4-1 before struggling to finish the season with a winning record due to tough opponents that await them in October and November, such as USC, Oregon, Penn State, Iowa, and Rutgers.
The biggest change for the Terrapins is their offensive line. With the loss of Delmar Glaze, Gottlieb Ayedze, Amelio Moran, Corey Bullock, and Mike Purcell, the Terrapins had to make some additions from the transfer portal. They ended up adding some offensive line talent from the portal such as Josh Kaltenberger from Purdue, Aliou Bah from Georgia, Isaiah Wright from Buffalo, and Alan Herron from Shorter University. However, will they be able to fill the shoes of the previous linemen who helped the Terrapins have a top 4 offense in the Big Ten?
The biggest concern for Maryland’s offense is their QB situation. With Taulia Tagovailoa graduating and playing in the CFL, the Terrapins have turned to Tagovailoa’s backup Billy Edwards Jr. to perform for them this year. With 14 game appearances in his collegiate career spanning from 2022-23, Edwards has gone 38-of-76 (50%) for 436 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception, while recording 227 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground on 63 carries. However, Edwards’ stats don’t paint the full picture. During the Music City Bowl, Edwards completed 6-of-20 for 126 yards and a touchdown and led Maryland to a 31-13 win against Auburn. While the stats were not impressive for a QB, he also put up 50 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Edwards is a very agile QB who isn’t afraid to run the ball himself and won’t shy away from attempting to truck linebackers. While he hasn’t had much time starting at QB, fans expect him to fill in for the player responsible for setting a school record for passing yards (3,860) and attempts, and who is the brother of NFL quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. In order to provide depth at the quarterback position, Locksley acquired MJ Morris from NC State who threw for 1,367 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions while completing 115-of-199 (57.8%) attempts in the 9 games he appeared in from 2022-23. They also have a skilled passer in Cameron Edge who threw a 57-yard bomb in the Music City Bowl and will also be competing for the job as the signal-caller.
Besides the battle for starting QB and seeing how the new offensive line turns out, the Terrapins have some weapons on their roster. Running back Roman Hemby returns to Maryland and is hoping to shake up defenses this year. In the past two seasons, he has totaled 1,669 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 330 carries, and 647 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns on 71 receptions. If the Terrapins want to get him going, they’re going to have to make sure their new offensive line can run block against tough Big Ten defenses. Some other Maryland offensive weapons include tight end Preston Howard, and the leaders of their deep & talented wide receiver room, Kaden Prather and Tai Felton. In 2023, Prather put up 666 yards, 42 receptions, and 5 touchdowns. Tai Felton displayed his talent as a wide receiver with 723 yards, 48 receptions, and 6 touchdowns in 2023. If Maryland can prove their QB is a legitimate passer, they’ll make sure that Felton and Prather get the ball in their hands in order to tear up the defense. Prather, Felton, and Hemby can be some of the top names in the Big Ten this season and can help lead the Terrapins to their fourth straight bowl game.
Defensive Preview
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
While the offense did well last year, the Terrapins’ defense is what made them as successful as they were. With defensive coordinator Brian Wiliams, the Terrapins ranked just shy of the top 10 according to SP+ but will pursue that top 10 spot this year. Maryland fans will also be excited to hear that eight of their defensive starters will return to play this year. The front seven is full of returning faces and skilled veterans who contributed to allowing an average of 4.86 yards per play. However, looking at the defensive backfield is where it starts to get shaky.
Maryland lost some of their defensive backs to the NFL last year which will lead to some growing pains as they face tougher opponents. After losing defensive backs Tarheeb Still, Beau Brade, and Ja’Quan Sheppard, they needed to bring in some talent to help fill the position. They acquired Jalen Huskey from Bowling Green through the portal, but other than that, they didn’t make many changes. Huskey was a good addition to help their defensive backfield adjust. But we’ll have to wait and see if Huskey, along with Perry Fisher, Dante Trader, and Glendon Miller will be able to take the reins from the talented defensive backs that were there last season. While some of them lack experience in a starting role, they are still skillful players and should be able to hold their own.
Moving onto the most exciting positions in their defense, the front seven. The Terrapins’ front seven will most likely carry the majority of the load this season. Rejoining the fray is one of the Terrapins’ leading tacklers last season, Ruben Hyppolite II. Hyppolite was 2nd in total tackles (66), just behind Raven’s rookie safety Beau Brade. Hyppolite will be a major focus point in causing havoc against opposing offenses. Accompanying the veteran player at linebacker are juniors Caleb Wheatland (41 total tackles) and Kellan Wyatt (34 total tackles). If you’re lucky to escape Maryland’s defensive line, then you’ll have to deal with these beasts hurling themselves towards you.
The Terrapins’ defense is lucky to be a part of a defensive front seven filled to the brim with potential stars. At the Jack position, they’ll most likely start Donnell Brown (29 TOT & 3 sacks). The defensive line will consist of Quashon Fuller (25 TOT, 3 sacks, & 1 FF), Jordan Phillips (6’3”, 311 lbs), and big boy Tommy Akingbesote (6’5”, 315 lbs). Their defensive line is beefy and will eat teams alive if they don’t game plan accordingly.
This will be an exciting defense to watch for college football fans. Legendary coach Bear Bryant said that “defense wins championships,” and that is most certainly the case for Maryland. If they want a shot for a bowl game, then it’ll come from the performance of Brian Williams’ defense. With how the Terrapins look so far, it’s not too crazy to say that Williams might land a head coaching job for the 2025 season.
Special Teams Preview
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Maryland’s special teams were the weakest part of the team, but they have made some upgrades to their depth. Jack Howes was the Terrapins kicker in 2023, kicking 13/19 field goals (68.4%) and 46/47 extra points. His longest kick was a 49-yard field goal. He isn’t too bad for a college kicker, but he might have to compete with a transfer from Oklahoma, Gavin Marshall. They also acquired Ryan Capriotti, kicker from East Carolina University, through the transfer portal. Kicker is an important position for a team to gain more points and pin opponents as far back as they can. So, if Howes can’t perform or gets injured, the Terrapins have some options.
The Terrapins’ starting punter in 2023 was Colton Spangler who punted 38 times for 1,605 yards, the longest going for 54 yards. Spangler has now graduated, and the Terrapins were left with backup punter, Brenden Segovia. Segovia only punted 8 times in 2023 for 307 yards, the longest being 50 yards. In May of 2024, Coach Locksley announced that they added a punter from the transfer portal, Bryce McFerson. McFerson transferred from Notre Dame to Maryland in order to take the starting role there. In 2023, McFerson punted 38 times for 1,712 yards with 59 yards being his longest punt. McFerson will most likely be the starting punter for the Terrapins. Snapping to McFerson and Segovia will be redshirt junior Ethan Gough, who has been the primary long snapper for the Terps for the past two seasons.
Likely to return as the Terps primary kick returner is Braeden Wisloski. In 2023, Wisloski, a receiver for Maryland, returned 16 kicks for an average of 23.8 yards per return (tied for 19th in the nation in kickoff return average). His best return last season won him Big Ten Special Teams Player of the week due to a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown in a win against Virginia. If you want to check out his exciting return, the link is below.
https://www.foxsports.com/watch/play-6a4789732000e3d
2024 FIRST GLANCE PREVIEWS