Know Your Opponent: Maryland Terrapins
/Written by: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)
Head Coach: Mike Locksley
Overall: 3rd Season, 10-20 (.333) Overall
Bowl Appearances at Maryland: 0
2020 Record: 2-3 (2-3, 4th in the Big Ten East)
Bowl Appearances Since 2000: 10 (5-5)
Mascot: Testudo
Colors: Red, White, Gold, and Black
Outfitter: Under Armour
National Titles: 1 Claimed, 1 Unclaimed
Conference Titles: 11
Heisman Winners: 0
2021 Record: 4-3
Last Week: LOSS vs Minnesota 34-16
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: Taulia Tagovailoa (172-242 passing (71.1%), 1965 yards, 15 TDs, 8 INTs)
Rushing: Tayon Fleet-Davis (63 rushes, 359 yards, 5.7 YPC, 5 TDs)
Receiving: Dontay Demus Jr. (28 receptions, 507 yards, 3 TDs) (Injury, Out for Season)
Tackles: Nick Cross (41 tackles, 29 solo, 2 INTs, 5 PDs, 1 FF)
Stat of the Week: Maryland has allowed fewer than 30 points in just one game this season.
Maryland’s Talking Points
1. Dual Threat Quarterback.
Tua’s little brother Taulia has had an up and down collegiate career, but he has shown flashes of greatness this season. The Indiana defense will need to be ready for him to make an impact with both his arm and his legs, as he is not afraid to take things into his own hands when the pocket breaks down.
“He's a very talented player,” said Tom Allen on Monday. “Very quick release with a big-time arm and can run. Probably the thing that really sticks out to me with him is his ability to get rid of the ball so quickly and efficiently. And then the way he moves athletically. He's a true dual-threat guy.”
“He's another year older,” he continued. “He does a really good job. Completion percentage for him is very high. And it's because he's really good, we've just got to do a great job defensively. That's going to be on us as a staff and our players to respond and to be able to put together a great plan.”
2. Struggling Defensive Line.
During the bye week, Maryland’s defensive front seven had hoped it would be able to fix some of its recurring issues. But after just one quarter of play this past weekend in Minnesota, it was clear there was plenty of work left to be done. The Gophers finished the day having rushed for 326 yards, and this was a Minnesota team without its two starting running backs from the beginning of the season.
“The disappointing thing for me is we had two weeks to prepare,” said Maryland coach Mike Locksley. “And it wasn't as if they did anything that we didn't expect, and we still didn't get it done. And that's on me as a coach. So I got to hold our staff accountable to make sure we're doing things right regardless of who's out there. When you let a team rush for 300 yards," he said, "to have two weeks to prepare, and still give up that type of yardage in the run game is unacceptable."
3. Lack of Discipline.
It is always going to be an uphill battle for the Maryland-type team in the Big Ten East, but they are not helping themselves out this season. After six games, the Terrapins averaged 62.3 penalty yards per game, racking up the third-most penalties in the conference. They added eight more penalties for 79 yards Saturday against Minnesota.
“Obviously, you continue to coach and teach and demand, like I said,” added Locksley. “Our job is to teach and demand. Some of these penalties, we call them competition penalties, I mean, you know, obviously not playing the ball in the air. Well, we had the DPI early in the game, we had the hands to the face, those type of penalties. The crack-back blocks at the end are just stupid. And to me, those are the ones where those guys got to be held accountable. And as I told our team, you know, these guys gonna be held accountable for their actions just like we will as coaches, and it's on all of us."