The Real Problem With Maryland’s Offense

Image Credit: The Diamondback

The Maryland Terrapins’ offense has been extremely inconsistent all season long, and last week’s game against Michigan State was simply another example of that. This has led to many fans calling for a change at the quarterback position, and even head coach Randy Edsall suggesting that the team may look in a different direction soon. However, C.J. Brown is not the problem with Maryland’s offense. Neither is Brandon Ross, Stefon Diggs, or Deon Long. The problem with Maryland’s offense this season is the offensive line.

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C.J. Brown

Since many fans seem to believe that the main problem with Maryland’s offense is its starting quarterback, let’s start with C.J. Brown. His statistics certainly aren’t what they were last season, but there are some obvious reasons for that. His completion percentage is down from last season, and it currently stands at about 53%. He has already thrown more interceptions than he had all of last season. His rushing numbers are down, and he is not scoring nearly as many touchdowns on the ground as he did last season. However, he has thrown for more yards than he had at this point last season, and is on pace to throw for more touchdowns than he had last season. 

The telling statistic for C.J. Brown is the 27 sacks that he has taken so far this season. That already surpasses his total number from last season by 6, and the Terps still have three games yet to play. He has also gotten very little help from his rushing game, as Maryland has failed to run for over 50 yards in a game in over a month. That’s where the offensive line comes in.

C.J. Brown is not the type of quarterback who can have success without a running game. He is not playing in the type of offense that can win games while consistently throwing the ball over 40 times. In addition, very few quarterbacks can have success throwing the ball when their offensive line fails to pick up basic defensive rushes. Not only does Brown get pressure off the edge, he is unable to step up into the pocket because he is simultaneously getting pressure up the middle. He is seemingly on the run from the moment he takes the snap, giving him no time to scan the defense and get the ball out in time to his receivers. On the few occasions that he has been given time and a pocket to throw out of, he has made some very nice throws.

The Running Backs

Some significant blame for Maryland’s offensive woes has fallen on the team’s running backs. Brandon Ross and Wes Brown are nearly tied for second on the team in rushing with 261 and 260 yards, respectively. Ross is averaging 4.0 yards per carry, Brown is averaging 3.4. Brown has run for 4 touchdowns, Ross has run for 2. They combined for 10 rushing yards on 10 carries against Michigan State on Saturday night.

It wasn’t that Mike Locksley wasn’t trying to run the ball, but you are forced into a lot more passing situations when you average 0.4 yards per carry as a team. This team has failed to run the ball for 50 yards or more in over a month, which is something that absolutely cannot happen for a Mike Locksley offense. This offense is based around the running game. In order to have success, they must be running the ball for at least 125-150 yards per game. This takes pressure off of the offensive line in pass protection, and makes play-action effective.

When the Terps were at their best last season, they were running the ball effectively and C.J. Brown was using play-action to hurt teams over the middle of the field. A running game allows this offense to get into a rhythm and sustain drives, and it allows a quarterback like C.J. Brown to play to his strengths. Like many college offenses, this one will struggle mightily if they end up behind the chains consistently. 3rd-and-long is not a strength of this offense, and it shouldn’t have to be. Mike Locksley should be able to use his running game, his screen game, his option game, and his play-action passing game to get his team into 3rd-and-managable distances more times than not. But when your offensive line plays as poorly as Maryland’s has this season, your offense is going to struggle.

The Offensive Line

Let’s get into the heart of the problem. Last season’s starting offensive line was a bit of a concern for most fans, especially the right side. However, they were able to put together a very nice season, and were effective enough to give C.J. Brown a chance to win games with both his arm and his legs. Throughout their impressive 2013 campaign, they had to deal with three different starting left tackles, and countless shifts of personnel on the right side of the line.

The 2014 offensive line lost two starters from the previous season, both on the left side of the line (LT Mike Madaras, LG De’Onte Arnett). Madaras left in the middle of last season, so counting him as a departure may not be accurate. Either way, there would be continuity along the line heading into the Big Ten. The team certainly misses OT Larry Mazyck, a junior college transfer from Iowa Western Community College who was ruled academically ineligible before the season began. He would have made an immediate impact on the line, taking pressure off of LT Michael Dunn, who seems overwhelmed in his new spot.

Dunn was a great story last season, a former walk-on who was awarded scholarship as a redshirt freshman and became the team’s starting right guard. He moved to right tackle after Mike Madaras’ departure. He won the starting left tackle spot this season, but didn’t have much competition. While he was impressive last season on the right side of the line, he doesn’t have the pass-blocking skills necessary to be a starting left tackle in the Big Ten Conference.

Similarly, Ryan Doyle is in his second season as the team’s starting right tackle. He moved to left tackle after Mike Madaras’ departure, but is back on the right side in 2014 after beating out Derwin Gray for the job. While his performance last season was certainly good, he has regressed mightily this season. Like Dunn, he seems overwhelmed with the pass-rushers that he is seeing this year, and has left his quarterback on an island on many occasions.

The tackle positions are the biggest problems within the offensive line, but the unit as a whole has been very disappointing this season. One would think that a unit that has stayed completely healthy all season long would at least improve week to week, but they have regressed over the past month. This is not an offense that can succeed when your offensive line plays the way that this group has so far this season.

Looking ahead to next season, the good news is that the offensive line should get better. Damian Prince and Derwin Gray will likely take over the two starting tackle spots, allowing Dunn to move back inside where he is more comfortable and Doyle to serve as a backup. The Terps are also in pursuit of two very talented local linemen, Quarvez Boulware and Isaiah Prince. They would likely not be ready to start immediately, but would bolster the future of the offensive line in a big way.

For now, this offensive line has to play better if the Terps are going to win any more games this season. It seems like the team has been piecing together wins despite poor play by the offensive line, which won’t continue to happen. Running the ball has to be a priority for Mike Locksley, but his offensive line has to execute when he calls running plays.

The problem with Maryland’s offense is not C.J. Brown. It’s the offensive line.