NCAA Football: Old Dominion at Maryland
Image Credit: College Football Countdown

2013 Statistics: 34 catches, 587 yards, 17.3 YPC, 3 TD; 7 carries, 45 yards, 6.4 YPC, 0 TD; 0/1, 0 yards passing, 0 TD, 0 INT; 12 kick returns, 281 yards, 0 TD; 3 punt returns, -1 yards, 0 TD

Best Game: vs. Old Dominion (6 catches, 179 yards, 29.8 YPC, 1 TD; 2 carries, 12 yards, 6.0 YPC, 0 TD)

Worst Game: vs. West Virginia (2 catches, 13 yards, 6.5 YPC, 0 TD; 1 carry, 5 yards, 5.0 YPC, 0 TD)

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At the beginning of the 2013 season, many analysts were naming Stefon Diggs as a Heisman Trophy dark horse. But that quickly changed when he suffered a broken fibula in Maryland’s game against Wake Forest. He was on his way to a stellar sophomore season, averaging over 17 yards per catch in the games before the injury. He was in a different league than the defenders, and seemed to see openings in the defense before they were even there. He was a threat in almost every facet of the game, and turned poor passes into big gains with regularity.

When Stefon Diggs broke onto the scene in 2012, fans were amazed week after week with what he could do with the ball in his hands. Mike Locksley designed an offense around Diggs, attempting to get him the ball in as many different ways as possible. The return game was graced by another electrifying returner, something Maryland fans have been used to over the years. He wasn’t the most polished route-runner, but that would come with time.

The 2013 season saw an even better Stefon Diggs take the field. His route-running was crisper, and his run blocking was stellar. He had the same electric play-making ability whenever he touched the ball, whether it was in the passing game, the option running game, or the return game. He suffered an injury in the Maryland’s game against Connecticut however, and was forced to concede his returner spot to William Likely. He put up good numbers against Connecticut however, but went dark for the next two weeks against West Virginia and Florida State. He seemed healthier for his game against Virginia, and had put up good numbers against Wake Forest before suffering his season-ending leg injury.

Maryland offensive coordinator Mike Locksley designs his offense around touches. He wants to get each offensive player a certain number of touches each game, and believes that this helps spread the wealth around to the multitude of talented players he has on his offense. He has a wide range of ways to get the ball to Stefon Diggs, and fans saw all of those early in the 2013 season. Most of the time, Diggs spends his time as a slot receiver. He is placed here in order to avoid getting him matched up against an opposing team’s best cornerback. It creates matchup issues for the defense, which allows Stefon Diggs to work his magic.

The passing game with Diggs is very diverse. He can run short routes due to his pass-catching ability, but can also run deeper routes due to his speed. He is always a threat to get yards after the catch in huge chunks, and makes his quarterbacks look good with his amazing ability to seemingly catch any ball that is even remotely close to him. Locksley also uses Diggs in his screen passing game, as he will have him run bubble screens in order to get him to the perimeter of the defense. Since Maryland emphasizes run-blocking with their wide receivers, each one is very adept at blocking opposing team’s defensive backs. Therefore, screens like this can often go for huge gains.

While Diggs is a great threat in the passing game, Mike Locksley also likes to use him in the team’s option running game. About 5-7 times per game, you’ll see Stefon Diggs come in motion behind both C.J. Brown and the team’s running back, creating a semi-Pistol formation in the backfield. You’ll then see C.J. Brown execute a triple-option play, with he and the team’s running back running a read-option play, and Stefon Diggs serving as the pitch-man for the speed option that occurs if the defense keys on the running back. The perfect example of this is what happened early in the game against Florida International, where Diggs was seen sprinting down the sideline for a 26-yard gain on a pitch from C.J. Brown. (I diagram this play in a previous article here.)

The 2014 season should be more of the same from Stefon Diggs and the Maryland offense. C.J. Brown has been working on his passing in the off-season, and Mike Locksley may dial up a few more passes this season to take advantage of the wealth of talent at the wide receiver position. If he can stay healthy for a full season, there is no reason why he can’t be in the running for a Heisman Trophy. Whether or not he goes to the NFL after this season is still uncertain, but there will undoubtedly be teams who are more than interested in an electric athlete like Stefon Diggs.

Zack Kiesel
Zack Kiesel

Terps Analyst

Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: [email protected].

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