I was at the Virginia game broadcasting the Pre-Game Show Friday night in College Park. Even though I am a traditionalist and to me football on Friday nights should be reserved for high school football, I must say it was a cool experience. There was a solid crowd although Virginia had a decent showing given the proximity. The new scoreboard and the new lights certainly add to the gameday experience. The weather was nice, which made it even better. That this was a throwback matchup to the old ACC days added a little spice to it as well, at least for those us older fans.
Some Thoughts:
- The fact that the Terps got burned again on defense in the first series for a second straight game (this time on a missed assignment by of all people transfer CB Ja’Quan Shepard) was surprising. Shepard bit on a flea flicker giving up a 49-yard pass completion to their best receiver Northwestern transfer Malik Washington. Now Glendon Miller did start in place of Beau Brade at SS and did a pretty good job coming over from his slot corner position for the game. On that play though it seemed like a Shepard blown coverage all the way. Then on the TD run LB Jaishawn Barham got caught in traffic and was not able to get out to the boundary to prevent Perris Jones’ 13-yard TD.
- The Terps on their second offensive series had a nice drive going from their own 17 to the VA 33 thanks in part to two intermediate completions to Kaden Prader and Jeshaun Jones. But then a penalty on OG Corey Bullock with hands to the face that set back the drive. HC Mike Locksley decided to go for a 55-yard FG instead of punting and pinning the VA offense who started their Fr. QB again in Anthony Colandria. I was surprised Locksley didn’t decide to punt but he clearly had a lot of confidence in his kicker and or his defense to hold.
But that did not happen as VA drove again for a score capped off by a throwback TD pass to RB Kobe Pace who beat Barham on a semi out and up play as Pace had leverage on Barham.
- I thought the VA offense came out doing a nice job of mixing up formations & plays and using misdirection. Colandria did not look like a freshman. Colandria finished the 1st quarter going 6-7-108-1 TD…The slow start by the Terps was unnerving especially since it was against a Power 5 team, and it felt like it could be a long night for Maryland.
- Freshman Braeden Wisloski’s kickoff return for a TD could not have come at a better time and really jump started the rest of the team and the crowd with that score putting the Terps back in the game. That play certainly stemmed the tide from the Cavaliers initial surge.
- It was critical that the Maryland defense got a stop on VA 3rd offensive drive right after the Terps scored. If they had not stopped the Cavaliers offense, the momentum and confidence from the special teams score would have been completely lost.
- Given how bad the VA run defense was coming into the game it was surprising that at halftime the Terps rushed 13 times for just 44 yards with the largest run for just 11 yards.
- Penalties reared their ugly head again. One example was LB Kellen Wyatt’s sack to force 4th down on UVA’s 4th offensive series inthe first half but a CB Tarheeb Still hands to the face penalty gave VA new life. VA on that drive would convert two more 3rd downs, the first on a nice timing pattern, the second on a play involving motion for the slot WR Malik Washington, who ran an out and with the motion got leverage on the slot defender with another reception. On 2nd and 3rd down of the end of this drive, LB Jaishawn Barham made a big tackle of Colandria on a 2nd down QB run because if he does not bring him down it’s a much bigger gain and certainly a 1st down.
Then DL Lavon Johnson made a huge play on a WR screen on 3rd down in turning and getting down the line out of the box in bringing down Malachi Fields or else Fields likely would have had a big gain.
- The 4th and 2 Tagavailoa throw from the VA 8 with 7:46 left in the 2nd quarter to Jeshaun Jones was quite a throw and catch in a tight window with traffic around Jones. That play was the epitome of senior experience and trust. That would lead to the game tying TD at 14 apiece.
- For the Terps to come out on their first offensive drive of the second half and score a TD thanks to three completions to Jeshaun Jones including the bootleg scoring pass where Jones gave the DB a stop and go was certainly extremely beneficial in turning the tide and making VA feel like the game was starting to slip away which it was. That was only after the defense came out and set the tone by getting a stop right out of the gate. But the big play of that series was LB Fa’Najae Gotay’s sack of Colandria for a loss of 16 yards on a 1st and 10 from the VA 49 because on the prior play Colandria hit Malik Washington for 22 yards and got them into good field position with some momentum. But after the sack the Terps defense held forcing a punt.
- At the end of the 3rd quarter the Terps had 5 penalties for 60 yards, which did not do them in thankfully but once again reared their ugly head. They finished with 7-80.
- By the end of the 3rd quarter while the Terps improved some upon the run game, when you take out McDonald’s 35 yard long rush the Terps were averaging just about 3.5 yards per carry.
- While Jeshaun Jones had a big day it was the first game of the three that Corey Dyches was held in check or Tagavailoa was just unable with protection or his reads to get him the ball but there was good distribution in all. That said Dyches did have nice receptions of 10 and 28 yds both on separate TD drives for the Terps in the second half.
- TE Preston Howard’s catch and leap over a defender on a 1st and 10 from the MD 49 for 33 yards on the Terps 3rd offensive series early in the 4th quarter was a thing of beauty especially in person.
- OC Josh Gattis did not seem to be in rhythm or comfortable with red zone play calling. That is something they will need to work out but with Hemby and McDonald in the backfield, those should be your go to guys. You must be able to run the ball in the red zone given how much tougher it is to throw the ball.
- DE Donnell Brown had his second interception in as many weeks and it was exactly in the same manner as the pick against Charlotte where he would line up in a rush position but drop or flatten out after the snap and get in the window of the WR to his side and it was just too late for the QB who had already committed the throw thinking Brown was going to rush.
- No doubt the Terps defensive staff was chewing out some guys this week on the 3rd and 23 play where Virginia threw a 3 yd hitch to WR Malik Washington and he was able to convert it into a 1st down on what was a 25-yard reception, 22 of it coming after the catch. Washington was the most inside WR with a trip’s formation to the left. Washington’s defender got caught up in the wash of the other two WRs blocking their defenders and Washington was able to get down field and to the outside. On those plays one of the other two defenders must get off their block and the defender marking the WR to who it was thrown has got to haul his tail but also stay out of the traffic and make a play much earlier.
- Speaking of defense while the defense settled in and finished strong after the 1st quarter it is disappointing that you know coming in their top WR is Malik Washington and you still give up to him 9 catches for 141 yards although they did keep him out of the end zone. Tarheeb Still finished strong later in the game with two interceptions. But certainly, Still and Shepard can be a lot better than what they were on Friday night.
Big Ten Quarter Pole Assessment:
- Of the Big Ten East Division teams outside of Maryland, four teams have started 3-0, one team is 2-1 and one team is 1-2. Ohio State, Indiana, Rutgers, and Penn State have played one Conference game already…Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa are ranked in the Top 25…Maryland and Wisconsin are receiving votes.
- Michigan had a very soft non-conference schedule and struggled in their win over Bowling Green last Saturday but don’t fool yourself, they are still one of the best in the country. Now they get HC Jim Harbaugh back after serving a school self-imposed 3 game ban that had various assistant coaches acting as Head Coach for a game or a half. All of that goes away this week
- Penn State had a solid Power 5 matchup Week 1 against West Virginia and pulled away but got a test from the WVU defense for a while. They also have a Conference win over Illinois who played them tough for a while before pulling away. I don’t think that Illinois team is as good as last year’s team. PSU is still looking at having better consistency on offense at times. The Nittany Lions are one of the most tested teams in the East so far.
- Ohio State has been unimpressive offensively including in their Week 1 win over Indiana. You expected though some offensive growing pains with a new QB and some new pieces on the O-Line, but they haven’t really been tested.
- Michigan State on the field wasn’t impressive in their win over Central Michigan, they blew out FCS Richmond and then had their doors blown out against Top 10 team Washington. It’s tough to really know where this team stands but the off the field issues cannot be helping. I still think this is a team that will struggle this year and they are dealing with some key injuries.
- Indiana had a tough task albeit at home against Top 5 ranked Ohio State at the time in Week 1 and lost but played good defense against the Buckeyes and held their own. The Hoosiers bounced back in Week #2, but it was against Indiana State then they lost a close one to Louisville in Week 3. They are also one of the most tested teams in the East. The offense is an issue. Tom Allen likely started the season on the warm seat as it were.
- Rutgers had a Week #1 win over embattled Northwestern and took down regional Temple in Week #2. They had a strong win over Virginia Tech last week. The defense has been solid, and the offense has been good running the ball and converting on third down. While the passing game has shown some flashes, they still need that area of their game to shine more.
In the West, Iowa and Wisconsin are 3-0 but neither have been tested so far this season. That’s not to say they aren’t good as the Hawkeyes are ranked in the Top 25, but Iowa’s OC has it in his contract that the offense needs to average 25 points per game this season or else and that is still an area that needs improvement. Despite installing the Air Raid offense at Wisconsin, it seems their running game is still their bread and butter.
- Minnesota is 2-1 as they defeated Nebraska out of the gate in a close one in Conference play then defeated E. Michigan followed by a loss to Top 25 team North Carolina on Saturday. The Gophers have been tested.
- Illinois is 1-2 but played Toledo, Kansas and Top 10 Penn State so they are battle tested like Minnesota winning their first game but losing their last two.
- Purdue under new head coach Ryan Walter (who was Illinois’ DC last year) is 1-2 with a win over VA Tech but losses to Fresno State and Syracuse.
- Northwestern is 1-2 and they have been challenged as well with Rutgers out of the gate in a loss and then last week they played Top 25 Duke who they lost to with a win over UTEP in between. With the offseason reports of a toxic culture and the ousting of their Head Coach along with one of the weaker rosters in the league, Evanston is a tough place to be
- Last but not least Nebraska under new head coach Matt Rhule is 1-2 but had Minnesota out of the gate and lost in a close one then had to go to upstart Top 25 Colorado in Week #2 and played the Buffaloes close for a while before ultimately losing. They beat a strong MAC team in N. Illinois last week. Nebraska needs help at QB and has lost their top two RBs to injury for the season. Rhule’s team will play hard and be physical, but the wins will still be hard to come by against most of the schedule.
Mike Popovec
Terps Analyst
Mike Popovec is a Weekend and Fill-In host at 105-7 The Fan. In addition Mike hosts the Pre and Post, Halftime and Scoreboard Updates for the Football Games on the Maryland Terrapins Sports Radio Network. He also hosts the Pre and Post Game Show on weekends for some of the Maryland Basketball Games. Popovec also hosts a local News, Talk and Sports Morning Program at the beach on 92-7 WGMD. He also produces and hosts High School Football Games and Shows throughout the season out of Easton covering the Eastern Shore’s Bayside Conference. He sideline reports for CW54 for the Maryland State High School Football Playoffs with Bruce Cunningham, Doug Duvall and Wally Williams.