2022 Terps Football: The Focus This Week Vs. SMU

The Big Ten’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week Taulia Tagovailoa led the Terps past their easiest opponent of the season, Charlotte, over the weekend and now Maryland enters its Week 3 matchup with SMU 2-0. The Mustangs are also 2-0, with blowout wins over North Texas and Lamar.

While SMU, and Maryland for that matter, has yet to be tested this season they Mustangs are picked to finish toward the top of the American Athletic Conference and should be a formidable opponent for the Terps.

Led by a senior quarterback who’s off to a hot start this season, SMU has proven so far that they can put up points, which could be worrisome for a Maryland defense that just allowed 21 points to one of the worst teams in the FBS. SMU also has multiple explosive runners and a star wide receiver.

The Mustangs’ defense has playmakers as well. But SMU will be led by a first-year head coach, so Maryland figures to have a distinct advantage there, at least in terms of experience.

This is going to be a primetime game played on FS1 on Saturday night and there will be plenty of talent on display for both teams. Let’s take a closer look…

Maryland Players to watch for…

Taulia Tagovailoa: It’s taken three weeks for the starting quarterback to end up here, but this will be Maryland’s first real non-conference test of the season and it’s important for Tagovailoa to build off of his big game against Charlotte so that he can build more momentum entering Big Ten play. The junior completed 27 of 31 passes for 391 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception against Charlotte, but if he plays the way he did against Buffalo, Maryland could find itself in a close one here.

Jeshaun Jones: The targets have been spread around through the first two weeks, but the most constant production has come from Jones, who is looking fully recovered from his knee injury he suffered two seasons ago and could be in line for a big season if he keeps this up. Jones finished with 6 receptions for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns against Charlotte and could be benefitting from the attention teams are giving Rakim Jarrett and Dontay Demus.

Beau Brade: Brade is perhaps Maryland’s biggest revelation on defense so far this season. He’s leading the Terps in tackles with 12 and has been all over the field the last two games. Against a quarterback the caliber of SMU’s, Brade is going to be key for Maryland’s defense at the safety position. He can’t afford to be out of position against this offense, so we’ll see if the hot start is for real on Saturday.

SMU Players to Watch for…

Tanner Mordecai: Besides having one of the coolest last names in college football, Mordecai also has one of the best arms of any quarterback at this level. Through two games this season, the senior gunslinger from Waco, Texas, has completed 65% of his passes for 644 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He’s also only been sacked once. The competition hasn’t been great, but he’s been pretty much flawless. He’s not a runner. He’s going to stay in the pocket and look for his weapons. Maryland’s defensive backs need to be aware that he can make all the throws.

Rashee Rice: When Mordecai is in the pocket, he’ll mostly be looking for his top target, Rice, who is a fellow senior and is also off to a scorching start this season. The North Richland Hills, Texas, native has 17 receptions for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns through the first two games and is surely going to be playing on Sundays one day with his ideal 6-foot-2, 203-pound frame. The Terps have the defensive backs to matchup, but this will be their first true test of the season.

Elijah Chatman: Also a senior, Chatman is a stud in the middle of SMU’s defensive line and has the ability to take over games if he finds a mismatch. It will be interesting to see if Maryland finds as much running room as it has so far this season with Chatman in the middle, but Tagovailoa also needs to be aware of this man on passing downs and should expect to have to move the pocket quite a bit. Chatman has 8 tackles and 1 sack so far this season.

Coaching Expectations…

SMU is going to be a big step up for the Terps on Saturday, but it will be an even bigger step up for the Mustangs.

Locksley and his staff need to take away SMU’s biggest threats and avoid taking a non-Power 5 team lightly because SMU is predicted to be an eight or nine win team and the Mustangs have future NFL players on their squad.

Rice is SMU’s biggest weapon and will have to be the biggest priority for the coaching staff to take away. But the best way for them to take him away would be to get pressure on Mordecai. That would kill two birds with one stone. Maryland has 5 sacks through the first two games against subpar competition, so the Terps will have to be a bit more aggressive and productive in that regard to disrupt the SMU offense.

Conversely, Maryland’s offensive line is going to have to be ready to stop SMU’s biggest strength on that side of the ball, which is its defensive line. If they can’t protect Taulia, it could be a long day, especially if they also aren’t able to get the running game going. It’d be best for the offensive coaching staff to keep the Mustangs guessing and mix things up early so that they question whether they can pin their ears back or if they have to play more conservatively. Maybe throw in some screens or draws or a couple of designed quarterback runs. That should help open things up for big play makers like Jarrett, Jones, and Demus.