2022 Terps Football: The Focus This Week Vs. Wisconsin

The Terps are back it on Saturday when the they travel to Wisconsin to take on a Badgers team that has been up and down all season long. After a week without starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa as he rested an injured knee against Northwestern, the Terps are expected to get their leader back for this matchup.

The extra time to prepare should help Maryland in a week that’s not a must-win since the Terps clinched a bowl berth in their last outing but is a big spot where a win would be really nice before taking on Penn State and Ohio State in consecutive weeks.

There’s nothing new about Wisconsin’s formula. The Badgers want to run the ball and play tough defense. It has worked for them at times this year, but they’ve also had some really questionable performances, including two games ago against a Michigan State team that the Terps beat with relative ease.

Going to Madison as an adversary is never an easy feat, so the Terps will have their hands full on Saturday. But Mike Locksley has his team rolling after back-to-back wins and some time to rest up. Here’s who we’re keeping an eye on in this matchup…

Maryland Players to watch for…

Taulia Tagovailoa: As previously stated, Tagovailoa has been nursing a knee injury and was forced to miss Maryland’s win over Northwestern, but he’s back in action to lead the Terps into Madison. He’s having an excellent season so far and was recently named as a candidate to win the 2022 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. Hopefully the game off matched with the bye week is what he needed to get to 100% or close to it. We’ll have to see how he looks here in a hostile environment, against a defense that will bring the heat.

Rakim Jarrett: I’ve been waiting for Jarrett — who, in my opinion, is Maryland’s most talented wide receiver — to wake up from a season-long slumber that has seen him produce in spurts but has mostly been underwhelming considering the hype. He woke up against Northwestern with an 8 catch, 82-yard performance in which he also found the end zone. Can he keep the momentum rolling and establish himself as Maryland’s No. 1 wideout the rest of the way?

Gereme Spraggins: Spraggins hasn’t been one of Maryland’s top defensive performers overall this season, but he’s coming off a game where he led the Terps with 8 tackles, including a tackle for loss. Perhaps the senior from Baltimore will excel will some more playing time in a defense that keeps getting riddled with injuries. He’ll be needed against this Wisconsin rushing attack.

Wisconsin Players to Watch for…

Graham Mertz: Mertz isn’t elite, but he’s one of the better quarterbacks the Terps have seen so far this season. The junior is in the midst of his best collegiate season so far and has thrown 17 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. He’s not a rushing threat, so if Maryland can sure things up on the back end the Terps could impact the game heavily with some pressure. Against a team that primarily wants to run the ball against you, you can’t let their passing game get going too and be guessing every play.

Braelon Allen: The 6-foot-2, 235-pound sophomore is good. He’s explosive and powerful. Allen is averaging 5.8 yards per carry this season and has found pay dirt nine times. Maryland has been pretty good against the run this season, but the Terps will be put to the test in this matchup against a big back running behind a big offensive line. Allen has rushed for 870 yards this season and can take games over. The Terps need to make him priority one.

John Torchio: Speaking of taking games over; you know one way to swing momentum and do that? Turnovers. That’s where Torchio comes into play. He’s a turnover machine. The senior safety has 5 interceptions this season and 1 sack. He has taken two of those interceptions to the house. This guy is a ball hawk if there ever was one and Taulia hopefully spent his week off studying where Torchio is going to be.

Coaching Expectations…

Wisconsin’s ability to run and pass the ball is going to make this game tough to coach. A stout defense on the other side of the ball also makes game planning hard. Sprinkle in a road atmosphere and it makes Maryland’s task on Saturday seem daunting.

But the Terps stop a lot of what the Badgers do well and the extra time off mixed with getting Tagovailoa back could overcome the challenges Maryland will face. As I already alluded to, Stopping Allen has to be the top priority because he the best player on the field for the Badgers. He’s coming off a game where he rushed 113 yards on 16 carries against Purdue. Mertz is pretty good too and has some decent receivers, but if you’re forced to pick between the lesser of two evils you’d rather make him beat you than Allen.

On offense, Wisconsin is about middle of the pack against the run and the pass, so no need to lean too heavily one way or another. Dial up the right plays at the right time and keep the Badgers on their heels just like they’re going to try to do.

Purdue was able to do a little bit of everything on offense against the Badgers, but 320 yards through the air from Aidan O’Connell stands out. He did throw three interceptions, however. Keep tabs on where Torchio is at, protect the ball, and take the points when you can get them in what likely will be a close game.