Terps Football: Thoughts Four Games In

We’re four games into Maryland football’s 2020 season and the Terps are currently breaking even at 2-2 with wins over Minnesota and Penn State and losses to Northwestern and Indiana.

Head coach Mike Locksley’s second season at the helm has certainly had its ups and downs so far, and all the unknowns constantly surrounding COVID-19 have only added to the roller coaster ride.

Maryland has felt the effects of the pandemic as much as any college football team in the country. The Terps were forced to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel just off campus in College Park and, as a result, had two home games canceled — Ohio State and Michigan State. In a 27-11 loss at Indiana last weekend, Maryland was still feeling the fallout from the virus and was missing 23 players from the roster.

Still, the four-game sample size has given us a good glimpse of what type of team the Terps are — where they excel and where they need more work. Here’s what we’ve seen so far…

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Two types of Taulias

Through four games, Taulia Tagovailoa’s stats are a lot like Maryland’s record. The sophomore quarterback who transferred from Alabama to College Park this offseason, currently has seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has had two very good games and two very bad games.

Tagovailoa’s production seems to directly correlate with the type of start Maryland gets off to in its games. In the two games where Maryland came out and scored a touchdown on their opening drive, he thrived, throwing six touchdowns and just one interception. But in the two games where it was rougher sledding for the Terps early on, Tagovailoa never seemed to be able to gain any traction and threw one touchdown to six picks. Tagovailoa also used his legs much more effectively in the two victories.

We’ve now come to realize that there are two types of Taulias and the Terps desperately need the better one to show up in order to compete.

The run can work…when they stick to it

Much like Tagovailoa’s production, Maryland’s run game has looked good in two wins and not so good in two losses. Jake Funk has been the Terps’ most consistent runner so far this season, but when he was forced to miss last weekend’s game against Indiana because of a positive COVID-19 test, freshmen runners Peny Boone and Isaiah Jacobs stepped up admirably in his absence. That was, until Maryland’s offense went away from the run in the second half.

To be fair, the Terps were trailing by two scores for much of the fourth quarter so running at that point might not have made much sense. But Maryland’s coaching staff still opted to barely run the ball even when it was still a one-possession game in the third quarter.

Once Maryland’s offense becomes one-dimensional, it seems to fall apart at the seams and we start to see the bad Taulia. The Terps need to make sure they continue to stay variable on offense and keep defense’s guessing, especially when it’s what’s working the best within a game.

The defense isn’t as bad as it looks at times

Something that has more to do with recency than it does the outcome of the game is the improved play of the Maryland defense. After allowing a combined 87 points in the first two games this season, the Terps have allowed just 46 between their last two.

The run defense is still a concern, as Indiana seemed to be able to get whatever it wanted, when it wanted on the ground last Saturday. But Maryland’s defense as a whole still looked good for most of that game, making things difficult for a potent Hoosiers offense and holding Indiana to a total of 115 passing yards.

Against Penn State, the Terps had one of their best defensive showings in years. A lot of it had to do with a Jon Hoke game plan that included more man defense and delayed blitzing from different directions. Maryland showed some more of that approach against Indiana, but unfortunately was down some man power to execute with because of COVID-19.

But I think what has become clear over the past two weeks is that the Maryland defense isn’t nearly as bad as it looked in the first two games.

Impact freshmen on both sides of the ball

A very promising sign for Maryland moving forward is emerging stars on both sides of the ball. The most impactful freshman on offense so far has been wide receiver Rakim Jarrett, who came to College Park with a five-star pedigree and high expectations. He has been fulfilling them so far, totalling 12 receptions, 213 yards and two touchdowns in just three games played (he missed the Indiana game because of COVID-19).

Jarrett has looked every bit as advertised and seems to have a strong connection already with Tagovailoa. The two could end up being one of the best quarterback-wide receiver combinations in program history.

On the other side of the ball, you have freshman cornerback Tarheeb Still, who has already stood toe-to-toe in man coverage with some of the best wide receivers the Big Ten has to offer and passed the tests with flying colors. The under-recruited, 6-foot-1 defensive back out of New Jersey appears to have the makings of a lockdown cornerback, and it doesn’t hurt that he has a stud like Nick Cross over the top at safety to help him out.

Now that we’ve touched on what we’ve seen from the Terps so far, let’s take a look at what we need to see from Maryland moving forward…

Commitment to the run

As stated above, when Maryland has run the ball this year it has typically worked. But there have been times where the Terps have gotten pass-happy, and that has mostly led to turnovers.

Hopefully Funk is fully recovered from COVID-19 and ready to play in Maryland’s next game because he has proven he can be a bellcow back when the Terps need him to be. But regardless of who is in the backfield, Mike Locksley and his coaching staff have to help Tagovailoa and the rest of the offense out by keeping defenses honest and running the ball.

With Tagovailoa’s mobility and ability to get out of the pocket to keep plays alive, some of Maryland’s biggest plays this year have come off the play action. Running the ball more consistently will only make these opportunities more plentiful.

Fast starts

We already touched on how Tagovailoa seems to be heavily affected by how the Terps start the game. It will be crucial for Maryland to get off to good starts for the rest of the season so they can set the tone for their quarterback.

Whether it’s game planning or just a mindset, starting fast should be a point of emphasis every week for the Terps. Not that it’s not already. I’m sure it’s talked about. But this Maryland team seems like a completely different squad when it’s playing with confidence. So perhaps putting even more emphasis on the early game plan will help produce consistent early results and make in-game coaching a bit easier.

More man defense, more blitzing

Hoke needs to continue to play to his players’ strengths and stick with the man defense and creative blitzing. Maryland’s front seven has done a good job of getting after the quarterback when the Terps play man coverage and I see no reason why this should change.

Shorthanded two starting defensive backs and multiple other defensive starters, Maryland’s defense held its own against a dangerous Indiana offense and should feel good about itself heading into its next matchup.