Game Information
Opponent: West Virginia Mountaineers (0-0, 0-0 Big 12 Conference)
Location: Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium (51,802)
Date: Saturday, September 4, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: ESPN, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 28-22-2 West Virginia
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For the first time in two years, the Maryland Terrapins will play a non-conference football game. And for the first time since 2015, they’ll face off against a team that used to be an annual rival. The last time the Mountaineers visited College Park was in 2014, and the two teams took a shootout down to the wire with West Virginia winning on a walk-off field goal. Maryland’s last win in this series came in 2013, a 37-0 shutout in the rain at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Since they last met, longtime West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen left for Houston and was replaced with former Troy head coach Neal Brown. Both come from the same Air Raid coaching tree, with Brown playing his collegiate football under the scheme’s architect (Hal Mumme) at Kentucky in the late 1990s. After an excellent four years leading the Trojans, he enters his third year in Morgantown. Under his leadership, the Mountaineers went 6-4 last season and beat Army in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
1. How Much Has Tagovailoa Progressed?
For the first time since 2014, the Terrapins went through a full offseason with no questions about who their starting quarterback would be. Taulia Tagovailoa had a relatively inconsistent season in 2020, and was forced to miss the team’s final game after testing positive for COVID-19. He finished the year completing 62% of his passes for 1,011 yards with nine total touchdowns and seven interceptions. Reports out of camp have been stellar, and he’ll have a difficult test right out of the gate going up against one of the best secondaries in the country.
2. Secondary Will Be Tested
Last season, Maryland’s pass defense ranked as the 25th-best unit in the country, and they return all of their starters this year. Led by cornerback Tarheeb Still and safety Nick Cross, they’ll go up against a talented passing attack led by an experienced quarterback. West Virginia’s offense averaged 278 yards through the air per game in 2020, and they return four of their top five wide receivers this season. Brown’s offense is built on an efficient, quick passing game. The key for new defensive coordinator Brian Stewart’s unit is not to allow long runs after the catch.
3. Stacking Up Against a Top-Notch Defense
West Virginia’s defense ranked as the 4th-best unit in the country last season, and they return the majority of their starters from that group. Under the leadership of defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley, they run a hybrid 3-3-5 scheme featuring multiple fronts and a number of versatile players who can play many different positions. Tagovailoa and Maryland’s passing offense will be put to the test early, so establishing a solid running game will be important for new offensive coordinator Dan Enos.
4. Generating a Pass Rush
Maryland averaged nearly three sacks per game last season, but that number is skewed a bit given that 13 of those came in two games against Penn State and Rutgers. Generating a more consistent pass rush will be important for Stewart. With so much talent in the secondary, he ought to be able to allow his front seven to pin their ears back and rush the quarterback on a regular basis. With the Mountaineers’ quick passing game however, they’ll need to force them into obvious passing situations in order to have time to get to quarterback Jarret Doege.
5. Is the Offensive Line Serviceable?
The biggest question mark for the Terrapins this season is their offensive line, particularly at the guard and center positions. Jaelyn Duncan and Spencer Anderson provide two solid bookends at the tackle positions, but Mason Lunsford, Aric Harris, and Johari Branch are all relatively unproven on the interior. Establishing a solid rushing attack starts with those three players, and they’ll be going up against an experienced defensive line on Saturday afternoon. If they can hold their own, Maryland should be able to put together some nice drives and finish with points.
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: zack.kiesel@baltimoresportsandlife.com.