Revisiting Expectations and Quarter Poll Review

While expectations were high within the Terps program for this upcoming season, outside of the program much of the sentiment was taking a wait and see approach. For me personally I thought they would be in every game this season. I took a cautious approach figuring on a 5-7 record, 6-6 at best. My feeling was this program would take another step forward this season with 2022 being the year that we see the most wins in a season that this program has seen in a while. I was very bullish on my sports radio show on 105-7 The Fan in Baltimore about the Terps.

I concurred with some that Maryland could very well start out 3-1 or even 4-0 knowing though that it would get a lot tougher after Kent State but knowing even if the wins dried up, the Terps would be in just about every game and give themselves a chance to win. Getting to the 4th Quarter alone in a competitive game in much of Conference play would be a significant step forward. We have seen Maryland in the past start the season well in September before the dreaded Big Ten Conference Schedule kicked in, in October. This year though the Terps are the most equipped to handle the gauntlet since entering the Conference in 2014.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Given how good the Big Ten looks right now especially the East Division top to bottom despite a 3-0 start, a 5-7 or 6-6 finish could still play out and in no way does that mean it would be a poor season for Maryland. 6-6 obviously looks a lot more plausible now to me then it did before the season started assuming the Terps defeat Kent State Saturday which they should and would put them at 4-0. As stated, still the road will become much more difficult for the Terps especially in two weeks at home on a Friday night against currently ranked #5 Iowa. Let’s not forget the last time we had a Friday night game in College Park against a ranked Penn State team. It was a living nightmare. The program has come a long way though since 2019 and I do not anticipate that scenario to happen again. I also ask fans to remember that the Terps only got 5 games in last season due to Covid. This team should have 7 more games of experience under their belt. Due to NCAA Rules allowing student-athletes to come back for an additional season, many teams have 5th year seniors out on the field.

Quarter Poll Review

vs. West Virginia:

It cannot be overstated how important the win over a quality Power 5 border rival team in West Virginia at home in Week 1 was for this program. Coming off a Covid Year with high expectations within in the program, a cautiously optimistic fan base and fans that were back in the stands and the most fans that most of these Terps have played in front of at home. Ultimately for the offense and defense to come together down the stretch and make the necessary plays to get the victory injects a confidence on a level that you just don’t have until you have gone and done it. Think about it, if they lose that game, they have Howard the next week and a win against them doesn’t excite anybody and then you go on the road to an Illinois team on a short week to kickoff the Conference schedule. Even if you win that one, an important win but one likely to invoke “it was Illinois”. It just would not have the same impact without the win against WVU. Everything looks different with that win, one that thankfully they did attain.

For the offense to come out of the gates with a quick pace and multiple looks on a 9 play 47-yard drive- and put-up points began what would be an exciting day in College Park. Taulia Tagovailoa went 4-5-37 yds on that drive and got into a quick rhythm. For the offense to then respond after WVU scored on their first possession on a 78-yard drive in just 2:54 (that partially deflated the fast start by MD), started to tell us a lot about not only the offense but this team. The way they did it in an explosive manor, a 66-yard TD pass from Tags to WR Dontay Demus reignited the excitement full throttle and sent a statement to WVU that we are not backing down, we will answer the call. They would do it again on their 3rd drive going 8 plays covering 70s yards on one helluva an athletic play after TE Chig Okonkwo caught the pass to get to the endzone dodging defenders. Furthermore, to see this Locksley/Enos offense run different tempos, formations and show a balance of run and pass brought the glimpses of the offense last fall to a full reality.

I did question at the end of the first half why with two timeouts why the Terps ran a counter on 3^rd down which got stuffed when I thought they had a definite chance to score. They should have called a TO to discuss the 3^rd down call. 

While the defense struggled early on, I was encouraged to see them fight back and get better as the game went on. They would bend but not break and then they started to make big plays whether it was intercepting the ball, getting a steadier pass rush, or forcing a fumble. When all was said and done the defense brought all they had to the table. Specifically, early on they had no answer for WVU RB Leddie Brown, but the necessary adjustments were made, and they shut down Brown in the second half. The front four did a consistent job of getting pressure on QB Jarrett Doege and that was against an experienced offensive line. Nick Cross’ interception in the first half burst the bubble of brief momentum by WVU who a play before had just stuffed Tagovailoa on 4th down.  

The defense in the second half came out strong with 3 straight series in which they forced WVU to punt and then forced turnovers in the next two series. The first was a forced fumble of RB Leddie Brown and then the Jakorian Bennett interception on WVU’s 5th offensive drive of the second half where he came off his man on the turn in route and drifted back to help the slot corner and intercept the ball on the thrown Corner Route was a thing of beauty, a very heads-up play. That was key because WVU got a kickoff return to the 45 which gave them good field position to start the series, then they got a 40-yard completion. The Mountaineers were on their way to 7 points. The defense’s play was crucial because Maryland’s offense slowed down and struggled on its first three series of the second half before coming away with a FG on their fourth and then scoring the game winning TD on their 5th series. The offense made the big plays later when they had to and ran out the clock as well during a crucial time, a punt back to WVU would have given them a chance to score to tie and win the game. 30-24 the final that gave MD their first win over WVU since 2013 and just their second one in the last 10 meetings.

Something to Consider:

Think about how the Terps could have won this game by a greater margin if even one or two of these three plays were better executed by MD:

1. If on the Terps 6th offensive drive Tags gives the ball to the RB instead of keeping it on a read option on 4th down instead of getting stuffed, the Terps at minimum likely put 3 more points on the board. 

2. If the Terps defense recovers the WVU fumble in the flats in their territory on their 3rd drive that puts MD in a prime scoring position.

3. If on the Terps 8th offensive drive, QB Taulia Tagovailoa doesn’t take a sack on a 3rd down and essentially force the Terps out of FG range (even though they attempted one and missed), the Terps likely get 3 there.

4. If the Terps don’t go offsides on a 3rd and 9 on WVU’s 5th drive and set up a 3rd and 4 instead, maybe RB Leddie Brown does not end up scoring a TD and WVU is held to a FG attempt. The Terps also gave up a big pass on that drive due to a miscommunication.

5. Better offensive play calling right at the end of the first half would likely have resulted in 7 points instead of relying on a FG.

6. If the Terps don’t allow a 90+ yd KO return it may have taken 7 points off the board from the Mountaineers. 

vs. Howard:

This is not a very good Howard team, but the Terps took care of business and did not mess around with the Bison. The Tagovailoa TD pass on an RPO to Dontay Demus on their 1st series was a laser shot because I thought it got intercepted at first. Then on their 2nd series, Tayon Fleet-Davis’s 17-yard TD where he outran the defender and stretched to the near corner pylon to score was an amazing effort. MD would score on their 4th series and 6th series. On the 6th series it was really fulfilling to have the Freshman Kolby McDonald on his first collegiate carry out of St. John’s College Prep score on a good cutback when the initial point of attack was stopped was a nice play. It’s why he was one of the top backs coming out of the DC area. That 11yd TD rush was set up by a 28yd punt return by Tarheeb Still on a short field. At that point it was 28-0.

In the second half to see backup QB Reece Udinski come into the game for the first time this season coming off knee surgery and go 5-5 for 73 yds with a 1TD pass made you feel good about the depth that MD has at the position no matter the opponent. The thing that really stood out was all the players that HC Mike Locksley was able to get in the game which included:

QB-Udinski, Faust

OL-Green, Moran

RB-McDonald, Fa’Matau, Hemby, Littleton

WR-Jones, Carriere, Cobb

To that end to see especially at RB the DMV talent that Locksley has kept in the state and recruited made you feel really good about where the program is and where it is heading. Watching a South River QB hand off to a John Carroll or St. John’s RB was a thing of beauty for me.

at Illinois:

This was a game that I very much thought Maryland may struggle with at least early on and they did. With Illinois coming off two straight losses and coming back home on a Friday night with a pumped-up crowd, I figured the Terps would ger the best from the Illini. The Illini at least defensively did give them their best holding them to just 20 points.

Starting from the beginning though the Terps offense got backed up early on, so that did not help matters. Special teams stepped up at the end of Illinois 3rd Drive. The Illini had a couple of runs and a dump off pass to a RB that got them a big gain. They also benefitted from Levonte Gater getting penalized and ejected for a targeting call. It was not a smart play by Gater and he hurt the Terps depth which was already hurting with CB Kenny Bennett who was out for the game. DL Mosiah-Nasili-Kite also did not play in the game. The Terps D forced the Illini into a FG which was blocked. Maryland responded driving down and kicking a FG on their 3rd series. MD had a questionable reverse play call. The Terps converted a couple of 3rd downs, one via the pass and the other via a RB Isaiah Jacobs run. MD’s defense forced a punt and the Terps offensive looked like it was getting into a rhythm. They got down to the Illinois, but a false start sandwiched in between two incompletions forced the Terps to kick a FG but Nick Petrino missed to add insult to injury.

On Illinois next drive the Terps got called for an offside on a 3^rd and 3 play they had successfully defended. That gave Illinois new life and they completed passes of 28 and 33 yards to get into MD territory. But to the Terps credit despite another offside penalty came up big with three consecutive passes defended forcing a FG.

Maryland did a phenomenal job coming out of halftime with adjustments and going right down the field on the Illini scoring a TD covering 75 yards on 5 plays in 1:49. The Terps ran a WR screen off a fake zone run to Jarrett, Tags had a big QB keeper run, he also had a few passes to the wideouts all the while in an up-tempo mode take the 10-3 lead. The Terps would drive again but be undone by a RB Tayon Fleet-Davis fumble at the 7-yard line which was largely due to his stumbling and imbalance making it easier for an Illini defender to come in and knock the ball out. That was the turning point in the game that allowed Illinois to stay in the game.

A score there and I think it’s over at 17-3 the way MD’s defense was ultimately keeping Illinois out of the end zone and forcing a fair amount of FGs or punts. The Illini ran with the momentum and went right down the field for a TD thanks to a few runs to the RBs, a QB Brandon Peters run, a big check down pass to RB Chase Brown capped off by a RB Josh McCray 38-yard TD run with poor tackling by the Terps to boot.

Then a crazy turn of events with RB Peny Boone fumbling the ball, a second straight TO for the Terps only to have S Nick Cross come up big again with an Interception on the very next play. That wasn’t the only crazy play with WR Casey Washington scooping and scoring off a RB Reggie Love fumble. The Terps on their drive had a TD pass negated on 3^rd down due to an unnecessary high low block on an Illinois defender forcing the Terps to punt. MD would then stuff Illinois on a 3^rd and 1 on the next series and then respond with a tying TD thanks to several completions by Tagovailoa capped off by a Fleet-Davis 10-yard TD reception.

With Mosiah Nasili-Kite out Greg Rose who has technically started all three games at NT really stepped up with back-to-back sacks late in the game forcing Illinois to punt deep in their own territory. (Speaking of DLineman, how about Darrell Jackson, the Freshman out of Florida who was the second leading tackler on the night with 6 tackles, 4 solo) The Terps would take advantage of the good field position at the Ill 46 and drive down the field (thanks mostly to a 26-yard completion to Rakim Jarrett) for the game winning FG by Nick Petrino who was awarded Co-Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week. 

Ultimately this was a program win, another step forward on a long road for the Terps. This was a crazy game especially in the second half with several twists and turns, but the Terps held in there and prevailed. That is truly a battle tested victory. The defense played well, the offense if not for some mistakes would have had a much better night but they came up big when they had to, and Special Teams also aided in the victory. The Terps have now stacked two wins this year where in crunch time they came through and got the job done, both at home and on the road. This further builds the confidence in the team and should be a big boost the next time things may not go their way initially or at some point or if the game has a lot of ups and downs to it.