2022 Terps Football: The Focus This Week Vs. Charlotte

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it took Terps redshirt freshman running back Roman Hemby just one game to solidify himself as one of Maryland’s most electrifying players on offense.

The Edgewood, Maryland, native started the game with a bang by ending the Terps’ opening drive with a 33-yard touchdown run. He later busted the game wide open by taking the ball 70-yards to the house on the second play from scrimmage in the second half. Hemby alone outscored Buffalo, which proved no match for the Terps.

There’s a good chance Hemby and the rest of Maryland’s offense finds more success in Week 2 against a Charlotte 49ers team that is off to a rough start to its season.

The 49ers are already 0-2 with two blowout losses to Florida Atlantic and William & Mary — not exactly teams the caliber of Maryland. William & Mary isn’t even in the FBS. With the Terps getting their feet wet already in their 31-10 victory over Buffalo in Week 1, they should be ready to hit the ground running against another inferior opponent.

Here are the players from each team that will have the biggest impact and what the coaching strategy should be in Week 2.

Maryland Players to watch for…

Roman Hemby: Already sort of alluded to this one, but every Terps fan is going to be eager to see if Hemby can follow up his impressive Week 1 performance in which he finished with 7 carries for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns with another game that solidifies him as Maryland’s lead back. It became clear as the season drew closer that Hemby would likely get first crack at the starting job, but not everyone was sure he’d be able to hold onto it or avoid a committee. Sure, he’ll still cede plent of short yardage and goal line touches to “Baby Bus” Antwain Littleton II, and there’s no telling how carries will be distributed against early season opponents like Charlotte, but Hemby looks to be the most explosive runner in the backfield so far and could be in for a big year.

Rakim Jarrett: Jarrett quietly and methodically racked up 110 receiving yards on 6 receptions in Maryland’s season opener. He’s the most talented player on the offense and is going to eat this season. It’s nice to see him putting up big stat lines against even the weak opponents where he might not even play all the snaps he normally would. He has the chance to put up monster numbers against a team like Charlotte, even if it’s only in two or three quarters of play.

Jakorian Bennett: How’s five passes defended for a season opener? That’s what Bennett did against Buffalo while locking down his man throughout the game. He’s undoubtedly one of the most talented players on the Maryland defense and is an excellent complement to Tarheed Still on the other side of the secondary. Against a team like Charlotte that struggles to move the ball through the air, Bennett could turn some of those defended passes into interceptions and really start padding his stats this season.

Charlotte Players to Watch for…

Xavier Williams: Charlotte has used multiple quarterbacks so far this season, but Williams is the 49ers most dynamic option because of his ability to run and throw. So far this season, Williams has completed about half his pass attempts for a total of 201 yards. He has not thrown for any touchdowns but he also has not thrown any picks. He is second on Charlotte’s team with 48 yards rushing and has scored twice on the ground. He’s going to have to be the main focus of the Maryland defense.

Grant DuBose: In Charlotte’s last game, fellow wideout Elijah Spencer was the main target, but in their season opener DuBose was the lead dog and he also scored twice in that game. He’s 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, which is as solid as you’re going to find for a college wide receiver, especially one at a school like Charlotte. Luckily for Maryland, they’ll have either Bennett or Still on him most of the game, and that should be enough to negate one of the 49ers’ biggest weapons.

Kofi Wardlow: If there’s one position besides quarterback that can sort of single handedly take over a game in football, it’s a pass rusher. Wardlow is Charlotte’s top edge rusher and is coming off a game where he had 6 tackles and a sack. He most likely won’t be able to find much success against Maryland’s stout offensive line (man, how good does it feel to say that this year) but he is the one member of Charlotte’s front seven that the Terps have to be mindful of.

Coaching Expectations…

Nothing to overthink here. You handled business admirably against Buffalo, which isn’t a good team but is much better than Charlotte. Time rinse and repeat and let your talent shine in front of the home crowd, which showed strong support in Week 1.

Run it, throw it, do whatever you want against a team that just lost to an FCS opponent by 17 points. But don’t get injured and don’t revert to sloppy habits because you don’t think you have to be sharp against a weak team. The Terps looked impressively disciplined and sharp for a season opener against Buffalo and that type of focus needs to be demanded by the Maryland coaches again. Being a disciplined and smart team is built by repetition and culture. It’s not about flipping a switch on and off. That is much harder to bank on. This new and improved Maryland team. The one that has a quarterback, has an offensive line, has depth. This team needs to prove it has truly turned a corner by keeping the discipline up against the weakest parts of their schedule.

Don’t show the best plays. Take care of business early. Run the 49ers out of College Park. And let’s get the backups some run. No reason this plan shouldn’t be executed by the Terps in Week 2. Let’s keep greasing the gears so it’s a well-oiled machined against SMU and, more importantly, Michigan at the end of the month.