Game Information
Opponent: Towson Tigers (0-0, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association)
Location: SECU Stadium (51,802)
Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: Big Ten Network, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 2-0 Maryland
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Maryland will kick off their 2023 football season at home against Towson on Saturday afternoon. It’ll be just the third meeting all-time between the two schools, whose campuses sit only 46 miles apart. After firing longtime head coach Rob Ambrose following the 2022 season, the Tigers have entered a new era under Pete Shinnick. The Baltimore native and son of former Baltimore Colts linebacker Don Shinnick was a head coach at the Division II level for the past 23 years, with stops at Azusa Pacific, UNC Pembroke, and West Florida. In 2019, he led the Argonauts to an NCAA Division II Championship and has won more than 70% of his games as a collegiate head coach. He’ll have his work cut out for him against the Terrapins however, as he’ll be replacing three of his starting offensive linemen from last season, two of his defensive linemen, and his starting quarterback.
1. Air Raid Turtles?
One of the more notable things that quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa mentioned when he met with the media earlier this week was that new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has brought an “air raid” element to Maryland’s offense. As a team the Terrapins averaged just over 34 pass attempts per game in 2022, and it’s safe to assume that’ll tick up a bit this season. Expect to see more passing on early downs, and more shots down the field off of play-action. Running back Roman Hemby is expected to see some time in the slot, adding another option for the experienced signal-caller.
2. Who Steps Up On the Lines?
The biggest question marks on both sides of the ball for Maryland this season come on the offensive and defensive lines. Offensive line coach Brian Braswell’s unit loses four starters from last year’s team in Jaelyn Duncan, Spencer Anderson, Mason Lunsford, and Johari Branch. Head coach Michael Locksley was able to add a number of quality players in the transfer portal, including Corey Bullock (North Carolina Central), Mike Purcell (Duke), Gottlieb Ayedze (Frostburg State), and Marcus Dumervil (LSU). They’ll all likely play key roles in 2023, playing alongside Delmar Glaze who’s expected to slide into a starting role at left tackle.
On the defensive side of the ball, the team will be replacing all three of its starters on the line after Ami Finau, Mosiah Nasili-Kite, and Durell Nchami all graduated. Much like the offensive line, this unit was bolstered by some key additions through the transfer portal. Jordan Phillips (Tennessee) and Donnell Brown (Saint Francis-PA) will both play big roles, with players like Taizse Johnson, Quashon Fuller, and Tommy Akingbesote also key parts of the line’s rotation.
3. Searching For a #2 Receiver
Jeshaun Jones returns for his final season in College Park as the clear top receiving option after the departures of Rakim Jarrett, Dontay Demus, Jr., and Jacob Copeland. Finally healthy again following two knee surgeries, he played in all 13 games and led the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Behind him, Tai Felton returns after being a solid reserve option over the last two seasons. Octavian Smith, Jr., Leon Haughton, Jr., and Shaleak Knotts are all expected to step up in their second years with the team. Most importantly however, are the additions of Tyrese Chambers (Florida International) and Kaden Prather (West Virginia) through the transfer portal. Both bring excellent skill-sets, with Chambers being a reliable slot receiver and Prather possessing enough speed to take the top off of opposing defenses. Despite the personnel losses, this looks to be another deep and talented wide receiver room for the Terrapins.
4. Chad Ryland’s Replacement
Maryland has been fortunate enough to not have a question mark at the kicker position since the 2017 season. Joseph Petrino served as a solid option from 2018-2021, and Chad Ryland was one of the country’s best kickers as a transfer from Eastern Michigan last year. Jack Howes is expected to be the starter in 2023 after spending the last two seasons as a reserve. All reports say that he has a strong enough leg, but it’s his accuracy that leaves room for improvement. While he likely doesn’t need to be nailing kicks from 40+ yards to be considered successful, converting on his attempts inside of 40 yards will be crucial.
5. How Long Will the Starters Play?
Games like this give teams like Maryland the opportunity to get a lot of different players time on the field and experiment with different rotations and personnel groupings. While Towson isn’t a bad FCS team and may very well have some success this season, the gap in talent when playing up a level is typically great enough that the game should be out of reach by late in the third quarter, if not sooner. If Tagovailoa and Maryland’s other starters are playing at all in the fourth quarter, there’ll be significant cause for concern.
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.