5 Thoughts Before Maryland Plays Charlotte

Game Information

Opponent: Charlotte 49ers (1-0, 0-0 American Athletic Conference)
Location: SECU Stadium (51,802)
Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
Time: 7:30 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: NBC, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 1-0 Maryland

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Following their season-opening victory over Towson last weekend, Maryland remains at home to face off against Charlotte on Saturday night. The 49ers also won their first matchup, a 24-3 home victory over South Carolina State. They’ve entered a new era under head coach Biff Poggi, the Baltimore native and longtime Maryland high school coach who was hired to take over for Will Healy before this season began. There’s significant energy surrounding the Queen City’s program, with this being just their 11th season back in college football after their team was dissolved in 1948.

1. Attack the Air

New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis promised that his unit would have a heavier “Air Raid” influence this season, and that was certainly on display last weekend. Despite playing an FCS opponent, the Terrapins attempted more passes than runs. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa completed 67% of his 33 pass attempts in just over three quarters of play, and connected with three different receivers for touchdowns. He took an early hit on his left shoulder which was clearly a cause for discomfort for him during the game, but he seems to be fully healthy coming into this game.

When these two teams met last season, Maryland had tremendous success through the air. Tagovailoa threw for just under 400 yards and four touchdowns while completing a staggering 87% of his 31 pass attempts. The 49ers’ pass defense ranked as the ninth-worst in the country in 2022, and they lost a number of starters from their secondary heading into this year. Poggi made a number of additions to his front seven through the transfer portal, but with his pass defense still a significant weakness expect Gattis to launch another aerial assault on Saturday night.

2. Will the Touchdown Shutout Continue?

Maryland’s defense continued an impressive streak last weekend, still having not allowed a touchdown since November 19th of last season against Ohio State. Towson didn’t get particularly close, with just eight of their snaps coming inside the red zone and none of those coming inside of the Terrapins’ ten-yard line. Charlotte scored two touchdowns in the first half of last season’s matchup, and were able to move the ball with relative ease. Defensive coordinator Brian Williams will be looking for his unit to get off to a better start in this year’s game.

3. Shuffle Those Lines

One of the benefits of starting this season with two lower-ranked opponents is that it gives Maryland’s coaching staff the ability to experiment with different personnel groupings. Two spots where they’re taking full advantage of that opportunity are along the offensive and defensive lines. The Terrapins played nine different offensive linemen last weekend, often substituting them in the middle of series. While head coach Michael Locksley said to expect less of that in this game, they’re clearly still trying to find their best five players after losing four starters before the year began. Delmar Glaze looks to be the clear starter at left tackle, but the other four spots are still up for grabs.

Conversely, the defensive line’s heavy rotation is fully by design. Locksley and his coaching staff have worked hard to build up depth at the position, and it’s allowed them to keep players very fresh for the last few seasons. Despite losing all three starters before this year began, 12 different players saw snaps along the defensive front against Towson. While players like Jordan Phillips and Taizse Johnson will naturally rise towards the top of the depth chart, expect the heavy rotation to continue all season long.

4. Familiar Faces in New Places

Poggi has been a mainstay of the Maryland football scene for decades. He spent nearly 30 years at The Gilman School in Baltimore, including 19 as their head coach. From 2017-2020, he was the head coach at Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore. He also has ties to the Big Ten Conference, with two stints on Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff at Michigan. Quite the character, he’s a former history teacher turned hedge fund manager whose bold sideline fashion choices include shorts and cut-off T-shirts.

Charlotte’s ties to Maryland run much deeper than Poggi, however. After spending the previous four seasons on Locksley’s staff in College Park, Mike Miller is now the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. Defensive line coach Wayne Dorsey spent time with Poggi at Saint Frances Academy, and former Baltimore Ravens and Michigan defensive analyst Ryan Osborn is now the team’s defensive coordinator. During the offseason, six Maryland players elected to transfer to Charlotte, a roster which now features 28 players from Saint Frances Academy.

(Read BSL Analyst Pat Donohue’s profile of Biff Poggi here.)

5. Keep it Clean

Charlotte will be entering this game with abundant energy. Poggi’s teams are typically rough around the edges, and will certainly do their best to knock Maryland around a bit. If the Terrapins get off to another slow start against the 49ers, it could be a long night for them. However if they can execute a game plan with minimal mistakes and string a few quick scores together, they could put the game away early. With a short week before their next matchup against Virginia, getting as much rest for the starters as possible would be a major benefit.