Clawing Through The Loss

We thought we knew, maybe we still do but then again maybe we don’t. The College Football season like the NFL (although the NFL plays another half a season longer than the collegiate ranks) is a long year and we can easily get caught up in the here and now when assessing a team. There was much we saw in the Iowa game that certainly could make you want to jump off the ship. One game does not have to define the season. However, through four games, one-third of the season complete, shouldn’t we know this Terps team better than we thought we did at least for those of us that were optimistic about their chances in the game? With the Terps Friday Night debacle against Iowa here are a couple of ways of looking at the game.

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

1. Iowa was the #5 ranked team at the time and they played like it and maybe we did not give them enough respect based on for instance their struggling to beat Colorado State at home the week prior and their poor offensive numbers within the Big Ten
2. Maryland is not as good as we thought they were, and they may still be longer off than we think of competing
3. The game is an anomaly and Maryland is a better team, not good enough to be Iowa but good enough to have been competitive

I will be the first one to tell you that while I did respect Iowa coming in, I did not feel they were necessarily the fifth best team in the country. While I am still not convinced that they are better than Penn State, Ohio State or even Michigan they are better than what I gave them credit for. They played like a seasoned team (even if they were not in some areas) and when the opportunity presented itself, they pounded. I would have liked to have seen how this Maryland team would have done if they had not turned over the ball so many times and if WR Dontay Demus does not get hurt, fumble, and leave the game.

Once Demus got hurt and fumbled, it was over in my mind, the air was let out of the building. It was just a matter of time before Iowa scored with the great field position given to them and of course they did. Now that said at 17-7, a 10-point deficit is not one that you cannot overcome especially at home but when Tagovalioa threw another interception and Iowa scored off that possession, it was game over for everyone else who held out hope at 17-7.

The 2nd Quarter was a nightmare:

                      T.O.P    Pts. Yds. TOs

Iowa              12:20     31    97     0

Maryland:      2:40       0     28     4

Three things that clearly hurt:

1. Turnovers
2. Demus’ Injury
3. Injuries that have mounted with CB Deonte Banks, LB Branden Jennings and LB FaNajae Gotay out for the Terps.

I think it is safe to say that Maryland is better than this, but it will be a question of how much better. I still think the win over West Virginia was a quality one in part evidenced by how the Mountaineers played at #4 Oklahoma two weeks ago. Illinois has 15 returning starters but that said they are not a particularly good team. The win against the Illini though was still important because it was a Conference game on the road on a short week against a team they should beat. Iowa however was on the other side of the spectrum from Illinois.

I predicted at the beginning of the year this would likely be a 5-7 team. I also made the comment that I thought Maryland should be in about every game this year. I included the Iowa game. The one game I thought could get away from them is Ohio State, the team that just so happens to be on the schedule this week. It will tell me a lot about this team as to how they come out and play the Buckeyes. But the bottom line is they are nowhere close to Ohio State, then again most of the Big Ten is not either. We are not going to learn anything from that game that we do not already know. The Terps will have to wait until after the Bye against the likes of Minnesota, Indiana, and Michigan to see where they stand.

At their best they can compete with these teams and get a couple of wins, but we have not seen their best since Week #1. They also will never be at their best unless they cut down on the penalties and turnovers and they have not shown the ability to do that consistently enough. Let us hope that changes or else it will be a long rest of the season. Finally, as I have mentioned many times, this a team that missed seven games last year due to Covid circumstances. They are still missing over a half a season of experience that normally they would have coming into the season. That has to account for something in how this season plays out.

BONUS:

My Top 5 Big Ten Rankings:

1. Ohio State (4-1)-The road to the top of the Big 10 still goes through Columbus despite their defensive issues. In case you have not noticed they can still score a ton of points.
2. Penn State (5-0)-I think the Nittany Lions are the best all around team in the Big Ten at the moment although their offense is not as explosive as OSU. They still need to beat the Buckeyes to be #1.
3. Iowa (5-0)-Slight nod over #4 & 5 here. Defense is very good. The offense looked good against MD but how will it do against better teams?
4. Michigan State (5-0)-These guys have been good on both sides of the ball. Their offense is better balanced and right now has a better passing game than the Wolverines which is why I have them above Michigan even though AP Poll tells a different story.
5. Michigan (5-0)-Great turnaround from last season. Defense is leaps and bounds better. I still question passing game and at times the play calling.

*Note: I think #s 3-5 are all very tight, those teams are all capable of beating one another.