Resetting Expectations For Terps Football After Week 1

My colleague Jordan Katz just wrote about why Maryland needs to be 4-0 entering a home game against Iowa on Oct. 1. And while these might have been thought of as lofty expectations prior to the Terps’ 30-24 win over West Virginia last weekend, they’re certainly fair now.

Most people, myself included, were cautiously optimistic about the product Maryland would put on the gridiron this season. We saw the talent up and down the roster but felt like we had been there before only to be disappointed at some point during the season. We’ve also seen the Terps get big Week 1 wins — a la Texas (twice) — but then falter over the course of the year on their way to a subpar season.

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Past scars made it hard to fully buy into the Terps prior to seeing them in action last Saturday. A tough season-opening matchup against a Mountaineers team returning many players on both sides of the ball and that ranked fourth in the country in total defense last season made it even harder to go out on a limb and predict a strong start to the season for Maryland.

But low and behold, it all came together and the Terps looked great in their Week 1 victory. Taulia Tagovailoa commanded the huddle and had the offense looking crisp. He finished the game having completed 26 of 36 passes for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns. Most importantly, he did not turn the ball over at all. In fact, no one on Maryland’s team did.

Tagovailoa’s top targets were obvious and to be expected. Senior Dontay Demus and sophomore Rakim Jarrett each hauled in 6 receptions for 133 and 122 yards, respectively. They each also scored a touchdown of 60 yards or longer, showing just how explosive this Mike Locksley offense can be with the playcalling of new offensive coordinator Dan Enos. Tagovailoa also showed good chemistry with tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, who also caught a touchdown in the season opener.

The passing game was supported by a strong rushing effort from senior running back Tayon Fleet-Davis, who was hot out the gate early and used his 18 carries to rush for 123 yards against a talented Mountaineers front seven.

On defense, Maryland started off poorly, missing tackles and letting receivers get behind them. But after shaking off a little offseason rust and making some adjustments the Terps tightened up some defense and were able to produce some stops and turnovers.

It’s pretty evident already in their young collegiate careers that sophomores Tarheeb Still and Ruben Hyppolite are NFL talents. Hyppolite suring up the middle of the defense while Still serves as a shutdown corner on the outside is the type of thing most defensive coordinators dream about. Add in junior safety Nick Cross, who can literally play anywhere on the field and also looks like a sure fire pro, and this Maryland defense has some serious firepower.

All three were excellent against West Virginia. Cross and Still both led the team in tackles with 7 apiece, and Cross made some big momentum-swinging plays by forcing a fumble and recording an interception. Hyppolite was also flying all over the field and broke up two passes of his own while recording five tackles, including one for a loss.

The casualty of the game did occur on the defensive side of the ball though as Fa’Najae Gotay suffered an upper body injury that is expected to keep him out most of, if not all, the remainder of the season. However, freshman linebacker Brendan Jennings looked great filling in for Gotay and should be someone Terps fans can get excited about moving forward.

Celebrating the win was surely sweet, but now it’s time to take this Maryland team seriously and consider what the expectations should be for Mike Locksley’s squad moving forward.

Winning the next three games against Howard, Illinois, Kent State is just the start. As Jordan said, 4-0 needs to happen. That would leave the Terps with eight games on the schedule and two wins needed to be bowl eligible. But if Maryland starts 4-0 and looks as good as it did against West Virginia, 6-6 can’t be the goal, despite the schedule getting much tougher throughout the year.

Iowa at home followed by back-to-back road games against Ohio State and Minnesota is a tough stretch, but nothing that should keep the Terps up at night if they keep their mojo. Iowa looked awesome in its dismantling of Nebraska, but the Cornhuskers are a mess. The Buckeyes and Golden Gophers battled it out in Week 1 and both looked formidable (OK, Ohio State is better than formidable; they’re still the powerhouse of the Big Ten), but Minnesota lost its starting running back and arguably its best offensive player, Mohamed Ibrahim, for the rest of the season and Ohio State didn’t seem as tightened up on both sides of the ball as we’ve seen in years past.

I’m not saying the expectations should be for the Terps to walk into the Horseshoe and come out with a victory, but their confidence in their ability to do so has to be as high as ever after that West Virginia game and if Maryland knocks off Iowa in College Park the week prior and enters Columbus 5-0 we’re going to be looking at a matchup between two dangerous, ranked Big Ten teams.

Going 2-1 in that stretch would all but sure up a bowl berth; going 1-2 isn’t ideal but wouldn’t mean the sky is falling and as long as the Terps stay healthy and look decent during that stretch the season would still be intact; going 0-3 would be unacceptable and have the Terps and their fanbase scratching their heads at 4-3 as worry starts to kick in.

The remaining games on the schedule, Indiana, Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan, and Rutgers, should all be winnable based on what we saw in Week 1. If Maryland starts the season strong and runs through this stretch of games relatively unphased then we’re truly talking about a special season. But even if Maryland can win half of its conference games it will be enough to send them to the postseason.

After Week 1, a postseason berth is the low bar. Anything short of that would result in utter disappointment. But I’ve personally readjusted my expectations to a minimum of seven or eight wins. The Terps showed they are a team with the talent to do so in Week 1. Now it’s about keeping the squad healthy and building off of that success; not letting expectations get to you; using them as motivation to grow as opposed to pressure that weighs you down.

This year’s team has something special written all over it. Let’s see if they can make it happen.