Terps Football: 5 Thoughts Before Maryland/Temple

Opponent: Temple Owls (1-0, 0-0 American Athletic Conference)
Location: Lincoln Financial Field (69,176)
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2019
Time: 12:00 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 7-2-0 Maryland

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Just one week after obliterating Howard by a score of 79-0, the Maryland Terrapins showcased their explosive offense as they upset #21 Syracuse 63-20 on Saturday afternoon. Through their first two games, Maryland’s football team is averaging more points than the basketball team did last season. They currently own the best scoring offense in college football, and are averaging the third-most points through their first two games of any team since 1936. Everything has been going right for new head coach Michael Locksley and his team, and they’ll head into their first road matchup of the year ranked #21.

Temple comes into this game off of a bye week after beating Bucknell handily in their first game of the year. 2018 saw the Owls win 8 games, including a victory over Maryland in College Park early in the season. They had a bit of a dramatic offseason, hiring Miami (FL) defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as their new head coach in December to replace Geoff Collins, who took the head coaching job at Georgia Tech. However, Diaz lasted just 17 days on the job before returning to the Hurricanes as their new head coach. A few days later, the Owls settled on Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey as their new leader.

1. Well, That Was Fun

Despite scoring 79 points against Howard in their first game, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who predicted they’d score 63 against what is supposedly an excellent Syracuse defense. Their vaunted pass rush only recorded one sack against the Terrapins, and didn’t have a single quarterback hurry. Offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery’s unit was very balanced, doing plenty of damage both through the air and on the ground. They finished the day with a whopping 650 yards of total offense and 9 touchdowns.

Temple’s defense will also provide a test for the Terrapins, as they’ll be relying on it to win most of their games this season. It was the second-best unit in the American Athletic Conference in 2018, and returns 6 starters and 4 of their top 7 tacklers. Led by senior linebackers Shaun Bradley and Sam Franklin, they’ll be looking to return to their 2018 form which saw them allow just 27 points per game and force turnovers at an impressive rate. Maryland has only turned the ball over once this season, and they’ll need to continue to take care of the ball when they head to Philadelphia.

2. Finally, a Quarterback

After years and years of searching, Maryland seems to have finally found a quarterback capable of making plays and winning games with his arm. Josh Jackson completed 55% of his passes against the Orange for 296 yards and 3 touchdowns. He spread the ball around to 8 different receivers, and each of his touchdowns came to a different player. His lone mistake was an interception thrown across his body while on the run. He’s taken full control of Montgomery’s offense and is running it with confidence. On the team’s first drive, it was two quick run-pass options (RPOs) to Darryl Jones and Carlos Carriere that led to their first touchdown of the day. His vision on these option plays has been excellent thus far, and he used them to carve up the middle of Syracuse’s pass defense. And while he isn’t necessarily a dual-threat, he moves extremely well in the pocket to avoid the rush and throws well on the run.

3. The Defensive Line Will Be Tested

It wasn’t altogether surprising to see Maryland’s defense allow just 1 rushing yard to Howard in their first game, but they impressively backed that up by holding Syracuse to 70 yards on the ground. While it helped that the Terrapins’ offense forced the Orange to throw the ball early and often, they couldn’t penetrate the middle of defensive coordinator Jon Hoke’s defensive line. The team’s pass rush was also excellent, recording 4 sacks on the day after racking up 8 against Howard. Keandre Jones has led the charge, notching 3.5 sacks so far this season.

Temple’s greatest offensive strength is its defensive line. Led by left guard Jovahn Fair and center Matt Hennessy, it was the best unit in the American Athletic Conference at preventing sacks. Four starters from last year’s line return, and will be a good test for Hoke’s pass rush. In the running game however, the Owls lose both of their top two backs from last season and quarterback Anthony Russo won’t beat defenses with his legs. It’ll be key for the Terrapins to knock Temple’s offensive line back on their heels and not let them gain momentum, particularly while run blocking.

4. Opportunity For Turnovers

Last season, turnovers were the biggest issue for Temple’s offense. More specifically, Russo is prone to throw a lot of interceptions. He threw at least one in all but two games last year, and threw more than one in four different contests. He finished 2018 with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. In the Owls’ two games against ranked opponents last season (UCF and Cincinnati) he threw 5 picks. The only teams in the country to throw more of them were California and Rutgers.

Russo’s penchant for turnovers provides a big opportunity for Maryland’s defensive backs. Jordan Mosley had the team’s lone interception of the season last week, but they’ll likely be looking to make some big plays in Philadelphia this weekend. Additionally, if Hoke can penetrate Temple’s stout offensive line with his pass rush, they may be able to force Russo into some poor throws.

5. Trap Game?

While the Terrapins don’t have a game next week, this Temple team has more than enough talent to hang around in this game. It’d be easy for Locksley’s team to overlook the Owls in their first road trip of the season in advance of their Friday night home game against Penn State on September 27th. All mistakes are magnified on the road, and while they haven’t made many thus far, a couple turnovers or big plays could swing this game in the Owls’ favor. Maryland will need to play with the same discipline and poise they’ve shown through their first two weeks.

A 3-0 start would do wonders for the team’s season, putting them halfway to bowl eligibility. With a tough conference schedule ahead, an undefeated non-conference slate would be a fantastic way to start their season. If they can take care of business in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, the hype machine for Maryland football will be as big as it’s been in recent memory heading into conference play.