After suffering two straight losses in blowout fashion to #5 Iowa and #7 Ohio State, Maryland has returned to College Park for their bye week. The break couldn’t have come at a better time for a team reeling not only from their last two games but also from a rash of significant injuries, particularly on the defensive side of the football. Head coach Michael Locksley’s squad will take this week to rest and regroup before beginning the second half of their 2021 schedule.

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Where They’ve Been

  • Week One: West Virginia (W, 30-24)
  • Week Two: Howard (W, 62-0)
  • Week Three: at Illinois (W, 20-17)
  • Week Four: Kent State (W, 37-16)
  • Week Five: #5 Iowa (L, 51-14)
  • Week Six: #7 Ohio State (L, 66-17)

Through the first six weeks of the season, Maryland holds a record of 4-2 (1-2 Big Ten Conference). After a hot start to the year, they hit a roadblock in their last two games against Top 10 opponents. There was hope that the team would be better equipped to compete in their games against the upper echelon teams of the conference, but that hasn’t proven to be the case thus far. Seven turnovers and ten penalties derailed the team’s game against the Hawkeyes relatively quickly, and a clear talent gap still exists between them and the Buckeyes.

While the team had managed to stay relatively healthy through their first four games, crucial injuries have started to pop up over the course of the last two weeks. Wide receiver Dontay Demus, Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury against Iowa, and fellow wideout Jeshaun Jones is worried to have endured a similar fate last weekend. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Fa’Najae Gotay and defensive back Deonte Banks suffered season-ending injuries that required surgery. Additionally, defensive lineman Mosiah Nasili-Kite and linebacker Branden Jennings have missed time due to nagging injuries. Defensive backs Jakorian Bennett and Kenny Bennett missed the game against Ohio State due to hamstring injuries.

It’s safe to say that the team could use a week off to recover and try to get a handful of these players back onto the field.

Where They’re Going

  • Week Eight: at Minnesota (3-2, 1-1)
  • Week Nine: Indiana (2-3, 0-2)
  • Week Ten: #7 Penn State (5-1, 2-1)
  • Week Eleven: at #10 Michigan State (6-0, 3-0)
  • Week Twelve: #8 Michigan (6-0, 3-0)
  • Week Thirteen: at Rutgers (3-3, 0-3)

Fortunately for Maryland, the roughest stretch of their post-bye week schedule doesn’t kick in until the month of November. Winnable games against Indiana and Minnesota are featured before they run the gauntlet of three straight matchups against what are currently Top 10 opponents. Of course, with the chaotic nature of college football this season it’s impossible to know where any of those teams will be by the time they face the Terrapins. 

The Nittany Lions looked like they might’ve been the conference’s most complete team, but if starting quarterback Sean Clifford misses any sort of significant time with injury their season may be over. The Spartans are one of the most surprising teams in the country, but their best win so far has come against an overrated Miami (FL) squad. And while the Wolverines have looked good to this point, there’s still skepticism around head coach Jim Harbaugh’s team.

For the Terrapins, it’s still not difficult to find a path to bowl eligibility this season. Three winnable games against Indiana, Minnesota, and Rutgers give them ample opportunity to reach the postseason for the first time in Locksley’s tenure. But even if they do accomplish that goal, doing so while failing to compete in their games against the conference’s best teams would still be a disappointment. In order to show progress as a football program, they can’t consistently embarrass themselves whenever a ranked opponent pops up on the schedule. During the second half of the season the goal can’t just be obtaining a bowl berth, it has to be remaining competitive in at least one or two of their most difficult November contests.

Zack Kiesel
Zack Kiesel

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: [email protected].

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