Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Maryland Terrapins season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Maryland Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 5-7 overall, 3-9 in the Big Ten
Head Coach: Mike Locksley, 1st year at Maryland
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MARYLAND OFFENSE
– The Terp attack wasn’t consistent, but it was a force when the rushing attack found its groove – really, how did Ohio State survive that? – and was able to put up 34 points or more six times. Now it’s up to the offensive coordinator tandem of Scottie Montgomery and Joker Phillips to balance things out a bit, but …
– The quarterback situation has to finally be healthy and settled. Kasim Hill had less than zero injury luck, and now he’s transferring. Tyrrell Pigrome is a good veteran, but he’s not enough of a passer, Enter Josh Jackson, the Virginia Tech transfer who missed most of last season with a broken leg. He’s coming in this summer looking to boost up one of the nation’s worst passing games.
– There aren’t any big names among the receiving corps, but there’s talent in place just waiting to be used. Leading receiver Taivon Jacobs is gone, but he only caught 25 passes. Four of the top seven wide receivers last season were freshmen, and senior DJ Turner should be a nice option on the inside with more work coming his way.
– There’s too much talent in the backfield to not keep running the ball. Anthony McFarland is a smallish gamebreaker who just needs a little room to move – and needs the ball more. He’s a home-run hitter, but Javon Leake has the bulk to go along with the size. This is a deep, deep group, but is the line there to pave the way? Just two starters are back from a front five that struggled in pass protection, but could wall off holes for the quick backs.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MARYLAND DEFENSE
– Getting veteran Jon Hoke away from the NFL as the defensive coordinator should be a big plus for a D that couldn’t hold up against the run and had almost no pass rush whatsoever. Now the Terps have to hope for a few relatively untested ends have to take over for the worst defense in the Big Ten in generating tackles for loss. On the plus side, the interior combination of Adam McLean and Keiron Howard is good enough to build around.
– The secondary has some work to do, especially at safety. Darnell Savage is in the NFL, Antwaine Richardson is recovering from a knee injury, and now the safeties are young around star Antoine Brooks. The hope is for super-recruit Nick Cross to play a big role right away. Tino Ellis is a solid veteran corner, and there are enough good options to rotate in on the other side.
– One of the bigger changes will be the use of the linebackers. The D will go from a 4-2-5 alignment to more of a modified 4-3 with a hybrid outside linebacker who’ll do a little of everything. Isaiah Davis is the main man on the inside, and now the pass rushers have to emerge on the outside after the Terps came up with just 16 sacks.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP MARYLAND PLAYERS
Best Maryland Offensive Player
RB Anthony McFarland, Soph.
The terrific running game of last year had its flash in a 5-8, 193-pound force. Not big enough to handle a massive workload, he was still able to carry the ball 50 times over a two-week span against Indiana and Ohio State, tearing through the Buckeyes for 298 yards and the Hoosiers for 210 yards.
McFarland led the team with close to eight yards per carry, running for 1,034 yards and four scores. Now he needs to get even more work – he got double-digit carries just four times.
2. QB Josh Jackson, Jr.
3. WR Jeshaun Jones, Soph.
4. PK Joseph Petrino, Soph.
5. OG Sean Christie, Sr.
Best Maryland Defensive Player
S Antoine Brooks, Sr.
One of the Big Ten’s best all-around defensive backs over the last two years – coming up with 77 tackles and two picks – he made 68 tackles with 2.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and a pick last year a freelancer in the Nickel spot.
Now he’ll likely step in as a true safety with Antwaine Richardson out for the year with a torn ACL, and with Darnell Savage off to become a Green Bay Packer. The 5-10, 210-pounder can play anywhere in the secondary.
2. LB Isaiah Davis, Sr.
3. CB Tino Ellis, Sr.
4. NT Adam McLean, Sr.
5. LB Keandre Jones, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Maryland Offense
It’s time to start throwing the ball again. The offense relied way too much on the ground game – it wasn’t a bad plan considering it was so explosive. The Terps won both games – Texas and Illinois – when the passing attack hit the 200-yard mark, and was 3-0 when it connected for three touchdown passes. How much did it matter when the O threw it? Maryland 5-2 when throwing at least one touchdown pass, and 0-5 when it didn’t.
Biggest Key To The Maryland Defense
Find a pass rush. Fast. The secondary isn’t necessarily going to be a sore spot, but it could take a wee bit before the right combination emerges. Defensive coordinator Jon Hoke’s defense is going to start bringing a little heat, with any improvement welcome after generating just 18 sacks and 54 tackles for loss.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Josh Jackson, Jr.
It’s not that Maryland can’t be okay with Tyrrell Pigrome under center. Or Max Bortenshlager. Or Lance LeGendre – once the star recruit gets to campus. It’s that Jackson is just that good.
As a freshman at Virginia Tech, he threw for almost 3,000 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine picks, and ran for 324 yards and six touchdowns. If he’s okay after breaking his leg last year, and he takes to the new team right away, Maryland will finally settle its quarterback situation.
Key Game To The Maryland Season
Penn State, Sept. 27
Maryland has been okay so far in Big Ten play, but it’s had a hard time against the big boys in the East. It beat Penn State in 2014, and lost in a 31-30 thriller in 2015, and then … uh oh. Over the last three seasons, Penn State 142, Maryland 20.
It’s the Big Ten opener this year, and both teams have a week off to prepare for the Friday night game. It’s at home, and it’s a chance to make a big statement right away in the Mike Locksley era.
– Maryland Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Maryland Fun Stats
– Penalties: Maryland 100 for 956 yards – Opponents 57 for 507 yards
– Tackles For Loss: Opponents 83 for 302 yards – Maryland 54 for 210 yards
– 4th Down Conversions: Maryland 7-of-10 (70%) – Opponents 13-of-20 (65%)
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. MARYLAND WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
New head coach Mike Locksley has just enough talent in place – and a schedule just good enough – to make anything less than a bowl trip a major disappointment.
But how quickly can the holes be filled?
The Terps have to come up with some new defensive ends, three new offensive linemen, a new punter, and a few parts in the secondary, and they have to be far more consistent on both sides of the ball while putting it all together.
Fortunately, the offensive backfield should be terrific. Virginia Tech transfer Josh Jackson is a massive position upgrade – he’s the best Terp quarterback since … ? – and the running backs are deep and talented. The questionable O line will be good enough as long as injuries aren’t an issue early on.
The defensive side will find the pressure in the backfield that’s been painfully missing over the last few seasons. The youth in the back seven will play a big role early on, but there will be games when the line gets gouged by a good running game. Even with all the inconsistencies the Terps will have to fight through, expect a more disruptive overall D.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 6
Winning early is a must with a brutal November with Michigan, at Ohio State, Nebraska and at Michigan State. Just winning one of those would be massive, but that means at least five wins have to come in the first eight games to go bowling.
The Terps will beat Howard, and if they’re any good, they should beat Indiana at home and Temple and Rutgers on the road – but that’s just four wins.
They’ll come up with a Texas-like upset somewhere along the way, and they’ll get that one extra win they couldn’t generate last season to get to six and bowl eligibility.
And then expect a much bigger 2020.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
