The Maryland Terrapins are at 4-6 and would have to beat Iowa today and Penn State next week to be bowl-eligible. Honestly, it would take a miracle. Today’s game marks the Terps final game at home at SECU Stadium for the 2024 season, making this Senior Day.
The Maryland Terps will honor 22 seniors before the game: RB Ryne Acheson, DL Tommy Akingbesote, LB Donnell Brown, TE Maxwell Brown, OL Marcus Dumervil, QB Billy Edwards Jr., WR Tai Felton, LS Ethan Gough, DB Chantz Harley, RB Roman Hemby, K Jack Howes, DL Taizse Johnson, OL Kevin Kalonji, OL Josh Kaltenberger, OL Kyle Long, RB Colby McDonald, DB Glendon Miller, WR Kaden Prather, WR Robert Smith, DL Tre Smith, DB Dante Trader Jr. and LB Caleb Wheatland.
Yes, you will note that several starters and top players are on that list of seniors and that will mean significant turnover for the Terps next year.
Redshirt junior QB Billy Edwards Jr. is now 7-6 as a starter at Maryland across three seasons, with wins over Northwestern, NC State, Auburn, UConn, Virginia, Villanova, and USC.
For Edwards, his favorite receiving target is Tai Felton who is looking NFL ready. Through 10 games, senior WR Tai Felton has 86 receptions,1,040 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. With his first of six catches against Rutgers on Saturday, he officially passed D.J. Moore (80 in 2017) and set the program record for the most catches in a single season. In the same game, Felton became the fourth wide receiver in program history to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He accomplished the feat with his 12-yard
TD catch at 4:37 in the second quarter.
Felton, who was named one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award this week, leads the Big Ten in receptions and receiving yards and is sixth in receiving touchdowns. His 86 receptions are the most among power conference players and second in all of FBS. His 1,040 receiving yards rank second in the Power Four and fourth in FBS. Felton has 174 more receiving yards than the next closest Big Ten receiver, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. Similarly,
Felton has 18 more receptions than the next closest Big Ten receiver, Washington’s Giles Jackson. Felton is one of five Big Ten players since 2020 with 1,000 or more receiving yards through 10 games, joining Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2021) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (2023) and Purdue’s David Bell (2021) and Charlie Jones (2022).
RB Roman Hemby, as the main back, has to get the ground game going for the Terrapins. He surpassed 2,500 career scrimmage yards and eclipsed the 2,000 rushing yard mark for his college career at Maryland. He is one of just nine active FBS players who have recorded 1000+ scrimmage yards in each of the last two complete seasons.
Maryland’s nine interceptions have come from Glendon Miller (three), Jalen Huskey (three), Dante Trader Jr., Ruben Hyppolite II, and Lavain Scruggs. Maryland has also recovered six fumbles this season, tied for the second-most in the Big Ten (Wisconsin-7) and tied for the 32nd-most in the nation. Six different Terps have recovered a fumble and Kellan Wyatt leads the way with two forced fumbles.
Sophomore LB DJ Samuels made history against Minnesota, becoming one of just five FBS players since 2012 with both a receiving touchdown and three tackles for loss in the same game. Of that group, only one is a power conference player (UCLA’s Datone Jones in 2012).
Maryland returned five starters on the offensive side of the ball in 2024, including All-Big Ten selections in running back Roman Hemby and wide receivers Tai Felton and Kaden Prather. OL Kyle Long and TE Preston Howard also return. Howard caught his first career touchdown pass in Maryland’s win over Auburn in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
Last week, Maryland’s defense held UConn to just 88 rushing yards and forced either a punt or turnover on 11 of 15 UConn drives. Seven starters returned for Maryland’s defense, including Third-Team All-Big Ten selection Ruben Hyppolite II and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection Quashon Fuller. Other returners include defensive linemen Jordan Phillips and Tommy Akingbesote, linebacker Kellan Wyatt and defensive backs Dante Trader Jr. and Glendon Miller.
“This is an important game for us. This is playoff football for us. We win [at least two more games], and we advance.”
— head coach Michael Locksley said last week
With the Terps’ win against Villanova in their non-conference game earlier this season, it was the 15th-straight non-conference season win. Also that win extended the Terps’ non-conference win streak to 15. Coach Locksley so far is 16-1 in non-conference games.
Maryland had won eight games in back-to-back seasons, and that is a testament to the team’s consistency and improvement, especially given the historical context since their last such achievement was in 2002-03.
Maryland’s record: 4-5 1-5 Big Ten
Iowa’s record: 6-4, 4-3 Big Ten
All-time series:
BetUS Sportsbook : Maryland are underdogs at +4.5, O/U 41.5
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, Noon ET
Stadium: SECU Stadium • College Park, Maryland
TV: BTN; Play-By-Play: Guy Haberman
Analyst: Yogi Roth
Sideline: Rhett Lewis
Streaming TV: BTN
Radio: Audacy Radio App / SiriusXM 136; 105.7 FM (Balt.) / 980 AM (D.C.) — Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Steve Suter (analyst), LaMont Jordan (sideline)
