There comes a time in a season when you have a chance to get back on track with one key win. The Maryland Terrapins football team started the season on a 4-0 run, and then they were blown out in consecutive weeks by Iowa and Ohio State. With six wins, the Terps become bowl eligible, and this is a game they must win for a shot at it with games remaining against Indiana, then three consecutive games against Top-10 ranked opponents with Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan, before ending the regular season against Rutgers.
COLLEGE PARK, MD – The Maryland women’s basketball Terps are ranked No. 4 in the country in the NCAA Associated Press pre-season poll that was released today. This should not come as a shock to anyone who follows this team as they have been successful for decades with one of the top programs in the country.
No team had more to prove on Friday night against then #5 Iowa than the Terps. They had a real chance to prove that they were capable of hanging in there against the big boys of the Big Ten. More than just the validation of the nation, the Terps wanted to make a statement to themselves. For the first 15 minutes of the game, they did just that. The ensuing 15 minutes were the complete opposite. After leading 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, Iowa scored 31 points, yes 31 points, in the second quarter. By then, the game was pretty much over as the Terps went on to lose 51-14. The loss was certainly a gut-check, but the true measure of a team is seen in how they react to a devastating loss, not just a glorious win.
Looking to keep their magical season unblemished thus far, the Maryland Terrapins and Iowa Hawkeyes both face off with the hopes of remaining unbeaten. Iowa was expected to be very good this season. The fact that they are sitting at 4-0 is not necessarily surprising, but a byproduct of their surprising victory over Iowa State in Ames. The real surprise is with the Terps. Maryland was not projected to be quite this successful this season, but nonetheless, they are 4-0 and look like real contenders heading into this game. Maryland’s chances at making a run at the Big Ten East crown really begin Friday night in College Park. Even though Iowa is not in the East, they are one of the conference’s elite teams and just a taste of what the Terps have on tap for them this season.
Iowa Scouting Report:
Ever since Kirk Ferentz took over as the Iowa head coach, the Hawkeyes have consistently been competing for various accolades. Very rarely is there a situation in which the Iowa Hawkeyes are not in the upper echelon of teams in the Big Ten. This year is no different. Iowa is really indicative of the entire state. They are experienced, not aesthetically pleasing to watch live, but they get the job done nonetheless. Like many Big Ten teams, Iowa is just a tough team to beat in terms of physicality. They are strong and just wear down opponents.
On a crisp Saturday evening in College Park, Maryland used a balanced attack on offense to down Kent State to move to 4-0 on the season. The win itself was more or less unexciting as Maryland led virtually the entire game, but the overall strength of the team was put on full display. After Kent State drove down the field to kick a field goal on their first drive, Maryland took complete control of the affair and swiftly took care of the Golden Flashes. Moreover, this win puts the Terps in a tremendous position heading into their next game against undefeated Big Ten foe, Iowa. Iowa is currently ranked as the #5 team in the country, and pending the next AP Poll, they will be the first ranked team that Maryland faces.
Taulia and the Offense Continue to Soar:
In the months leading up to the season, the biggest concern was about Taulia Tagovailoa and how he adapts to Dan Enos’ offensive system. The former Cincinnati offensive coordinator took on the same role for the Terps, and has looked great with play calling. Tagovailoa has taken a massive leap from a mediocre passer to a bonafide stud under center. He looks every bit as polished as the offensive staff reported in camp. The Terps are a very strong team holistically speaking, but for them to make any true noise, it had to be due to Taulia’s efforts.
The Maryland Terrapins have a chance to do something that they have not done since 2016: start the season 4-0. As for another first for the program, the Terps will face the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Terps used a combination of a late rally and a game winning field goal by Joseph Petrino to sneak past an upset-minded Illinois team. The win was far from pretty, with penalties and sloppy play galore. The win, albeit an ugly one, sets up the Terps perfectly to remain undefeated going into conference play. First things first, though, Kent State is still lurking and looking to pull a huge upset.
Maryland Terps Marching Band; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkTerrapins
They say all that matters is that Maryland won on Friday night against Illinois to move to 3-0 on the season. Was it pretty? Absolutely not. The game looked like it would be something of a trap game for the Terps. In the end, the talent for Maryland and utter incompetence for Illinois proved to be the biggest factors. In their first ever visit to Champaign, the Terps took care of business, albeit in ugly fashion. Maryland’s Joseph Petrino sealed the victory with a game winning 32 yard field goal as time expired to salvage the day for the Terps. Although it was an uneven effort for the team, Maryland showed a lot of grit and mettle. In the end, the only stat that matters is that the Terps added to their win total and remained undefeated in the season.
The Maryland Terrapins sit at 2-0 for the first time since 2019, the first season of the Mike Locksley era. However, the Terps will look for a different conclusion to that season as they lost nine of ten games to finish the season 3-9. For the first time this season, the Terps not only hit the road, but also play a conference foe. The Illinois Fighting Illini (1-2, 1-0 B1G) are in their first season under Brett Bielema. The former Arkansas head coach has dropped the past two games following an opening week win over Nebraska. Maryland will try to solidify their rise to relevance with something of a warm up game for the conference stretch that is forthcoming.
Illinois Scouting Report:
Illinois is a team that has a very interesting roster makeup. Many of the players from the old regime are still on the roster, but a large number have transferred. Bielema has decided to take more of a long term rebuild approach to the program. He is trying to revamp the overall sleepy program that has not experienced prolonged success since the mid 1980s. The team, though, will compete, as any Nebraska fan will attest. Bielema is a coach who is known for his ability to coach a defense. He has done it at both the collegiate and professional level, and will attempt to shut down the Terps’ potent attack.
As for the current roster, their quarterback is Artur Sitkowski, former Rutgers QB. In his first season in Champaign, Sitkowski has been up and down. The win over Nebraska was the high water mark. H the loss at home against UTSA and drubbing at Virginia certainly are the low points. In the past two games, Illinois has thrown the ball over 40 times, but Sitkowski is only completing passes at a 61.9% clip, much of which is ballooned by going 12/15 vs. Nebraska. Illinois is not going to kill a team with their air attack, but they have been able to consistently move the ball down the field and avoid big mistakes and a lot of turnovers.
Illinois has a duo in their backfield. Not to say that they are ineffective, but the combination of Mike Epstein and Reggie Love have combined for under 200 yards and one touchdown so far. They are very different from some of the teams that Maryland will face later on this season as they have a minimal rushing attack. Nonetheless, the Maryland front seven must ensure that the Illinois backfield does not use this game as their jumping off point.
On defense, Illinois is not too much better. They are allowing 33.7 points/game so far, and outside of Virginia, they are all against bottom tier offenses. The Illini simply have not been able to generate much pressure this season. They have been allowing opposing teams to pick apart their secondary. It is clear that they will need to step up not only on Friday night, but for the remainder of the season.
Moreover, the defense has really stepped up recently. In the past 101:30 of gameplay, the Terps have given up a total of three points. Yes, the majority of this time comes from their contest against Howard where they shutout the Bison. Nonetheless, the stat is very impressive due to the amount of craziness that occurs in college football. The secondary is led by two studs in Nick Cross and Tarheeb Still. They have the ability to lock down any team’s top receiving threats.
Conclusion:
In the upcoming weeks, the team will be tested. After playing Kent State, the Terps will be fully thrust into their conference schedule that features multiple teams in the AP Top 25. The road to a bowl game was never going to be easy, but the fact that the team has played well offers hope and excitement that is rarely ever seen with Maryland football. Additionally, this is the first time in program history that Maryland visits Champaign. This game against Illinois will be a great tuneup for the Terps before they move into the grueling Big Ten schedule in the coming weeks. Illinois might not pose the biggest threat to their perfect start, but Maryland should, like they did against Howard, go in for the kill early and not ease up.
The Maryland Terrapins defeated the Howard Bisons by a score of 62-0 to improve to 2-0 on the season. Next up for the Terps is a Big-10 matchup with Illinois for the team’s first road trip of the season.
Just seven days after the Terrapins knocked off West Virginia in a true thriller to kick off the 2021 season, they return to Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. This week’s opponent is fellow DMV institution, Howard. The Bison enter the game coming off a loss to Richmond, the #22 ranked team in the FCS. The two schools have surprisingly only met twice, with Maryland winning both games. The most recent game was an absolute annihilation by the Terps, a 79-0 win that saw them score 29 points in each of the first two quarters. That is the record for the most points scored in a half in school history.
