The Maryland football team will travel to North Carolina to face Charlotte Sept. 10, and the Terps will look to go 2-0 for a second consecutive season.
Maryland beat Buffalo, 31-10, in the season opener Sept. 3, but the victory was not without its faults. Head coach Michael Locksley and his team will look to clean up their mistakes against Charlotte.
Here are three things to watch for in the Saturday afternoon matchup:
1. Can Maryland duplicate its success running the ball?
Maryland ran the ball effectively against Buffalo, creating a balance between the passing and running game. Redshirt freshmen Roman Hemby and Antwain Littleton II combined for 148 yards and four touchdowns, and Hemby earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
One of Hemby’s touchdowns was a 70-yard touchdown scamper, the longest by a Terps running back since an 80-yard touchdown run by Anthony McFarland Jr. against Rutgers in 2019.
“I think our whole offensive line played good and we really improved on the running game,” junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa said. “The whole offense is just getting better and the offensive line is the leading group of the offense, so if they continue to work hard and push throughout our preparation and practice I think everything will be smooth in the game.”
Locksley believes the redshirt year for each running back in 2021 helped pave the way for such a big game.
“We were very strategic about how we redshirted those guys by playing them throughout the course without burning the redshirt,” Locksley said. “I think they all benefited from those extra practices. Going into spring with the emphasis we put on the run game, especially with the receivers being injured throughout spring ball, I think the timing of our run game and the comfort level we have with the offensive line and all the running backs really showed up on Saturday.”
2. Will Taulia Tagovailoa throw any touchdown passes?
The Buffalo win marked the first time Tagovailoa had not thrown a touchdown in a game since a loss against Northwestern in 2020. He nearly threw one, but sophomore tight end Corey Dyches stepped out of bounds at the Buffalo 1-yard line.
Still, Tagovailoa had a solid outing (24-of-34), though he threw an interception.
“I think I responded better,” Tagovailoa said of his interception. “As a leader, you can’t put your head down in the middle of a game regardless of the opponent. I don’t like throwing [interceptions], but I’m always trying to bounce back from it. After a mistake, I think you’re so anxious to get back on the field to make up for it and it’s something I have to continue to work on.”
Tagovailoa’s receiving corps showed why this is a group to look out for this season. Junior Rakim Jarrett led all receivers with six receptions for 110 yards (fifth 100-yard game of his career). Redshirt senior Jeshaun Jones finished with 70 yards on four receptions.
“Probably one of our top receivers from the fundamental standpoint and I’m glad that he was able to come back healthier after battling two years of knee surgeries,” Locksley said of Jones. “He is one of the guys that we count on to make plays for us on our offensive side of the ball.”
3. Can the defense capitalize on mistakes?
Against Buffalo, the Terps could not haul in errant passes from Buffalo sophomore quarterback Cole Snyder. The Terps finished the game with eight pass breakups, five from senior cornerback Jakorian Bennett.
“It’s something we’ve been stressing since last season,” Locksley said. “We study the turnover margin quite a bit. We haven’t been a team that created a lot of turnovers the last couple of years. Some of it is because of the type of the defense we play.”
Locksley mentioned that because of the man-to-man coverage they play, defenders most likely have their back facing the quarterback, limiting opportunities to break on the ball.
“It’s definitely something we will continue to stress,” Locksley added. “Between big plays and the turnover margin, we feel those are the two most important things if you want to come away successful on Saturdays. So we will continue to make that a point of emphasis.”
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