Maryland Terrapins (East
Division)
Location: College Park, MD
Stadium: Maryland Stadium (51,802)
Coach: D.J. Durkin (1st year): first head coaching position
2015 Maryland Terrapins (3-9)(1-7) 2016
Maryland Terrapins
50 Richmond 21 S3 Howard
27 Bowling Green 48 S9 at Florida International
35 South Florida 17 S17 at Central Florida
6 at
West Virginia 45 S24
0 Michigan 28 O1 Purdue
28 at Ohio State 49 O8 at Penn State
30 Penn State 31 O15 Minnesota
15 at Iowa 31 O22 Michigan State
24 Wisconsin 31 O29 at Indiana
7 at
Michigan State 24 N5 at Michigan
28 Indiana 47 N12 Ohio State
46 at Rutgers 41 N19 at Nebraska
N26 Rutgers
Maryland’s
second season in the league imploded with an eight-game losing streak and 3-9
record which resulted in Coach Randy Edsall getting sacked mid-season. The Terrapins responded by hiring former
Michigan defensive coordinator DJ Durkin to take his place. Durkin figures to have his hands full on both
sides of the ball, but the Terps have some good talent.
Coach Durkin
and his new offensive coordinator Walt Bell (from Arkansas State) figure to
install a more up tempo offense, but to do so, the play at the QB position must
improve. Bell has said the competition for
the QB position is wide-open. Maryland
quarterbacks combined to throw a terrible 29 interceptions in 2015. Senior Perry Hills, who started most of the
games a year ago, will probably get the starting role, but he is being pushed
by fellow classmate Caleb Rowe and true freshman Tyrrell Pigrome. Hills and Rowe combined for almost 2000
passing yards and 14 touchdowns, but also 28 out of the 29 picks. Senior Wes Brown will take over full time at
RB. Brown gained 317 yards and had three
touchdowns in back up duty. He will be
running behind an offensive line that looks to be improved from a year ago,
with sophomore LT Damian Prince a good bet to make the all-conference
team. Next to Prince at LG figures to be
returning starter, junior JaJuan Dulaney, while experienced seniors Maurice
Shelton and Michael Dunn return at RG and RT respectively. Sophomore Brendan Moore figures to have the
center position locked down. The Terps
are also in good hands at the TE spot, as junior Andrew Isaacs has proven adept
as a pass blocker and receiver. Brothers
Levern and Taivon Jacobs (Sr and Jr) will take over at the WR positions, along
with sophomore D.J. Moore. Levern led
the team in receptions in 2015 with 35 for 425 yards and three scores; his
brother was third on the team with 21 catches for 264 yards and two
scores. Moore, sandwiched between them,
came up with 25 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns. So, the Maryland receiving corps looks to the
best unit on this side of the ball.
Maryland’s
defense needs all the help they can get.
The Terrapins ranked 11th in the conference in scoring
defense, giving up an average 34.4 points per game and yielding over 420 total
yards per game in 2015. Andy Buh will be
the new defensive coordinator and Mike London, from Virginia, will work with
him with the defensive line. The defense
can build around senior CB William Likely, who doubles as a dynamic return man
and should be a bona fide Thorpe candidate.
Last year, in addition to his 1200 yards in returns, Likely pitched in
44 tackles and four tackles for loss.
Sophomore Darnell Savage figures to have the CB position opposite Likely,
picking up 12 tackles in a backup role last year. Returning starter, senior Jarrett Ross should
start again at FS, while junior Josh Woods should get the nod at SS. Ross managed ten tackles and Woods four last
season. The Terps lose Yannick Ngakoue,
who had 13 sacks last year, but return some experience on the defensive line,
led by senior DE Roman Braglio with his 35 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and
three sacks from a year ago. Junior
Cavon Walker will line up at the other DE spot after chipping in seven
tackles. Senior Azubulke Ukandu and
junior Kingsley Opara will man the inside position on Maryland’s defensive
line. Ukandu performed very well with 24
tackles, 65 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks and Opara chipped in 16 tackles and
a sack. The linebacking corps is led by
junior OLB Jalen Brooks with 64 tackles and two interceptions. Senior Denzel Conyers will be at the other
outside position, while junior Jermaine Carter figures to start in the
middle. Conyers picked up 15 stops in a
backup role in 2015, while Carter led the team in tackles with 103 to go along
with his 14 tackles for loss.
Adam Greene
has the edge to take over Maryland’s kicking duties, an enviable task
considering he is attempting to replace Brad Craddock, who should’ve won the
Groza Award last year. Lee Shrader will
take over the punting chores full time after sharing them last year with the
departed Nicolas Pritchard. Shrader averaged
33.2 yards per punt a year ago.
Maryland
catches a break in their non conference matchups and could easily be 3-0
heading into B1G play, but will that matter?
The Terps are 0-6 against ranked conference teams the last two seasons
and they’ve been outscored 221-89 in those games. A trip to Penn State on October 8 will be
their first big test and a three week stretch in November could be a
back-breaker when they play Michigan, Ohio State, and Nebraska all in a row. A few people think the Terps could possibly
make a bowl game this year, but with a new coaching staff and question marks
still on defense, Maryland would have to catch a lot of breaks to get there.
PROJECTION: 5-7 (2-6) 7th in Eastern Division
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