Maryland football cruised to a week one win. Mike Locksley still sees areas for improvement.

Maryland football fit the billing of a team poised for a breakout 2023 campaign in its season opener, trouncing Towson, 38-6. 

That being said, coach Mike Locksley made headlines throughout the offseason for proclaiming Maryland was ready to compete for Big Ten championships. And based on parts of its performance against Towson, his squad still has a lot to improve on to reach that pinnacle.

“There’s always things we need to get cleaned up, which is what we’ll do,” Locksley said. “We’ve got to turn the page on this one after 24 hours.”

One of the biggest questions heading into the season was how an offensive line with just one returning starter would hold up. On Saturday, Towson’s defensive line — which averaged less than two sacks per game a season ago — created meaningful pressures against redshirt senior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. 

Part of this was due to a lack of continuity. Maryland rotated members of the line throughout the game as the coaching staff seeks out the best starting group.

Locksley said he expects less rotation against Charlotte, which should provide continuity and allow the group to gel. But Tagovailoa ran himself into pressure a few times, so the line is not fully to blame for poor pass protection.

“[Taulia is] a guy that likes to extend plays,” Locksley said. “Sometimes when he extends them he gets himself in harm’s way. We’ll keep working with him … to not take hits.”

The quarterback lit up the stat sheet overall, throwing for 260 yards and accounting for four touchdowns while only playing the first half. But those numbers would have looked much more impressive if not for costly mistakes from his receivers. 

The Terps were up 7-0 and got the ball back with 9:34 left following a Towson punt. Tagovailoa fired a deep ball to a wide-open Tai Felton for what would have been an easy 74-yard strike to make it a two-score game.

But the junior receiver let the ball slip through his hands, and Maryland went three-and-out. A few drives later, another one was almost cut short by two separate drops. 

The Terps were able to score on the latter drive. Second chances were fruitful against weaker competition in Towson. But against a Big Ten schedule chock-full of college football powerhouses, those opportunities won’t be as easy to come by.

A stellar defensive performance by the Terps was likewise asterisked by redshirt junior quarterback Nathan Kent’s strong performance outside the pocket. He was able to avoid rushers, break contain and make plays with his legs to bail out the Towson offense.

Kent was pressured 13 times but was only hit on two of them, according to PFF. He picked up four first downs on the ground, including Towson’s only two rushes of 10+ yards.

Maryland will likely face a similar challenge each of the next two weeks. Charlotte and Virginia’s quarterbacks ran the ball 10 times each against their respective Week 1 opponents — meaning the Terps need to quickly clean up their contain woes.

“When you lose contain on defense, I call it a turnover,” Locksley said. “We got to level rush quarterbacks like that to keep them in the pocket.”

Maryland moves onto a familiar opponent in Charlotte for Week 2. The Terps dominated the 49ers last season, defeating them 56-21 on the road. 

But Charlotte visits College Park with a new head coach — one that coached multiple current Terps in high school at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore  — and a new quarterback. It will provide the Terps with an opportunity to prove they can build off early success and reach a new gear ahead of conference play.

“[Charlotte coach Biff Poggi is] one of those guys that wants to make it a tough, gritty game,” Locksley said. “That’s what we expect.”