Maryland football returns home this weekend for its annual Homecoming game. The Terps are set to square off against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Maryland pulled out a gutsy 38-33 win over Indiana its last time out, but the story of the game was star signal caller Taulia Tagovailoa. He left the field on a cart early in the fourth quarter and didn’t return, presenting a question mark at quarterback heading into Saturday..
“Re-aggravated the previous injury that he had against Michigan,” coach Mike Locksley said. “Had an MRI, had our doctors look at it … it is a game-time decision.”
Redshirt freshman Billy Edwards Jr. took over for Tagovailoa, and led the Terps to the comeback win. It was Edwards Jr.’s legs, not his arm, that played a pivotal role in Maryland’s fourth quarter against Indiana. Edwards Jr didn’t complete a pass but ran for 53 yards on five attempts, adding on to the Terps’ 201 rushing yard total on the day.
If Edwards Jr. starts against Northwestern, it would be his first in his collegiate career. Despite the uncertainty at the position for the Terps, the preparation remained the same in practice from both quarterbacks.
“On the whole week maybe I’ll take 10 more than I have in the past weeks, but it’s very similar to what it is every other week,” Edwards Jr. said. “Definitely take the reps I get and whenever I’m not in, try to get a mental rep.
Redshirt freshman sensation Roman Hemby led the rushing charge for the Terps against the Hoosiers, registering his third 100-yard game of the season on the ground — his first in conference play. Hemby’s 508 yards on the ground leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big Ten.
As has been the case all season long, the wealth was spread around Maryland’s receivers against Indiana. Nine Terps combined for 25 catches, led by Jeshaun Jones’ five.
Five Terps — Hemby, Jones, Corey Dyches, Rakim Jarrett and Jacob Copeland — have recorded at least 20 catches this season. Dyches, at 6’2” and 220 pounds, leads the pack in receiving yards with 346 and has established a clear rapport with Tagovailoa.
The Maryland defense stepped up when needed against Indiana, forcing three turnovers. Unlike the previous week against Purdue — when the Terps forced three turnovers but didn’t produce any points off of them — the Terps capitalized with 17 points off the turnovers against the Hoosiers.
“In practice we emphasize getting turnovers … in practice we always trying to punch the ball out, get interceptions, do whatever to force a turnover,” defensive back Deonte Banks said.
Northwestern enters as losers of five-straight following its season-opening win against Nebraska. The Wildcats got trounced by Northwestern their last time out, 42-7.
Northwestern trailed 28-0 at halftime, adding on to the trend of the Wildcats’ poor first halves. The Wildcats have been outscored 98-48 in the first half this season, and were shut out in both of their last two games.
Northwestern’s 17.7 points per game mark ranks second-worst in the Big Ten, only ahead of Rutgers. That sets up a favorable matchup for the Maryland defense to improve its scoring mark, which allows the fifth-most points per game in the conference (24.1).
The Wildcats have struggled to find consistency in their offense, specifically in the passing game. Signal caller Ryan Hilinski has recorded two games of over 300 passing yards, including a 435 yard output against Duke, but has thrown multiple interceptions in two games as well, including last time out when he threw for just 147 yards on a sub-50% completion percentage. Hilinski’s 115.2 efficiency ranks fourth-worst in the Big Ten, nearly 100 points behind the leader, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
The rushing game for Northwestern hasn’t looked much more consistent, as leading rusher Evan Hull has rushed for only 58 yards in two conference games after rushing for over 100 in as many non-conference bouts.
Hull has actually been the Wildcats’ biggest threat as a receiver, as he leads the team with 405 receiving yards.
The Northwestern defense has struggled seemingly as much as the offense, as its 27.7 points allowed per game is third-worst in the Big Ten — providing a favorable matchup for the Maryland offense.
“They’re a really hard team and they play hard in all three phases,” Locksley said. “They’re gonna fight and I expect to see … the fight out of them when they show up here on Saturday.
The game on Saturday will start at 3:30 p.m. and will take place at SECU Stadium in College Park.
