Locksley hopes fans can help give Terps edge when they host No. 21 Syracuse

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland welcomes No. 21 Syracuse to College Park on Saturday, and head coach Mike Locksley is calling on all Terps fans to show their support in a game that very well could set the tone for his team’s season.

“This is the type of game where we’re going to need our fans,” Locksley said at his weekly press conference. “This is a ranked opponent coming in. This is a team that has been a traditional rival for us over the years. When we have these opportunities, I know our players and I hope that we can find a home field advantage in games like this. This is a great opportunity for our team to play a really good Syracuse team. I know we’re excited about the opportunity.

“We need to get our students out there early and staying late. A game like Syracuse, they’re a ranked opponent, very deserving of their ranking, and we get to play them at home, which is usually not the case, to be playing a ranked opponent at home. I hope that we can take advantage of coming out and seeing a good football game. And I hope our guys play with the effort we need to play with and the discipline we need to play with against a really good team.”

Two of Maryland’s key grad-transfers from this offseason know exactly how good of a team head coach Dino Babers has built at Syracuse. Terps quarterback Josh Jackson and outside linebacker Shaq Smith both came to College Park from the ACC, where they played against the Orange.

They’ll both look to share their insights with their Terps teammates as they prepare to host their first ranked opponent of the season.

“Coming from a program where I played against those guys for the last three years, all I can say is that this is going to be one of the best offenses that we face, best offenses in the country in Syracuse,” Smith said. “Their tempo is unmatched. Preparing for them in the past, I can just think back and remember how that was a very stressful week at practice — just trying to build momentum in practice and match that tempo of a game in a practice. They always say you can’t recreate that in practice, but we try to do as much of that as we can. Nothing much has changed. They have a bunch of explosive players on offense. They’re dynamic and can stretch the field. So we’re going to have to definitely play at a high level come this Saturday.”

Smith has seen the Orange offense firsthand, but Jackson brings some perspective to what Maryland might see from the Syracuse defense, namely its potent pass rush led by senior edge rushers Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman, who are both coming off of double-digit sack seasons.

“They have two pass rushers off the edge that just make plays,” Jackson said. “They’re big, lengthy guys that are fast.”

Stopping those big, fast pass rushers off the edge will be the duty of Terps tackles Marcus Minor and newly named starting left tackle Jaelyn Duncan, who will replace Ellis McKennie in the starting lineup.

After McKennie got the start in the season opener against Howard, Locksley decided to make the move to Duncan, who platooned in and out with McKennie for first team reps during fall camp.

“Jaelyn Duncan did some really good things. Jaelyn is most likely going to start the game this week and I was pleased with how he came in and how he performed in his time (against Howard). We need to get him as many reps as we can because he’s a new starter, he’s new to having this kind of playing time. So every rep Jaelyn gets he’ll keep getting better for that rep.”

Jackson was not sacked at all against the Bison last week, but he was pressured consistently and hit several times, particularly from his blind side where he will now have Duncan protecting his back.

“I think we’ll do a great job of protecting the quarterback,” Jackson said. “[Duncan] is a ball player; I’ll say that. He’s a very great lineman and I think he’ll do a great job. I’m definitely not worried with him back there, so I’m excited to see him play.”

Another player on the Syracuse defense that Maryland will have to be mindful of is sophomore safety Andre Cisco, who tied for the NCAA lead in interceptions (7) as a freshman and attended IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) just as Maryland's Shaq Smith and Tyler Mabry did.

“[Cisco] is a ball hawk,” Smith said. “He’s a guy you’re going to have to definitely key on. He can trick you — make you think he’s in one spot and be in another spot. He’s definitely going to be a guy who’s key to watch this week.”

But that’s not where the familiarity stops between the Terps and Orange. Syracuse rosters nearly a dozen student athletes from the DMV, who will be experiencing a bit of a homecoming on Saturday.

“Much like us, they have quite a few guys from the DMV area on their roster, which I think makes this type of game interesting for us as our players have opportunities to compete against guys they competed against in their high school days,” Locksley said.

There’s also familiarity between Locksley and Babers, who Locksley said he has known for a long time and is “one of the best offensive minds” in the game.

Babers’ offense this year features an array of talent, led by senior wide receiver Sean Riley, who has proven to be one of the ACC’s most electric and versatile players throughout his career. He will have a major impact on the passing and return game.

Riley’s efforts will be complemented by a backfield committee led by senior Moe Neal, who led the Orange with 89 yards and a touchdown in their season opener against Liberty last week. Redshirt junior running back Abdul Adams also found paydirt last week to add to his 49 yards on the ground. Neal and Adams will be supplemented by sophomore Jarveon Howard.

All of these offensive playmakers are reasons for the Terps to be on their toes defensively and why Locksley is imploring Maryland fans to bring the noise on Saturday.

“We expect this to be a very hard-fought game. We expect to get the best version of Syracuse that they can possibly be going into this game. It’s important for us to try to get a crowd there. When we play in tight, hard-fought games, the crowd becomes a factor. And we hope we can continue to get people interested and to come out to The Shell to watch us play.”

Kickoff at “The Shell” between Maryland and Syracuse will be at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Maryland Sports Radio Network and televised on ESPN. This week’s Terps captains will be Oluwaseun Oluwatimi, Ayinde Eley, and DJ Turner.