Maryland Football Report Card: Northwestern
Maryland bounced back from a blowout loss earlier this season by beating Minnesota on the road after falling at home to UCF. But the Terps had no such luck when it came to redeeming themselves last Saturday.
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After a 48-point loss to Ohio State at Columbus, Maryland came back to College Park to host Northwestern and was unable to get back on track as home underdogs.The game remained tight until the Wildcats took a 10-point lead just before halftime and never looked back, eventually winning by 16 and earning their first Big Ten victory of the season.
This was perhaps Maryland’s most inconsistent performance of the season so far. There was some good play, some bad play and some mediocre play by the Terps throughout this one. But to delve deeper into why the Terps were unable to get the job done against the Wildcats, TSR gives out its football report card for Maryland’s 37-21 loss to Northwestern.
Quarterback: B+
Despite the loss, Terps quarterback Max Bortenschlager played one of the best games of his young college career. The sophomore went 17-for-38 passing for 255 yards and three touchdowns. He continues to take care of the ball and not turn it over, while also displaying a strong, accurate arm when given proper protection. Bortenschlager wasn’t under as much duress against Northwestern as he was against Ohio State, and was able to operate the offense rather efficiently at times. He even had a few throws that make you wonder how he was ever buried on Maryland’s depth chart to start the year. Bortenschlager and the rest of the Terps offense’s biggest problem against the Wildcats was converting on third down. Maryland was unable to stay on the field and extend drives, which cost the Terps dearly in this game. Bortenschlager also displayed his athleticism against Northwestern, leading Maryland in rushing with 34 yards.
Running Back: D
It’s never good when your pocket-passing quarterback leads the offense in rushing yards, but that’s exactly the situation the Terps found themselves in against Northwestern. Running backs Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison weren’t able to get anything going all game long, combining for 51 yards on 19 carries, as the Wildcats’ offense focused on taking them out of the offense. Northwestern has proven in other games this season that it knows how to stop the run when it wants to, but Maryland’s offense prides itself on its ground game and there was nothing about it to be proud of on Saturday.
Wide Receiver/Tight End: B+
To be clear, Terps leading wide receiver DJ Moore gets an A+ for his performance on Saturday and the rest of Maryland’s receiving corps gets about a D or a C, hence the B+ grade. Moore was spectacular again this week, which is becoming a common theme for the junior wideout from Philly this season. Moore hauled in 12 receptions for a new career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns. Moore passed milestones set by former Terps greats Stefon Diggs and Torrey Smith in this game and continues to cement himself as one of college football’s best wide receivers this season. Once again, the rest of Maryland’s receiving corps didn’t do much, but senior wideout Taivon Jacobs did find the end zone on a 20-yard pass from Bortenschlager in the third quarter.
Offensive Line: C
This was a slightly better performance by Maryland’s offensive line than the horrific one it had against Ohio State, but the Terps also weren’t facing one of the best front sevens in college football again. Maryland only allowed two sacks all game long, but Bortenschlager was forced to rush many of his throws because of pressure, and the Terps offense became more predictable throughout the game as Northwestern continued to take away the run. Maryland’s run blocking was virtually non-existent and the offense as whole was never fully able to get going because of inconsistent blocking throughout the game.
Defensive Line: D-
Many of the Terps defensive deficiencies against Northwestern were the result of a very ineffective Maryland defensive line. Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson was barely under any pressure against a Terps pass rush that was nonexistent. This allowed Thorson to do damage with his arm and legs, picking up big yardage and first downs whenever he had to. Maryland’s defensive line isn’t getting after the quarterback and isn’t stopping the run on its way to becoming one of the team’s worst units. Northwestern running back Justin Jackson also had a big day against Maryland, rushing for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Altogether, the Terps defensive line recorded just one sack and allowed 5.4 yards per carry against the Wildcats.
Linebacker: D-
With Maryland’s defensive line playing as poorly as it is, the Terps desperately need their linebackers to step up. Against Northwestern, they did not. The Wildcats continuously marched up the field on Maryland with crossing routes that should have been sniffed out by the Terps linebackers and not made as easy as they were. Maryland’s defense is designed to allow some underneath routes, but that’s reliant on the defenders making tackles. Again, the Terps linebackers did not do this against Northwestern. The Wildcats pass catchers were able to run shallow routes all game and pick up yards after the catch most of the time. Senior and defensive captain Jermaine Carter Jr. had one of his worst games in recent memory, recording just six tackles.
Defensive Back: B-
Maryland’s secondary continues to get left hung out to dry by a defensive front that just isn’t doing anything well at the moment. But each game it still seems like this unit makes a few big plays. Against Northwestern, the Terps defensive backs came up with two interceptions that helped give Maryland a chance. But the Terps offense did nothing with those opportunities, running just six plays for -6 yards, resulting in two three-and-outs on the drives following those picks. Safety Darnell Savage Jr. came up with Maryland’s first interception and cornerback JC Jackson the second. Both have been two of the more consistent playmakers on the Terps defense this season. Safety Josh Woods and cornerback Tino Ellis also continue to play well, for the most part. But the real gem in this group has been sophomore NICKEL Antoine Brooks, who led the Terps in tackles against Northwestern with. Brooks flies all over the field and brings an energy to Maryland’s defense even at times when the Terps look deflated on that side of the ball.
Special Teams: C-
Special teams was quiet for the Terps against the Wildcats. No field goals were attempted by Maryland and none of the kicking units did anything to really help or hurt the team. However, Northwestern did convert on all three of its field goal attempts. Danny Sutton continued to struggle to get the ball in the end zone on kickoffs and Wade Lees hasn’t been overly impressive with his punting, although, he did have a 48-yarder that was downed inside the 20- yard line against the Wildcats.
Overall Offense: C+
Maryland’s offense actually had some bright spots in what was otherwise a dismal game for the Terps. Bortenschlager continues to show promise as a young arm who was thrown into a tough situation and Moore is clearly the best wide receiver in the Big Ten and should start receiving some national recognition for being one of the best pass catchers in the country. It was a very bad day for the Terps backfield, but if there’s one group that can rebound from a poor performance, it’s likely Maryland’s running backs. Maryland’s offensive line has been up and down this so far this season and needs to start finding some consistency.
Overall Defense: D+
The defense’s inability to stop anything Northwestern was doing on Saturday lost Maryland this game. Even if the offense had played flawless, the Terps would have had to win a shootout with the way their defense performed. Terps head coach DJ Durkin and defensive coordinator Andy Buh need to figure something out and get Maryland’s front seven playing at least as well as its secondary has been. The Terps defense is really missing premier pass rusher Jesse Aniebonam, and that whole side of the ball looks like a work in progress in College Park.
Overall Team: C-
Being home underdogs to Northwestern is never good. But losing more than five times worse than you were even projected to is a disheartening day. Maryland is not 16 points worse than Northwestern on most weeks, and certainly isn’t when it has a healthy roster, but the Terps didn’t make the adjustments they needed to and seemed to be heading in the wrong direction throughout the course of the game against the Wildcats. The play of Bortenschlager, Moore and a few Terps defensive backs was promising, but the rest was hard to watch at times.