Maryland must regroup ahead of Minnesota: The 3-2-1
Maryland suffered a humbling 38-14 defeat at Penn State over the weekend and the Terps now find themselves at 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in Big Ten play.
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Many thought it would be Maryland’s prolific ground game that would gash a Nittany Lions run defense that ranked near the bottom of the conference in yards allowed per game. But it was Penn State’s backfield that dominated the Terps to the tune of 372 rushing yards mostly thanks to sophomore running back Saquon Barkley and junior quarterback Trace McSorley.
The Terps are now looking to rebound as they head back home to take on Minnesota this week. With the first loss of the D.J. Durkin era in the books, here’s the latest installment of The 3-2-1.
More from TSR: PENN STATE RUNS PAST MARYLAND
Three things we learned
1 -- Pass blocking is a major issue for the Terps
Make that 13 sacks allowed by Maryland’s offensive line in the last three games combined after giving up four to Penn State. The Terps have done a very poor job of protecting the quarterback lately and that is one of the last weaknesses a team can afford to have, especially in the Big Ten. Quarterback Perry Hills has been banged up since Maryland’s win at Central Florida and continuously taking shots is not helping him get healthy. Hills and his backup Ty Pigrome are both very mobile but the protection has been so bad that their scrambling ability hasn’t mattered much at all. Minnesota doesn’t present the biggest challenge in terms of rushing the passer (two sacks per game), but Penn State and Purdue’s sack numbers weren’t much better before playing the Terps and a both defenses were still able to get after Maryland’s quarterback.
2 -- Maryland needs to fix its run defense
It wasn’t just the Terps’ offensive front that was beaten badly against Penn State. Maryland’s defensive front seven also lost the battle in the trenches. Barkley and McSorley had their way with Maryland’s defense throughout the game as they continuously picked up large chunks of yards on the ground. Penn State stuck to what working and ran the ball 62 times against the Terps for an average of 6 yards per carry. The Nittany Lions also added three rushing touchdowns to their totals. If pass blocking is the No. 1 concern for Maryland’s offense, then stopping the run has to be the priority for the Terps’ defense. Maryland’s numbers against the run for the season are still respectable (3.9 yards per carry, 169.6 yards per game), but in the Terps’ first true test of the season, there looked like there’s still a lot of work left to be done by Durkin and defensive coordinator Andy Buh.
3 -- Still a ways to go in recruiting
If we’re being honest with ourselves here, Maryland’s athletes just looked smaller and slower than Penn State’s, and the only way to fix that problem is through recruiting. Durkin and his staff have gotten off to a great start in terms of bringing new talent to College Park, and many of the true freshmen from their first class are already contributing and look to have bright futures. But the Terps still have a long way to go when it comes to getting the type of players that are needed to compete with the Big Ten’s traditional powerhouses. Current pledges to Maryland’s 2017 class such as Deon Jones and Josh Kaindoh fit the mold of what the Terps are looking for moving forward, but Durkin & Co. will need to add many more recruits of that caliber to compete for a conference title.
Two questions
1 -- Why Jake Funk on 4th & 2?
I’ve been asking myself this since Saturday. It was perhaps the most perplexing play in the loss to Penn State and it was also the play that seemed to take the final bit of air out of Maryland’s sails. The Terps found themselves threatening on Penn State’s 22 yard line, and after calling a run play that appeared would work to pick up the first down, whistles could be heard blowing the play dead because Maryland coaches had called for a timeout before the snap. Once Maryland coaches talked it over for a minute, the Terps trotted back onto the field in a similar formation but this time attempted an outside-the-tackle run with true freshman running back Jake Funk, which was stuffed for a 5-yard loss by the Nittany Lions defense. Maybe Maryland was going for the element of surprise? Maybe that play has worked for Funk a million times in practice? Regardless of the reasoning, it seems like a silly playcall in that situation and bears questioning. Next time the Terps are faced with a similar situation, it will be interesting to see if A) They go for it and B) What kind of play they run. Anything besides a stretch play to Funk seems like a safer bet.
2 -- How will the Terps respond?
Durkin said it after the Penn State game: This Terps team has been through a lot of firsts together, and the loss to the Nittany Lions is just another first-time experience for them to share together and grow from. We’ve yet to see how Durkin or his team will respond coming off of a loss and Saturday’s game against Minnesota will be the first test. If Maryland can correct the shortcomings that were mentioned at the beginning of this article, then a rebound against the Golden Gophers is a strong possibility. But if the Terps quarterback is constantly under duress and Maryland’s defense allows Minnesota to dictate the game by running the ball effectively, the Terps could find themselves in trouble once again this week.
One prediction: Some changes will be made on defense and along the offensive line
It is only one game and one loss, but after the performance the Terps had at Penn State, there should be a few tweaks made to the defense and the offensive line. Durkin is always preaching the level of competition and the depth Maryland has on its roster. Well, now it’s time to show it. It’s hard to point the finger at one or two guys for the Terps’ issues on both sides of the ball, but once the coaching staff reviews the film of loss to Penn State they should be able to identify the areas that need to be improved or require a change in personnel. Linebacker, defensive line and offensive line are the three positions that should be monitored closely this week.