Terps looking to limit LJ Scott, Michigan State run game

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- In Thursday’s teleconference with Maryland beat reporters, Terps head coach D.J. Durkin addressed one of his team’s biggest issues the last two weeks--stopping the run.

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For a defensive-minded coach such as Durkin, seeing the Terps allow 372 and 229 rushing yards in back-to-back losses to Penn State and Minnesota must leave an unsettling feeling. But the first-year headman in College Park knows he and his staff must tighten up Maryland’s run defense moving forward, especially against a team like Michigan State that runs the ball on nearly 54 percent of its offensive plays.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Durkin said in reference to fixing the Terps’ run defense. “We’ll continue to work on and get better at it. And we know that to win a lot of games, including Michigan State, we have to stop the run.”

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At State College, Maryland was mostly gashed by workhorse tailback Saquon Barkley, but Durkin likened Michigan State’s ground attack to that of Minnesota’s which deployed multiple runners and packages on its way to having a 149-yard (Rodney Smith) and a 88-yard (Shannon Brooks) rusher.

“Michigan State gives you a bunch of different looks and personnel groups and formations,” Durkin said. “They do a bunch of stuff. Penn State stays in one personnel group the whole game and just operate out of that. I guess you could say it’s more similar [to Minnesota] in that way.”

However, Durkin and Maryland defensive coordinator Andy Buh were in accord this week when it came to their evaluation of the Terps’ run defense against the Golden Gophers. Both Maryland coaches believe Maryland was solid against the run for the most part against Minnesota outside of a 70-yard touchdown run by Smith late in the game.

Buh called the Minnesota game “one of the better performances” from Maryland’s defensive line this season and said he plans to continue to be aggressive up front against the run despite the possibility for big plays with the Terps don’t follow their assignments.

“I can sit up here and second guess our calls, but we call the game aggressively and will always call the game to win the game in every situation,” Buh said.

A Terps defensive lineman that has been in the right place at the right time for the most part this season is senior Roman Braglio, who had five tackles against Minnesota and has contributed 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks this season.

Braglio played much of the first quarter of the season with a small cast on his injured hand, but he is nearly back to full strength and is enjoying a breakout year in his final season playing in College Park.

“I’ve definitely improved,” Braglio said Tuesday. “Breaking my hand was honestly just annoying. To be out there with basically just a giant club and having to use one hand--having my hand back is just a blessing. I’ve also definitely improved by watching film and talking to Coach [Mike] London too. So I’m definitely thankful for the coaching and all of the hard work that we put in over the offseason that has really helped me.”

Braglio and his teammates know they will have to put all of their hard work to good use this weekend against the Spartans, who have a talented rotation in the backfield that’s led by sophomore LJ Scott.

At 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, Scott is an athletic but bruising back that can do damage to defenses when given the opportunity. He’ll be spelled at times by junior tailback Gerald Holmes, who is not a small guy himself at 6-foot, 222 pounds and averages 5 yards per rush so far this season.

“It’s going to be a tough football game,” Braglio said when asked about Michigan State’s rushing attack. “[Scott] is a downhill dude. He’s a big guy. He’s like 230 pounds so we’re going to have to be tough up front, the linebackers are going to have to fill the holes and we’re just going to have to play old school, tough football.”

But with proper coaching and a good week of preparation, Braglio and his fellow members of Maryland’s front seven are confident that they will improve against the run.

“Back to the basics,” Braglio said. “Techniques and fundamentals are some of the biggest parts of football. As a defensive lineman, it’s hands, getting off blockers, filling the right gaps. It’s going to be tough. [The Spartans are] big guys up front. That’s what Michigan State does; they run the football. As a defensive line unit, we definitely welcome the challenge. We’re ready.”