Coming off of a tough home loss to Michigan State in their Big Ten opener, the Terps don't have any time to sit around sulking, as this week the travel to Charlottesville to take on former ACC foe and border rival Virginia.
Saturday night's game will mark the 80th all-time meeting between the Terps and Cavaliers, as Maryland has played Virginia more than any other opponent in program history. The Terps lead the all-time series 45-32-2 and most recently beat Virginia 42-14 last season in College Park.
While the Terps are coming off of a loss last week in which Michigan State came back to win in the fourth quarter, Virginia had a fourth-quarter comeback of their own last week, scoring 14 unanswered points in the final stanza to beat Wake Forest on the road 31-30 and move to 2-0 on the season.
Below, TSR takes a look at three things to watch for Saturday when the Terps travel to Charlottesville to face Virginia on The ACC Network.
Can the Maryland defense slow down the Virginia passing game?
To say Maryland's defense struggled last week versus the pass would probably be an understatement. The Terps' secondary got torched by Michigan State sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles to the tune of 363 yards, allowing three scores through the air. Maryland's corners regularly looked to be playing 10 to 15 yards off their receivers on crucial downs and the secondary allowed home run scores of 34 yards and 77 yards through the air.
Part of the Maryland defense's issue in slowing down Michigan State's passing game last week was a lack of pressure up front. While the Terps did end up with three sacks, it seemed like Maryland's front seven was just a step slow getting to Chiles for most of the game. With that said, Maryland's corners still struggled mightily and will need to improve as the season goes on if the Terps are to have the kind of success they believed they could have before the season started.
Things don't get any easier Saturday, as Virginia enters this week's game with the 14th-ranked passing offense in the country, averaging 327 yards per game through the air. Cavs sophomore starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea is currently ranked 12th nationally in passing yards with five touchdowns to his name. He also has history with the Terps, having started last year's game in College Park. He threw for a respectable 263 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort (although he did have three interceptions).
Colandrea's top receiving target is senior wideout Malachi Fields, who had a team-high 11 catches for 148 yards last week. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he is a big-bodied receiver who had 58 catches for 811 yards last season and currently ranks 9th nationally with an average of 8.0 receptions per game. A home run threat every time he touches the ball, he also knows how to use his size in and around the end zone.
Another end zone weapon the Terps will have to look out for is Harvard transfer tight end Tyler Neville. He is coming off of a two-touchdown performance last week versus Wake Forest and had eight touchdown receptions in his final 19 games at Harvard.
For the Terps defense to slow down this Virginia passing offense, they will likely need to generate more pressure up front early on in the game and simply need their cornerbacks to play better. Luckily, Colandrea has a history of throwing the ball to Maryland defenders and Terps safety Glen Miller already has three interceptions this season. An INT or two from Miller or any of the Terps' secondary would go a long way in helping Maryland's cause Saturday night.
Can Maryland get the run game going?
After rushing for just shy of 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry as a redshirt freshman two seasons ago, Roman Hemby saw his numbers decline last season, finishing with just 680 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, with an average of just 4.8 yards per carry.
Through two games this season, Hemby has just 101 yards on the ground and his 3.9 yards-per-carry average is the lowest of his four-year career. Hemby also struggled last year versus Virginia at home, finishing with just 23 yards on nine carries, although he did have a couple of touchdowns.
While Virginia comes into Saturday's game with the 84th ranked rush defense in the country, their 3.69 yards-per-carry average is below the Maryland offense's 4.34 average yards per carry.
With an inexperienced and entirely new offensive line, it isn't surprising that the Terps' running game has struggled. Holes, when open, have been quick to close, making it difficult for running backs to pick up big chunks of yardage. Still, if the Terps are unable to get anything going on the ground, it could possibly allow UVA's talented safeties to sit back in the passing game.
One thing that will be interesting to keep an eye out for is how early we possibly see senior running back Colby McDonald and how many carries he might gets. He is averaging 5.4 yards per carry in limited action this season and had arguably his best game of the season last year versus Virginia, finishing with 75 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. The running game needs some sort of spark and McDonald could possibly be just what the doctor ordered this week.
Can Tai Felton remain on his current pace?
Tai Felton comes into Saturday night's game with over 140 yards receiving in each of his past three regular-season games dating back to last year's regular-season finale versus Rutgers. He currently leads the nation with 330 receiving yards, while his 9.0 receptions per game currently rank 2nd in the country. In short, he is the hottest wideout in America entering Week 3.
Felton will get a juicy matchup this week, facing a UVA passing defense that is ranked 107th nationally, giving up an average of 256 yards per game through the air, including a generous 12.82 yards per completion.
Virginia will almost certainly gameplan around stopping Felton, but will that be enough?
Given Felton's recent exploits, the Terps' recent struggles in the ground game and the Virginia defense's inability to slow down opponents through the air, the senior wideout is poised for another big outing. Throw in the fact that the Virginia native had arguably his quietest game of the season last year versus the Cavs (2 catches for 41 yards) and he is likely to be dialed in and ready for a big game versus the hometown Hoos.
