Maryland responded impressively from its loss in the season opener and returned to College Park to deliver a 45-44 Homecoming win over Minnesota. Terps quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and running back Jake Funk stole the show, combining for 696 total yards and seven touchdowns between them.
In their first non-primetime game of the season, the Terps hit the road again to take on an 0-2 Penn State desperate for its first win. Here’s what to watch for when Maryland matches up with the Nittany Lions Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley.
Is ‘Lia the Real Deal?
Saturday will be a good gauge of whether or not last week was a fluke or a sign of things to come with Taulia Tagovailoa under center. After having about as bad of a first game as he could have for the Terps, the transfer sophomore flipped the script in Maryland’s second game. Tagovailoa Completed 26-of-35 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 59 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to his totals against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
But Minnesota’s currently ranked 112th ranked defense nationally is not what the Terps are going to see this weekend. Penn State, despite starting its season with two losses, has the 39th ranked defense in the FBS and will present a much tougher task for Tagovailoa and Maryland. Was Tagovailoa’s abysmal game against Northwestern a product of first-game rust or lack of chemistry due to a pandemic-affected offseason? Or was that what Terps fans can expect from him against defenses that aren’t Division-I bottom dwellers? Time will tell.
Maryland’s Run Defense...again
This was something to watch for last week as well with Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim coming to town after Northwestern ran all over the Terps the week prior, but the run defense was again a major issue for Maryland and will be a key factor against Penn State. The Nittany Lions are hurting in the backfield right now. So much so that their not-exactly-dual-threat quarterback Sean Clifford is their leading rusher on the season with just 125 yards on the ground.
If the Terps can’t stop the run against this backfield, they’re never going to stop the run this season. It’s no secret that Penn State wants to run the ball first and foremost, but the Nittany Lions just don’t have the horses this year to do so. But I expect James Franklin & Co. to use a matchup against Maryland’s poor rush defense as an opportunity to get its run game going. If the Terps can stand up to the test, it could throw Penn State off and really limit its offense.
A Funk-tional Workhorse Back?
After receiving just six carries for 35 yards the week prior, Terps senior tailback Jake Funk played a featured back role against Minnesota and ran the ball 21 times for a career-high 221 yards and a touchdown. Funk also showed his versatility out of the backfield and caught three balls for 22 yards and another score.
Maryland tried to get its two freshmen running backs — Isaiah Jacobs and Penny Boone — more involved against Northwestern, distributing the carries evenly with six going to all three backs, but Funk took over a clear lead role against Minnesota. Boone was the only other Terps running back to record a carry against the Golden Gophers and his lone carry went for just 1 yard. Will Funk continue to function as a workhorse back? If so, can he be nearly as effective against better defenses? We’ll see, but he’s certainly Maryland’s best option right now in all facets of the position.
The Impact of a Fast Start
One of the major differences in Maryland’s first game from its second was the momentum the Terps built early. After Maryland picked up a field goal on its first drive in the season opener, Tagovailoa threw an interception on the next drive and it snowballed from there. The Terps did not score another point and Tagovailoa didn’t even break 100 passing yards while throwing three picks. Against Minnesota, Maryland scored a touchdown on its first three possessions. Something not typically seen by the Terps in recent years unless it’s against Howard or Towson.
The fast start clearly gave Tagovailoa and the rest of the offense enough confidence to sustain its hot hand throughout the game. In fact, Tagovailoa’s impressive game earned him Maxwell Award Player of the Week honors. But Penn State’s defense will be more talented and prepared than Minnesota’s. If things don’t go as well early, how will Tagovailoa react? The talent on Maryland’s offense should be able to overcome some slow starts, but they have to believe it first.
Tarheeb Still & Rakim Jarrett
Two players I was particularly impressed with in the Minnesota game but that didn’t get the headlines because their games weren’t as flashy in the box score as some of their teammates were freshmen Tarheeb Still and Rakim Jarrett. On defense, Still is already paying dividends for the Terps. He looks like one of Maryland’s most talented cornerbacks through two games this season and he didn’t an excellent job covering All-Big Ten wideout Rashod Bateman in the win over the Golden Gophers. Still even matched up with Bateman in the red zone a few times and won the matchup. Bateman had just five catches for 62 yards, which is pedestrian for a player of his talent. I’m excited to continue to watch Still’s growth.
As for Jarrett, everyone knows he’s a stud. It’s just a matter of when we were going to get a chance to see it and if Maryland actually has a quarterback that can get him the ball. The answer to both of those questions were answered against Minnesota. Jarrett had six receptions for 68 yards last week, but some of his catches were downright impressive and you can just see the potential oozing from the young wideout. Tagovailoa also seems to be more competent than he appeared in the first game. That’s a good sign for Jarrett and all the Terps’ wideouts moving forward. I’m sure Mike Locksley would love to fully unleash his prized freshman against the Nittany Lions.
