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College Football

5 biggest concerns I have about Maryland

Scott Schultz

By Scott Schultz

Published:


In just 2 years at Maryland, head coach Mike Locksley has managed to bring together a pretty impressive collection of raw talent. In 2020, there were glimpses of what can happen, but with the abbreviated schedule thanks to the pandemic, a true assessment of what is to come is tough to make.

Overcoming a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to top Minnesota in overtime and the follow-up victory over Penn State were glimmers of hope, but those wins came along with a blasting from Northwestern in the season opener and back-to-back losses to Indiana and Rutgers.

So will we see more glimmers of greatness in 2021 than we do problems, or will the program flounder in mediocrity and waste an opportunity with what can be a premier quarterback?

Here are the concerns I have heading into the first week of the season.

Replacing Jake Funk’s production

The running back position at Maryland this season has plenty of depth, but the hole left by Jake Funk’s departure for the NFL will need to be filled. Funk was 2nd in the FBS and 1st in the Big Ten last season, averaging 8.60 yards per carry. So who will step into that spot?

During the Big Ten media day interviews last month, Locksley was asked about his expectations when it came to a starting running back.

“It starts with Tayon Fleet-Davis,” Locksley said. “Fleet is one of those guys that is a Swiss army knife.”

Fleet-Davis brings the most experience to the running back position. But last season, as a redshirt senior, he only saw action in 1 game, rushing for 26 yards on 10 carries. During his 2019 junior campaign, he appeared in 10 games and finished with 265 yards on the ground.

As such, expect to see a running back-by-committee approach, at least at the beginning of the season.

The sophomore duo of Isaiah Jacobs and Peny Boone can also be expected to see action, as both saw time during 2020. Boone and Jocobs each had 19 carries, rushing for 86 and 61 yard, respectively.

Getting consistent production from the running game will be a major concern to keep defenses from focusing on the Terps explosive quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa.

The new look of the offensive line

Without a clear-cut starting running back for the Terps this season, it becomes even more important for the Maryland offensive line to control the line of scrimmage. The loss of Marcus Minor to Pitt and Johnny Jordan to Virginia Tech places even more pressure on the 3 up-front returning starters.

Junior Jaelyn Duncan returns and is clearly the most valuable piece of the O-line. The 6-6, 315-pound left tackle was named to the 2021 Athlon Sports Preseason All-Big Ten team and was a 2020 All-Big Ten team honorable mention selection. He started all 5 games last season as a sophomore after starting 11 games at left tackle during his redshirt freshman season in 2019.

Watch for junior Spencer Anderson and senior Johari Branch to also bring experience to the line, both having started in all 5 games last season. Maryland had the Big Ten’s second-highest ranked passing offense last season, so finding the mix to repeat that success is what will be the question.

Tagovailoa’s decision making

Everyone in College Park is excited to see what a full season with Taulia Tagovailoa behind center will bring. The 4 games that he took the first snap in 2020 were exciting, with the new Terps QB racking up over 1,000 yards and 7 touchdowns. But along with the thrill of the Minnesota win, and Tagovailoa’s 394 yards and 5 total touchdowns, Terps fans had to deal with the likes of the Indiana game where Tagovailoa threw 3 interceptions and had a dismal 47% completion percentage on his 36 attempts.

With somewhat of a normal preseason camp, more time and consistent reps, it’s expected that Tagovailoa will take the next step to becoming the dual-threat quarterback who can take Maryland to the next level.

Production will be the key, and if Tagovailoa and the offense can become more consistent, it could be an exciting fall for Terps fans.

Start taking the ball away

Maryland isn’t going to have one of the Big Ten’s better defenses, but if the offense is as strong as it should be, the defense needs to step up more than it did in 2020.

Takeaways are an issue. The Terps defense managed to come up with 3 during last season’s win over Penn State, but it took the ball away just once in the other 4 games. They lost the turnover margin in 4 of their 5 games, and over their last 12 have lost 11 times.

This needs to change.

There are 10 starters returning on the defense, with a lot of depth that can manage to get pressure into the backfield.

Tagovailoa has to stay healthy

Just 2 quarterbacks have a realistic chance of leading the Terps offense to any amount of success. Tagovailoa is the obvious choice to start, and while his inconsistency is of concern, he gives Maryland the best chance to win.

During spring games, walk-on David Foust struggled finding his receivers, completing just 7 of 16 passes for 51 yards with an interception for his Red team.

Eric Najarian, who was expected to serve as back-up, is back throwing after having offseason shoulder surgery, although Locksley is planning to be careful with him during fall camp, keeping his throwing to somewhat of a “pitch count.”

Locksley also brought in transfer quarterback Reece Udinski, coming to the Terps from VMI. Udinski had injury problems last season but still holds the career VMI records for yards passing, completions, attempts and touchdown passes.

Yes, the trio adds some depth to the quarterback room, but for Maryland to take the step to the next level and become one of the top teams in the league, Tagovailoa needs to be behind center. If he gets hurt, it’ll just be another year in the middle of the pack.

Scott Schultz

Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.