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Rapid Reaction: Terps take care of Richmond
Published:
Final: Maryland 50, Richmond 21
Telling stat: 326-56 Maryland wins rushing battle
Richmond had no answer for the Terps ground game. Brandon Ross broke off 150 yards and a score. Wes Brown added 74 and a touchdown of his own. Even Ty Johnson racked up 83 yards and a touchdown. Even more telling was the fact that Maryland didn’t have a single carry go for more than 23 yards. It was a dominant day for the Terps offensive line, to say the least.
Key play: 23-yard Levern Jacobs touchdown “catch”
It was only a swing pass, but Perry Hills got the Terps into the end zone with a toss to Levern Jacobs, who made a few Spider defenders miss on his way to a score. Maryland, which lost its top four leading receivers from a year ago, needs more of that from Jacobs. Any and all playmaking ability in the passing game is a welcome sight for Randy Edsall’s group.
Noteworthy:
Brad Craddock misses XP
-File this one in the, “what?” department. The Lou Groza Award winner missed an extra point at the end of the first half. Why is that significant? Well, Craddock is widely regarded as the Terps’ leader, set a school record for field goal percentage last year by only missing one kick. He made all 44 extra point attempts last year and has only missed three in his three seasons as the Terps kicker. It’s a good thing this game was a rout.
-William Likely sets return record
Wow, the Maryland corner was unbelievable on special teams. He racked up 233 yards on eight returns including a touchdown. That broke Nile Kinnick’s 76 year-old record. Sure, it was only Richmond but that’s incredible. He might be 5-7, but it’s impossible to deny how big of an impact Likely makes for this team.
Caleb Rowe got mop-up duty
-After Randy Edsall said that Daxx Garman was the backup, he went with Caleb Rowe in mop-up time. Rowe, had apparently regressed more than any quarterback in camp but was given the late nod. He only got to throw a pass, but it couldn’t have been good news for Garman. I originally predicted that all three would start a game this season. Who knows, maybe that’s still a possibility but Edsall remained confident in Hills, despite his accuracy issues. If Hills had continued his 0-for-4 start, maybe it would’ve been a different story.
What it means: Terps might be improved on ground
It’s hard to say that this game means a whole lot. The Terps were the heavy favorite against the FCS Spiders and didn’t figure to have much of a fighting chance in competing against Maryland’s bigger offensive line. But Ross didn’t look that impressive in non-conference play last year. He only had one 100-yard game all season. Yes, it was Richmond, but that’s an important early tone for Maryland’s offense to set.
What’s next: vs. Bowling Green State
Maryland should be a significant favorite again. Edsall might’ve found his feature back and his quarterback stayed healthy. Those have to be welcome sights for Terp fans entering Week 2.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.