Maryland Terrapins Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Maryland season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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Maryland Terrapins Preview
Head Coach: Mike Locksley, 4th year at Maryland, 13-23
7th year overall, 15-49: 2021 Preview
2021 Record: Overall: 7-6, Conference: 3-6
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Maryland Top 10 Players | Maryland Schedule & Analysis
Maryland Terrapins Preview 2022
Well that’s more like it.
Maryland struggled through six straight losing seasons, and just when it looked like it was going to happen again, the team won its last two games – and got its first bowl victory since 2010.
7-6 is nothing to build statues for, but for a program and head coach that needed a positive turn, that was it.
Yeah, yeah, all the Terps did was beat Rutgers and blow through a depleted Virginia Tech, but after getting obliterated in all six losses in a 1-6 run leading up the regular season finale, that was exactly the positive momentum needed to go into the offseason.
Now there’s excitement, and rightly so.
No, Maryland isn’t going to win the Big Ten title, but after a few years of building things up through strong recruiting classes, Mike Locksley has a whole lot of good pieces in place, His offensive style should be more consistent, and now it’s time to be that thorn-in-the-side team that screws up the big guys.
This should be the best Terp team in years, the schedule is easy early and …
The schedule gets brutal, and might take a win over Rutgers again in the regular season finale, but it should be a more entertaining ride to get there.
Maryland Terrapins Preview 2022: Offense
Yeah, the offense works – against the mediocre. Overall, Maryland was fourth in the Big Ten in total and scoring offense, was 13th in the nation in passing, and was okay in pass protection, but the total numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Maryland cranked up more than 460 yards in each of the seven wins – all against bad teams, with the exception of West Virginia – and was under the mark in all six losses. The idea is to be more consistent, more balanced, and better against the good teams – there are a whole lot of them on the slate.
It all starts with a passing game that’s going to be a problem for the rest of the Big Ten. Taulia Tagovailoa sputtered in 2020, but it all kicked in last year with 26 touchdowns and close to 4,000 yards. Now he’s the unquestioned veteran No. 1 guy, and he’s got the targets to do even more.
Rakim Jarrett led the way with 62 catches, Dontay Demus is one of the Big Ten’s most dangerous weapons when healthy, and on the way is Jacob Copeland from Florida – who caught 85 passes and scored nine times over the last three seasons – to add another deep threat.
The ground attack will be along for the ride, but it’ll be fine as long as it can boost up the yards per carry from the four yards per pop of last year.
All five starters are expected to be back to a functional offensive front – left tackle Jaelyn Duncan is the best of the bunch – but the backfield loses leading rusher Tayon Fleet-Davis.
Challen Faamatau and Colby McDonald are tough, quick backs, but the O will be about that passing game.
Maryland Terrapins Preview 2022: Defense
Like the offensive side, the defense was great against the mediocre and got rocked by everyone else. The Terps struggled to take the ball away, they were 12th in the conference in total defense, and 13th in scoring.
Worse yet, it’s going to be a bit of a work in progress with so many key parts gone and the depth needing time to develop.
The line has to be more of a factor. It only got gouged against the run a few times, and it only gave up four yards per carry, but the pass rush was sporadic and there weren’t nearly enough tackles for loss.
On the plus side, the 300+ pound tackle combination of Ami Finau and Moria Nasili-Kite should be a strength. Now the disruption has to come from the ends.
Ruben Hyppolite îs a good hitter in the middle of the linebacking corps, but he’s one of the few returning top tacklers. On the plus side, corner Tarheeb Still is back to go along with Jakorian Bennett on the outside.
Only two players came up with interceptions in 2021. New Indianapolis Colt Nick Cross came up with three, and Bennett got the other three. The corners have to be great, but the Terps need more help at safety.