Maryland Terrapins: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Maryland Terrapins: Key To The 2022 Offense
Be better at running against the better teams.
It’s not that Maryland forgot about the ground game, but it just wasn’t good enough.
The crazy part about the final two wins was how the ground game actually worked, taking off for 263 yards against Rutgers and 206 against Virginia Tech – Howard was the only other D that gave up over 200 to the Terps.
It wasn’t because of a lack of trying, There was a brutal stretch when nothing worked, failing to get to two yards per carry overall for a month.
Balance, balance, balance. Maryland ran for 16 touchdowns in the seven wins and just four in the six losses.
Maryland Terrapins: Key To The 2022 Defense
Start taking the ball away.
The Terp defense wasn’t great last year against the offenses that worked, and it’s going to struggle this year until the back seven finds the right rotation and the line can start to get behind the line more.
Fine … just force turnovers.
The D gave the O almost no help with big plays after coming up with four takeaways in the opener against West Virginia. The two against Michigan State marked the only other time the Terps came up with multiple takeaways.
How bad did it get? They went through a five-game stretch without coming up with one and manufactured just two interceptions over the last ten games.
Maryland Terrapins: Key Player To The 2022 Season
DE Tyler Baylor, Sr.
Someone has to get into the backfield from the end.
Is Baylor the one who can rise up and be a factor starting in fall camp? Can he really take over for Sam Okuayinonu and match the six sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, leading the team in both categories?
Baylor will get the first look at the end spot after coming up with nine tackles with a sack last season.
He’s not as big as Okuayinonu, but the 6-4, 265-pounder has the quickness and the time in the system to potentially be a break out playmaker. If he’s not it, someone else has to be it.
Maryland Terrapins: Key Transfer
PK Chad Ryland, Sr.
Florida WR Jacob Copeland is going to be a big deal, and a few other transfers will be factors, but Ryland might just be the difference between a good season and a big one.
Two of the wins last year were by three points each, but it’s Maryland. There won’t be a lot of close games. Even so, a transfer from Eastern Michigan might become a power player.
He hit 141 of 145 extra points in his four years, and after a rocky start, he nailed 30-of-35 field goals over the last two seasons. Considering Maryland only came up with 14-of-21 field goals last year and hasn’t been about 70% on field goals since 2018, he’ll matter.
Maryland Key Game To The 2022 Season
at Michigan, Sept. 24
There are measuring stick games, and there’s the Big Ten opener on the road against a team that has annihilated you for several years.
Oh sure, Ohio State has run light scrimmages against Maryland more often than not, but at least that 52-51 thriller in 2018 was close. Maryland hasn’t shown up against Michigan since it won back in 2014.
It lost last year in a 59-18 squeaker to make it six straight brutal blowouts by 21 points or more. This time around the late September meeting will show just how competitive the team might be against all the big boys coming up.
Maryland Terrapins: 2021 Fun Stats
– Maryland Penalties Per Game: 2020 8.8 – 2021 6.7
– Kickoff Return Average: Opponents 26.02 yards – Maryland 17.05 yards
– Extra Points: Opponents 47-of-48 – Maryland 41-of-46