Tag: Maryland football

Maryland plays USC football this weekend. Last week, Maryland no-showed in a 37-10 face-plant loss at home to Northwestern. This is the element of Maryland football which drives Terrapin fans crazy: The Terps actually play the big boys in the Big Ten on even terms. Maryland has given Ohio State and Michigan some really tough battles in recent years. Maryland does play really good football for at least two quarters against the Buckeyes and Wolverines. The Terps have come close to beating those programs and have certainly pushed them hard. Then, however, when playing Northwestern or some of the other lower- or middle-tier teams in the Big Ten, Maryland falters.

We talked to Maryland expert and analyst Patrick Stevens, a sportswriter at the Washington Post, to get more insight into the Terrapins as they prepare to play USC. We discussed whether Maryland is likely to pick itself up and give USC a good game, or if the Terps will continue to fall flat and give the Trojans a smoother day at the office. We have our own opinions, but you can judge for yourself here:

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USC football travels across the country to the East Coast to face the Maryland Terrapins this Saturday afternoon in College Park. At The Voice of College Football, we previewed the game with Maryland expert Patrick Stevens, a terrific sportswriter for the Washington Post and multiple other publications. He is outstanding, and you should follow his work if you don’t do so already.

Stevens looked at various aspects of this matchup from a Maryland-centric vantage point. The Terrapins are coming off a terrible performance in a blowout loss to Northwestern at home. If Maryland is going to get back on track and play well enough to at least challenge USC, the Terps will have to establish basic competence on several obvious levels. That goes without saying. Beyond that, however, what does Maryland need to do in this matchup with USC which will give the Terps a fighting chance at winning outright, not merely coming close? Stevens looked at the Maryland passing game versus the USC secondary.

Maryland has to be able to make plays in the passing game to create the kind of game it wants and put pressure on a USC defense which is shorthanded due to the many injuries which have plagued the Trojans in recent weeks. With no Eric Gentry and no Anthony Lucas — not to mention redshirting Bear Alexander — USC will have a harder time dominating on defense. Stevens thinks the Maryland passing game is the Terps’ ticket to victory. He’s not saying Maryland will light up USC, only that the Terrapins have to establish their passing game and their top receivers if they are going to have a reasonable chance of winning. Here’s the segment at The Voice of College Football:

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