Tag: Taulia Tagovailoa

Top three Big Ten quarterbacks heading into 2023

The Big Ten has a few intriguing quarterbacks, but we narrowed down the three best for 2023. #GoBucks #B1G

With Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud off to the NFL, the honor of the top quarterback in the Big Ten is up for grabs. Honestly, though, The Team Up North looks like it has a legit possible All-American slinging the rock. The Big Ten has had some fantastic passers in years past and this season should be no different.

One name on this list is extremely familiar. It feels like he’s been playing quarterback in the Big Ten for a decade and he was on this list last season but plays for a team with mediocre expectations in 2023.

The first two passers are fairly obvious, but the third selection was between two young guys who are going to get opportunities to lead their respective programs for the first time, and as expected, I went the homer route, being a Buckeye fan and all. All jokes aside, I do expect these three quarterbacks to be at the top of the conference by season’s end.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy: The Big Ten’s two best quarterbacks are in the East Division

The Big Ten’s East Division has the conference’s top two quarterback according to ESPN’s Greg McElroy.

Greg McElroy rolled out his top Big Ten quarterbacks last week, with the top two selections coming from the East Division.

McElroy, who won a national championship at Alabama and spent __ year in the NFL, believes that J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland) are the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten.

McCarthy, according to McElroy, is the top quarterback in the Big Ten. Last season, McCarthy threw for 2,719 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions as he led Michigan to the College Football Playoff.

On the ‘Always College Football’ podcast, Mcelroy underscored why McCarthy is his pick as the Big Ten’s top quarterback.

“J.J. McCarthy at Michigan is the top returning signal caller there in the Big Ten. Finished his sophomore season – first full year as a starting quarterback where I know okay, I get it. He wasn’t a full-starting quarterback, he didn’t start Week 1. Alright, I understand,” McElroy said on the ESPN podcast.

“But for the first full year in my eyes as a starting quarterback (he) completed nearly 65 percent did a really good job. I thought managing the offense from time to time but did showcase flashes of superstar potential. Now it wasn’t always there. It wasn’t always crazy consistent, but you add in the dual-threat nature that he can keep the defense honest a little bit too. It makes him the belle of the ball there in the Big Ten. He’s number one.”

The McCarthy pick, given his experience at Michigan and his success in leading the Wolverines to the Big Ten title, makes sense. But McElroy’s second-best quarterback selection in the conference isn’t quite as safe.

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Tagovailoa, now entering his fourth season at Maryland, has huge potential. But as McElroy notes, he also comes with a bit of risk as his playing style is daring.

“At number two a little bit more difficult for me because this guy is high risk. He’s also high reward. There have been moments where Taulia Tagovailoa has been lights out. But there have also been moments where he hasn’t played very sound football is a little loose with football from time to time. Not the best ball security,” McElroy said.

“I know we look back and we all think back two years ago to the interceptions that he threw I believe it was against Penn State. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about ball security in the pocket. He plays with one arm on the ball and as a result that ball can get swapped out pretty easily. So I would like for him to be a little bit tighter with his ball security but he gives Maryland a real chance to pull upsets – almost did some against Ohio State in the second last week of the regular season last year. So there’s a lot to like about what he’s done over the course of his career. The one thing that I want to see from him though, is tightening up that ball security. He’s in at number two in the Big Ten, right now.”

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Michigan State football: Injury update on Maryland ahead of matchup Saturday

An injury update on Maryland’s QB Taulia Tagovailoa and WR Rakim Jarrett ahead of Saturday’s match-up between the Spartans and Terps:

Michigan State and Maryland are set to square off this Saturday in College Park, Maryland. Both team’s are looking to bounce back after tough losses a week ago.

The Terrapins dropped a tough game at Michigan on Saturday, but in the midst of that game, they suffered a couple of tough injuries to their star QB Taulia Tagovailoa and star WR Rakim Jarrett.

Tagovailoa is dealing with an injury to his ribs and knee, while Jarrett is dealing with a head injury.

Maryland coach Mike Locksley announced that both are going to be gameday decisions.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

Top 5 Big Ten Week 4 games and predictions

Week 4 of the season sees some big time Big Ten matchups as conference play gets underway. Let’s see the top five Big Ten games this week.

Week 4 kicks off Big Ten conference play for a number of teams. Some of these matchups have a lot riding on them for such an early junction of the season. Whether that be high expectations of winning the conference or teams looking to get things figured out, there is no shortage of intrigue this week.

As always, there are some games that don’t move the needle much. The Illinois Fighting Illini hosting Chattanooga, Northwestern hosting Miami (Ohio), Penn State getting a tune up against the Central Michigan Chippewas, and Purdue hosting Florida Atlantic University all leave something to be desired.

The other matchups do get a lot of national coverage as well with the Big Ten getting airtime on FOX, FS1, ESPN, and ABC. Let’s get into five of the most intriguing matchups in the Big Ten this week with a prediction of what shakes out.

Top three draft-eligible Big Ten quarterbacks for 2022

Top three draft-eligible Big Ten QBs #GoBucks #BigTen

It is never too early to talk about the NFL draft and one of the most polarizing and fun positions to discuss is the quarterback position. It has never been more fun to talk quarterbacks as an Ohio State fan with the recent success of Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins. I don’t want to call Ohio State QB U just yet, but the potential is there with the hype surrounding C.J. Stroud.

We don’t want to just focus on our boy Stroud though, the Big Ten has a number of extremely talented quarterbacks. The following list includes the top three NFL draft-eligible quarterback prospects in the Big Ten.

Top five returning offensive yardage leaders in the Big Ten

Top five returning offensive leaders in the Big Ten #GoBucks

The NFL draft is in the books and the annual spring games have come to an end across the Big Ten and it is time to start diving into who to watch and what to expect during the 2022 season. We already dove into the top five returning rushers, passers, receivers, overall scorers and kick return leaders returning in the Big Ten.

Next, I wanted to provide the top five returning offensive yardage leaders in the Big Ten. This is going to be a quarterback exclusive list, unfortunately, but these names are still interesting to watch.

Many of the names on this list are going to be familiar, but a few may surprise you.

Let’s get into it.

Top five returning passing leaders in the Big Ten

Top five returning passers leaders in the Big Ten #GoBucks

The NFL draft is in the books and the annual spring games have come to an end across the Big Ten and it is time to start diving into who to watch and what to expect during the 2022 season. We already dove into the top five returning rushers in the Big Ten, but the top five returning passers may be even more interesting.

Despite the Big Ten having a reputation for strong running games and low-scoring contests, there are a few quarterbacks returning that sure know how to sling the rock. The top five returning passers should be obvious, but a few may surprise you.

Of course, you know about Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, but what does it look like behind him?

Predicting each Big Ten starting quarterback for 2022

Predicting every Big Ten starting quarterback in 2022

Quarterback is the most premium position on the football field, there is no questioning that. Historically, the Big Ten has been known for having some of the best quarterbacks in the nation, the same can be said for the 2022 season.

In the new era of college football, roster turnover is paramount, and the transfer portal is being used to shuffle rosters all over the country. The same goes for the quarterback position, and there are going to be some new faces signal-calling in the Big Ten in 2022.

Check out my prediction for each Big Ten teams’ projected starting quarterback in 2022:

Penn State’s Fred Hansard issues apology to Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa

Penn State’s Fred Hansard issued an apology for a sideline shove of Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa

During Penn State’s road victory against Maryland on Saturday, there was a brief moment on the Penn State sideline that caught the eye of the broadcasters calling the game on FS1 and drew the ire of the Maryland faithful. Penn State lineman Fred Hansard was seen giving a somewhat hard shove to Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who was running out of bounds on a play as the Terrapins were moving the football in the second half. On Monday, Hansard issued a public apology directed toward Tagovailoa and the entire Maryland football program.

“I would like to extend my sincere apologies for the unfortunate incident that took place on the sideline on Saturday,” Hansard said in his statement. “It was truly an act of impulse, and not malice. I did not and would not intentionally try to hurt another player. I believe in the integrity and the rules of the game.”

Video replay does seem to show Hansard reacting instinctively as he turns and sees a player coming at him. The slow-motion replay may make it look worse than it appeared in real time as well. But the video replay also shows Hansard appearing to pull back as if he did not intend to inflict any harm on Tagovailoa and was regretful for the sequence of events.

Hansard also issued an apology to one of his teammates, Rasheed Walker. Walker received some backlash for the sideline incident due to confusion over which player did the shove. Walker and Hansard wear the same uniform number (53), leading to plenty of criticism misguidingly being sent in the direction of Walker.

“I would also like to apologize to my teammate and brother, Rasheed Walker,” Hansard said. “Not only did my actions make you the subject of false public criticism on Saturday, but I also misrepresented what it means to wear #53 for Penn State Football.”

There has been no indication on whether or not Hansard will receive any internal discipline from head coach James Franklin or the Penn State program for the incident. There was no foul called on the play at the time, which was questioned by the broadcasters at the time, and the Big Ten has yet to issue any statement or suspension to Hansard at this time.

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Here’s how Ji’Ayir Brown’s game-sealing pick-six sounded on Penn State radio

LISTEN: How Steve Jones called Ji’Ayir Brown’s big pick-six against Maryland on the Penn State Radio Network

Penn State’s defense has been coming up with big plays all season long, and Ji’Ayir Brown has been involved in a number of the big defensive moments this season for the Nittany Lions. Brown added one more highlight to his 2021 season with a pick-six against Maryland to put the game away in Penn State’s favor on Saturday. Brown’s long touchdown return capped Penn State’s 31-14 victory at Maryland, effectively serving as the final nail in the coffin for the Terrapins’ upset bid.

Brown played everything perfectly from reading the eyes of Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, timing the pass just right to step in front of the intended receiver and using his speed to make sure nobody could catch him along the way for an easy return for a touchdown.

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If you missed the moment live, here is how the play sounded on the FS1 broadcast with Dan Hellie on the call…

But of course, no signature moment of Penn State football is called any better than how Steve Jones captured the moment on the Penn State radio network. Here’s how Jones called the big play, and how Jack Ham broke it down afterward.

As Jones said, game, set, match.

Penn State clinched bowl eligibility with the win and now prepares for a big home game against the Michigan Wolverines in Week 11.

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