Maryland returns to action on Friday night as a comfortable favorite vs. Northwestern as head coach Mike Locksley looks to guide his team to 4-2 (1-2). David Braun, who became the program’s permanent head coach after taking interim status in 2023, saw his team fall to 2-3 (0-2) after falling to Indiana at home on Saturday as the Wildcats look to avoid the cellar of the new-look Big Ten. We take a look at the Terps’ next opponent:
Offense (Big Ten ranking)
Key Players: QB Jack Lausch, WR Bryce Kirtz, WR AJ Henning
Scoring: 18.6 (15th)
Passing: 175.4 (15th)
Rushing: 127.4 (15th)
The Wildcats have struggled to find their footing on offense, ranking among the worst teams in the country on that side of the ball, as QB Jack Lausch has proven himself as a running threat. Still, Lausch is coming off a career-day in the passing game after recording a new career-high with 243 yards on 23-of-38 and a pair of touchdowns, while he added 34 yards on nine rushes vs. Indiana.
Kirtz, meanwhile, matched his career-high after leading the way with 128 yards on ten catches as he leads the team in catches (31) and yards (296). While Maryland's secondary will look to take away the big plays through the air, stopping Kirtz will be a big part of that as he averaged over 14 yards per catch in 2023, stepping back in as the 'Cats playmaker. After entering week five with one touchdown, Henning is coming off his first multi-touchdown game of the season where he’s proven to be the complimentary weapon for the ‘Cats offense. The duo are two of Northwestern’s three returning players who recorded 700-plus all-purpose yards the previous season, joining RB Cam Porter, who leads the team with 62.3 rushing yards per game as he's averaging exactly five yards per carry.
While Northwestern also sits dead last in third-down conversions (29.6%) among Big Ten teams, the ‘Cats have been one of the best blocking teams in the country with just five sacks allowed in five games where the unit has a pair of vets to lean on in redshirt junior Caleb Tiernan and former Colorado OL Jack Bailey leading the way.
Defense (Big Ten ranking)
Key Players: LB Xander Mueller, DL Anto Saka, DB Theran Johnson
Scoring: 20.8 (12th)
Passing: 254.2 (15th)
Rushing: 93.2 (7th)
The stats may not reflect it, but the ‘Cats have pieces in the front seven to make the trenches a battle. DL Anto Saka, a former in-state target out of Loyola Blakefield (MD), leads the way with 2.5 TFLs while he’s tied the second-most sacks (2.5) on the team alongside DL Aidan Hubbard, another key piece in the front seven.
Of course, you can’t mention Northwestern’s defense and overlook grad LB Xander Mueller as the All-Big Ten selection anchors the unit. Mueller is one of three Big Ten players to record 100+ tackles, five sacks and three interceptions in a season and currently leads the team in both total tackles (36) and sacks (3), while he’s lead the team in tackles for loss in both 2022 and 2023.
DB Theran Johnson leads the defense with six pass breakups while junior DB Devin Turner sits fifth on the team and tackles as he’s registered another five breakups, too. Still, the unit saw signs of struggle against Indiana as the Hoosiers’ second-half surge found big plays through the air to cement the road win.
The ‘Cats entered week six with one of the nation’s top scoring defenses before Indiana exposed the big-play potential, generating 17 plays over ten yards on Saturday. How Maryland’s offense fares coming out of the bye week will be arguably the biggest storyline heading into Friday as Maryland looks to take back into their explosive plays with skill players like WR Tai Felton, WR Kaden Prather, TE Preston Howard and TE Dylan Wade.
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