Maryland vs. UConn
When & where: SECU Stadium • College Park, MD • 12 PM EST
TV: FS1 – Connor Onion, Mark Helfrich
Radio: 105.7 FM • 980 AM • Sirius XM 119 or 195
Betting odds: Maryland – 20 • O/U: 44.5 (DraftKings)
Maryland welcomes UConn to College Park for the first time since 2012 as head coach Mike Locksley looks to guide the program to its 13 consecutive win in non-conference openers.
Maryland will also take their 12-game non-conference win streak into Saturday as they trail only Georgia for the longest streak in the country. Under head coach Mike Locksley, Maryland is 14-1 in non-conference games while averaging nearly 42 points per game in non-conference play, good for fifth-most nationally.
Saturday marks the first meeting in College Park between the two teams since 2012 when the Huskies took down then-head coach Randy Edsall in his second season with the program, while the Terps got revenge in Storrs the following season. So what should fans expect on Saturday? We take a look at three storylines to watch:
Who takes over as QB1?
The biggest question of the offseason – who steps in to replace Taulia Tagovailoa as Maryland’s starting quarterback? Billy Edwards Jr. will look to claim that title after battling NC State transfer MJ Morris and redshirt sophomore Cam Edge through the spring into the pair of scrimmages during fall camp. The trust and confidence that Edwards has commanded from both teammates and coaches through the offseason has been a consistent theme, while Edge has done everything asked of him as he’s flashed arguably the strongest arm of the quarterbacks in the room. Morris, meanwhile, stepped in and was able to learn the offense through fall camp while the athleticism that the 6-foot-1, 209-pound NC State transfer has been hard to ignore.
While UConn announced their starter, head coach Mike Locksley reiterated this week that a starting quarterback would not be named ahead of the opening series. “It gives us no competitive advantage to name it publicly,” he said on Tuesday. “They know who it is.
While head coach Mike Locksley added the ultimate starter wouldn’t have “a guy looking over his shoulder,” whether the Terps trot out multiple quarterbacks against the Huskies remains to be seen as the Terps have a chance to remain coy ahead of next weekend’s Big Ten opener.
Will the Terps be able to run the ball?
Last season as a team, the Terps averaged just 108.4 rushing yards per game which was 18th worst in the country. Once again, the Terps come into the season with a completely new offensive line, but this time they will be looking to get the run game going. The Terps added four offensive linemen from the transfer portal in Josh Kaltenberger out of Purdue, Aliou Bah out of Georgia, Isaiah Wright out of Buffalo, and Alan Herron out of division two Shorter University. Wright was expected to be the starting center but will likely be out the 2024 season with a lower leg injury. Kaltenberger will now fill in at center, Bah will be starting at right guard, and Herron will be starting at right tackle to start the season. The left side of the line will likely be anchored by Andre Roye at tackle and Isaac Bunyan at guard, who drew praise from Locksley during spring ball. All five linemen will be new starters this season for the Terps. Their ability to gel together and build chemistry will be key to how the run game goes this season.
The running back room returns their two top rushers in Roman Hemby and Colby McDonald, on top of Nolan Ray, who is expected to have a much larger role this season. And with the quarterback room tasked with something to prove this fall, it’s the emerging running back room who can alleviate that pressure. Of course, the wide receiver room has options that can add to the rushing attack with speedsters like Tai Felton, Octavian Smith Jr and Braeden Wisloski showcasing big-play ability with the ball in space.
UConn has a trio of linebacker portal additions that will be tasked with slowing down the Terps’ offense in LB Jayden McDonald (Troy), LB Julien Simon (Tulsa) and LB Aaron Key (Western Kentucky). Defensively, the Huskies return veterans along the line in Dal’Mont Gourdine, Jelani Stafford and Pryce Yates. Stafford has played in every game the last two seasons, in addition to sporadic offensive packages, while Yates has been a force after playing 25 games over the last two seasons. Veterans Rante Jones and Malik Dixon-Williams lead the Huskies’ secondary as Jones finished second on the team with 72 tackles, including his first career sack.
How will the Terps' new look secondary play?
Maryland lost experience from last season’s secondary, but there’s no shortage of confidence in the revamped room. Jalen Huskey has stepped in since the spring to fill one of the two vacant starting spots, while Perry Fisher has built off a strong performance in last year’s bowl game to position himself as the second starting cornerback.
Glen Miller, meanwhile, has proven himself among the top players on Maryland’s defense through the offseason as he pairs with Dante Trader Jr. to lock down the backline.
However, UConn has completely revamped their wide receiver room and has also brought in transfer quarterback Nick Evers who was named the starting quarterback this week. UConn brought in TJ Sheffield (Purdue), Jasaiah Gathings (Akron), and Skyler Bell (Wisconsin) to help vastly improve the Huskies passing attack this season. Evers will still have another proven weapon at his disposal at Brett Buckman, who was UConn’s top receiver in 2023, is back after posting 46 catches. It could be a decent early test for a brand new secondary that the Terps will be trotting out this Saturday.
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