On Saturday, Maryland dropped their second conference game to Indiana by a final score of 42-28. This now brings Maryland to an overall record of 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big Ten. It's not the ideal conference start as Maryland now sits at 0-2 in the Big Ten since its second year in the conference and first time under head coach Mike Locksley. A frustrating game for the team, coaches, and the fanbase as the defense struggled and the offense was not consistent. Again, it was the story of not capitalizing on turnovers as Maryland won the turnover battle 4-0 but failed to score any points off those changes of possession. Optimistic fans dreamed of a 6-0 start heading into the homecoming battle against USC; however, the Terps are 3-2 as Indiana proves to be legit under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. We take a look at the weekly stock report:
Stock Up
RB Roman Hemby
The run game as a whole was inconsistent through the first month of the season. In particular, Roman Hemby had faltered and many questioned if he was the best back in the room. On Saturday, Hemby returned to form and created explosive plays all day. Despite lackluster offensive line play, Hemby rushed for 117 yards on 10 carries and a score. The offense struggled early with two early three-and-outs, but the third drive was boosted by Hemby who created some momentum with a few first-down runs. Kaden Prather ended up scoring on that drive that all started with Hemby. Hemby also created a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage following an Indiana score to tie the game at 21. Hemby also added another score in the air with another 48 receiving yards. Hemby returning to form was a sign of optimism for the offense going deeper into conference play.
WR Kaden Prather
In a year that WR Tai Felton has dominated the headlines to open the season, Prather has mostly taken a backseat despite having immense talent himself. On Saturday, Prather was easily Maryland’s best pass catcher with 5 receptions for 66 yards and a score. Prather picked up multiple first downs on the day and was Edwards’ favorite target throughout the day. With Felton being held in check by the Hoosiers, Prather stepped up and made a great play on a 33-yard touchdown to get Maryland their first points. Prather almost had another long touchdown in the 4th quarter but was barely out of bounds on a fantastic catch turning into the endzone. Prather was also open on other long passes but the balls by Edwards were not the best. Prather consistently found himself open and made plays, another good sign for the offense if Felton gets a lot of attention.
LB Mike Harris
The youngster found himself on last week’s stock up report following a solid showing against Villanova. Harris is starting to become one of Maryland’s best linebackers as his role grows. Before even taking a look at the stats I had Harris penciled in as a “stock up” player based on the amount of times his name was called on defense. The stats prove my thoughts right as he led the team with ten tackles and recorded his first career tackle for loss. Not to mention, Harris forced a fumble in one of Maryland’s four turnovers on the day. Harris is proving to be a hit on the recruiting trail and his emergence bodes well for the future at the position with players such as Ruben Hyppolite moving on after the season.
Honorable Mentions: LB Caleb Wheatland, LB Kellen Wyatt, CB/S Jalen Huskey
Stock Down
The Offensive Play Calling
This has been a concern for a while among the fanbase, but it really reared its ugly head this week. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis had many interesting play calls throughout the game that put Maryland in bad situations. The biggest infraction being the third and short play call early in the game when Maryland struggled on the ground. A quarterback blast run was immediately blown up that had many fans and reporters wondering what the idea was. In addition, the run game started to churn but it was mostly abandoned during the middle portion of the game with only 20 carries between Maryland’s main three backs. I liked the idea of trying to give Felton the ball in space and having your playmakers make plays but the lack of scheming to get him in good positions was uninspiring. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis needs to find more consistent play calling and an identity for the offense that gives his players a better chance to succeed going forward.
The Offensive Line
The offensive line play was lackluster all day as Edwards was often hurried in a matter of seconds, but the first-year starting quarterback didn't make matters either by holding onto the ball a bit too long at times. Indiana was in the backfield early and often as the front could not hold up the Hoosiers' pressure. Indiana defensive tackle, Mikhail Kamara, was a force up the middle with 2 tackles for loss and a sack. Edwards often had to hurry his reads and throws with Kamara flying up the middle in what felt like 2 seconds. Elsewhere along the line, Alan Herron had a poor game at right tackle allowing multiple pressures before freshman Terez Davis stepped in during the second half. Aliou Bah also struggled mightily with multiple penalties including a back-breaking unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Maryland’s third drive. As a whole, the Maryland offense committed ten penalties for 93 yards with a six stemming from the offensive line. A repeated problem under head coach Mike Locksley has been penalties on the offensive line and it has not seemed to change in now year six. A worry coming into the year was the turnover on the offensive line and it could be a large problem for the offense going forward.
The Secondary
Obviously when a team scores 42 points, the secondary most likely did not play well. This secondary has talent and they can make great plays and have a tendency to cause turnovers. Again, Glen Miller and Jalen Huskey recorded interceptions. With an early injury to Dante Trader, the secondary leaned on young cornerbacks with Jalen Huskey shifting to safety. The young cornerbacks were mostly exposed as Kurtis Rourke threw for 359 yards and 3 touchdowns. It seemed easy for Rourke to loft a ball along the boundary for his receivers to go up and grab. The young cornerbacks in particular have failed to turn their head around on 1-on1 balls. Players such as Kerm Humes, Lavain Scruggs, Kevis Thomas, and Braydon Lee were beaten by experienced Indiana receivers on 1-on-1 matchups. A majority of Elijah Sarrat’s 124 receiving yards came on 10-yard comeback or go routes on the back shoulder. Chantz Harley also was beaten a few times including Sarratt’s 36 yard score. The inexperience at the position has started to become exposed and injuries in the secondary to veterans could lead the unit in trouble.
Now sitting at 0-2 in the conference, Maryland will have a bye-week before hosting Northwestern on a Friday Night in College Park. And after dropping both conference games in disappointing fashion, Maryland now has two weeks to right the ship as they firmly sit in 'show me' category with the fanbase.
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