Maryland bounced back following last week’s defeat to Michigan State. A slow and frustrating start saw the Terps down 13-7 at the half against their former ACC rival, but a second half shutout pushed the Terps to a 27-13 victory over Virginia on Saturday night. A much-needed win for Maryland and head coach Mike Locksley as establishing superiority over rival schools is important in building the program to its potential. Maryland has now defeated Virginia in the past two seasons by a combined score of 69-27, now winning 14 consecutive non-conference games, which is tied for second longest in the country only behind Georgia. With four turnovers forced, the Terps now lead the country in turnover margin as well. While it wasn’t a pretty 60 minutes, we take a look at the week three stock report.
Stock Up
QB Billy Edwards Jr
Another week and another strong game from Edwards. The Maryland signal caller finished 28-for-43 for 263 passing yards and two touchdowns. The key in this one was getting Edwards involved on the ground with 25 rushing yards including the game-sealing score. Fans were clamoring for Locksley to utilize Edwards in short yardage situations following last week’s loss and on Saturday, Edwards was efficient picking up multiple first downs on quarterback sneaks. The rushing attack also opened him as the game progressed to be more comfortable moving in the pocket and expanding plays as he was only sacked one time. Edwards overthrew a couple deep balls early but bounced back through the game finding Felton multiple times and a beautiful deep touchdown pass to Prather in the third quarter to take its first lead of the game. Edwards took the short, simple throws when needed and mixed some shots. There were many question marks with Edwards entering the season, but the graduate senior has proved to be enough to win at the position.
WR Tai Felton
Is there going to be a week without Felton rising in the stock report? The senior receiver is thriving through the first three games becoming the first Maryland receiver in the last twenty years to have 100 yards in three consecutive games. The kid is just a stud and there is no denying it anymore after hauling in nine catches for 107 yards and a score. Felton again flashed his big play ability on a simple curl route that turned into a huge 37-yard gain after he didn’t quit on the play and broke a few tackles on the way. You have to love this kid’s motor and reliability. What else can you say but buy some Felton stock – it’s a safe bet to expect back in the stock up next week.
S Dante Trader
After an underwhelming start to his senior campaign, Trader stepped up for his best game of the season. Trader recorded an interception and a pass breakup on the day while also leading the Terrapins in tackles with 11. Trader was all over the field and was a big part in locking down Virginia’s top weapons, including Malachi Fields. It was an overall solid game from the secondary as a poor start, including many long completions from Antony Colandrea, had the secondary in shambles early. The second half was a different story as Colandrea only had 51 passing yards after halftime. The secondary, led by Trader, forced Colandrea into mistakes that he is prone to making and was a key cog in their victory.
DL Quashon Fuller
Fuller is often not discussed as one of the Terps’ best defensive lineman and it is a testament to how the unit is. Fuller was making plays happen all night as he finished with five tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Maryland was able to wear down the Cavaliers’ offensive line in the second half as Colandrea felt the pressure. As a whole, the unit was effective in getting Colandrea to exit the pocket and get into mistake prone football. Colandrea was able to scamper for one touchdown to end the first half, but the defensive line was able to get to him the rest of the night, led by Fuller. A glimmer of hope for the unit that had high expectations to begin the year.
Honorable mention: DL Tommy Akingbesote, LB Caleb Wheatland, SAF Brandon Jacob, CB Jalen Huskey
Down
Run Game
It is starting to become apparent that the running game does not have much pop. There were some solid runs including multiple 10-yard plus burst from all three backs but overall a 3.5 yard per carry for the team isn’t too efficient. Hemby is struggling to get into a groove and explode through the hole after finishing with 34 yards on ten carries. Ray did not have the same swivel as he has had but still ended 5.3 yards per carry as he and Colby McDonald picked up the tempo in the second half. Edwards’ involvement helped the ground game reach have a different aspect that could bode well in the future but overall not the effectiveness that Locksley is looking for. The offensive line got better as the night went along, specifically Josh Kaltenberger but the run game still has room for improvement.
Capitalizing on turnovers
The Maryland defense forced four turnovers, good enough to help the unit lead the country in turnover margin (+9), but it was the offense that failed to really capitalize. Particularly in the first half Maryland did not turn Dante Trader’s interception or a red zone fumble into any points. Into the second half when Maryland started improving, the team still failed to capitalize on a Jalen Huskey interception with a three-and-out. Finally, Maryland capitalized on another fumble in the fourth quarter with an eight-play touchdown drive that was made possible by the second of two aggressive fourth-down calls. A large part of the struggle in the first half came from the inability to capitalize on the turnovers the defense was forcing. Trader returned an interception to the Virginia 35-yard line but Maryland was only able to gain one yard on three plays before Jack Howes missed a field goal. If they were able to capitalize early this game could have been a completely different story. As opponents become more difficult it will be crucial for the offense to take advantage of defensive turnovers, especially in enemy territory.
Overall, a great bounce back spot for the squad as a dreary first half led to Maryland imposing their will on their border rival.
Maryland will host Villanova next week at SECU Stadium at noon.
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