Following its dominant 50-7 victory over UConn, Maryland football floundered in Week 2, succumbing to Michigan State, 27-24, at home.
The Terps found themselves leading by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but a missed field goal, subsequent 77-yard touchdown by the Spartans and an Aidan Chiles game-winning drive soured the day for Maryland.
In my grading of positional groups, starter and primary backup performances are weighed stronger than those unlikely to typically see playing time.
Quarterbacks
Unlike last week, Billy Edwards Jr. was the lone quarterback to see game action. And for the second straight week, he impressed, completing 26-of-34 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 13 yards and a touchdown.
Edwards was mostly decisive, once again relying on quick passes to the boundary and finding soft spots in the middle of the field. However, he struggled at times hitting receivers on deep balls, overthrowing wide receivers Tai Felton and Kaden Prather on sideline shots.
At the same time, he threaded some passes into tight areas, including a dime to the corner of the end zone to Felton for the game’s first score. Edwards’ interception was costly, but was also the product of bouncing off Felton’s hands and into the arms of Michigan State’s Charles Brantley.
Ultimately, Edwards proved once again that he was more than capable of running Maryland’s offense effectively.
Grade: B+
Running backs
While Edwards mostly retained his flair and production from Week 1, the backfield unit was less than stellar compared to its performance against UConn.
Maryland seemed committed to its run game early, but quickly found itself abandoning the ground attack after Hemby, Nolan Ray and Colby McDonald were unable to consistently locate holes in the defense.
On the afternoon, the trio totaled a combined 23 rushes for 70 yards and no touchdowns. Ray had the longest rush of the day for just 10 yards.
While some of the issues running the ball can be attributed to the offensive line’s lack of creating space, it’s also the responsibility of the running backs to churn out extra yards. Without a functioning run game, the Terps won’t have too much success on offense regardless of Edwards’ production through the air.
Suffice to say, more will be expected from this group in the coming weeks.
Grade: D
Wide receivers
It’s tempting to give this unit an A+ simply because of Felton’s elite performance. For the second straight week, he looked like one of the best receivers in the country. Had he not set a career-high in receiving yards against UConn in Week 1, he would’ve surpassed that mark in Week 2, as he nabbed 11 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown.
Felton’s ability to get open — whether it be on quick slants, deep balls or just finding the soft spot in the zone — is unparalleled. And after the catch, he’s just as good, if not better. He’s more than just fast, he’s also shifty and has phenomenal field vision.
But aside from Felton, the rest of the group left a bit to be desired. Prather, Felton’s partner on the opposite side of the field, didn’t record a single catch until the second half. He finished with five catches for 38 yards.
Beyond the top two, Octavian Smith Jr. and Shaleak Knotts each reeled in a ball, but neither was a significant factor. Overall, it was a solid day from a position group that many — including myself — didn’t know how high to set expectations for going into the season.
Grade: A-
Tight ends
Without Preston Howard, there were plenty of question marks for the Terps to address at the position against the Spartans. And for the most part, Maryland answered the call.
Redshirt sophomore Leron Husbands got the start, somewhat surprisingly. He saw limited playing time over the course of the contest and did not record a catch, but he was used effectively as an in-line blocker.
Sophomore Dylan Wade was called on to take over much of the position’s receiving duty. He excelled Saturday afternoon, grabbing four catches for 49 yards and a timely touchdown reception.
Wade clearly possesses much of the receiving ability at the position that was lost when Corey Dyches transferred to Cal. However, he incurred a costly false start penalty on a third-and-1 in the second quarter that pushed the Terps back and ultimately ended the drive. Nevertheless, he will undoubtedly continue to be a target featured in the passing game.
The rest of the group was not featured in the passing game.
Grade: B
Offensive line
Sometimes it’s tough to discern if the lack of production in the run game is due to running back mishaps or offensive line miscues. On Saturday, it seemed like a bit of both.
Maryland’s offensive line wasn’t terrible. When the Terps opted to pass the ball, Edwards had a relatively clean pocket to throw from. He was only sacked once all game.
However, Michigan State’s defense rallied for seven tackles for loss. The offensive line struggled at times to create space for the running backs against UConn, and this trend continued against the Spartans.
The Terps will face even tougher defensive fronts as the season progresses, and they will need improvement from this unit in order to maintain a balanced attack.
Grade: C-
Defensive line
Last week against UConn, much of the postgame discussion revolved around the defensive line’s inability to establish consistent pressure. There was noticeable improvement this week.
The line recorded one sack, courtesy of Taizse Johnson. They also largely stymied a rushing attack that was seen as the Spartans’ strength heading into the game. Last week, Michigan State ran for 183 yards against FAU, with Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams garnering 101 of them.
On Saturday, the Terps held Lynch-Adams to 46 yards on the ground and the rushing unit to just 130 yards total. At the same time, the defensive line was also partly to blame for Nate Carter’s 30 yard explosive run. Lynch-Adams also had a 23-yard chunk play on the ground.
The pressure generated by the pass rush helped lead to Glen Miller’s interception of Chiles in the backfield as well.
Grade: B
Linebackers
Maryland’s linebackers worked pretty well in tandem with the defensive line on Saturday. Caleb Wheatland, Kellan Wyatt and Donnell Brown saw plenty of time in the backfield, acting either as blitzers or edge rushers.
Wheatland was all over the field Saturday, recording 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Ruben Hyppolite II led the team in tackles with eight.
Wyatt and Brown were both impressive in their own right, with Wyatt racking up 1.5 tackles for loss and Brown registering a pass breakup and quarterback hit.
This positional group has plenty of depth and versatility, and it will be interesting to see how the unit improves as the season progresses.
Grade: A-
Defensive backs
Bar none, this was the worst performance of any Maryland position group Saturday. If F-minus grades were possible to give, the Terps’ secondary would be first in line to receive one.
Last week against Florida Atlantic, Chiles threw for 114 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. But against the Terps, he put on quite the display through the air, throwing for 363 yards and three touchdowns.
What was most eye-opening was that the Terps were burned on multiple occasions for long touchdowns. Aside from the 77-yard touchdown bomb, Chiles also rifled a 34-yard strike with Jalen Huskey in coverage. Huskey struggled on the day, also being hit with an offside penalty on a missed field goal attempt that gave Michigan State another chance right before half, which it nailed.
Chiles carved up Maryland’s defensive backs on the game-winning drive to set up a field goal. He hit multiple 10-plus yard passes to both sidelines and found soft spots in the middle of the field.
And don’t let the three interceptions fool you. One was a sack-interception, more so courtesy of a well-executed blitz rather than amazing coverage. The others were a product of a overthrown balls open receivers.
Grade: F
Special teams
This positional group would have been graded more highly if Jack Howes had made the 41-yard field goal that would have essentially iced the game for Maryland in the fourth quarter.
Returner Braeden Wisloski electing to take back a kickoff from the end zone before being stuffed at the 10-yard line also lowered the special teams’ score.
However, there were still some positives to look at from the unit.
Howes made a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter and Bryce McFerson continues to punt exceptionally well. On Saturday, he recorded four punts for 194 yards with a long of 63 yards. Three of his boots landed inside the 20-yard line, with just one tumbling into the end zone for a touchback.
Grade: C
Coaching
It’s interesting — the narrative around Maryland’s coaching on Saturday could be entirely different if Howes had made the field goal in the fourth quarter. But he didn’t, and now it opens up a discussion about what the coaching staff could have done differently throughout the game.
Should head coach Michael Locksley have called a quarterback sneak instead? Or made a different decision on an earlier third-and-1 that saw a Ray run go nowhere? And should he have been more aggressive, going for it instead of punting? These offensive questions loom larger now that the Terps left points on the board.
Defensively, it’s harder to pin down how much blame falls on Brian Williams and his staff for the deep completions. Maryland’s defensive backs were simply outmatched on most of them. However, the coaching scheme on the final drive — a soft, prevent-like defense — allowed Chiles to march down the field with ease.
Grade: C-
