The Terps come to town for Homecoming
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3) host the Maryland Terrapins (4-3) for a Homecoming matchup on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Can Maryland score on offense?
The Terps like to throw the ball, ranking 9th nationally in passing offense and averaging 313.3 passing yards per game. Starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. is completing 70% of his passes and has thrown for 2,113 yards, 13 passing touchdowns, and four interceptions. He has a pair of senior standouts at wide receiver to throw to, led by Tai Felton.
Felton is one of the top wide receivers in the Big Ten, if not the country. He leads the team with 64 receptions for 803 receiving yards and six touchdowns. When opposing defenses have keyed in on Felton, it has allowed Edwards to turn his attention to Kaden Prather, who has 43 receptions for 461 receiving yards and three touchdowns to his name. In other words, Minnesota cornerbacks Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson are going to have their hands full on Saturday.
Running the ball has been a different story for Maryland. They average 121 yards on the ground, which ranks 102nd nationally. But that is largely a product of the pass-heavy play-calling. Starting running back Roman Hemby only averages 11 carries per game, and second leading rusher Nolan Ray averages six. But Hemby has the ability to break loose, as he did against Indiana, scoring a season-long 75-yard touchdown in a loss to the Hoosiers.
The Terrapins are allowing two sacks per game, so pressuring the quarterback should be a point of emphasis for the Gophers’ defensive line, especially since Maryland is likely to follow UCLA’s blueprint and attack the defense with a quick passing game.
Please tell me the Gophers will be able to score
The Terps rank 15th nationally in run defense (102.7 rushing yards allowed per game), 119th in pass defense (269.4 passing yards allowed per game), and 76th in scoring defense (24 points allowed per game). So another big game for Max Brosmer on Saturday?
Maryland has been getting picked apart through the air, though not for lack of pressure from the linebackers in their 3-4 defense. Linebackers Caleb Wheatland and Kellan Wyatt lead the team with three sacks each, and the pair have combined for 13 tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. Ruben Hyppolite II is their leading tackler and more active in stopping the run.
Nickel back Glendon Miller and cornerback Jalen Huskey lead the team with three interceptions each. Perhaps the most telling stat on their team is that defensive end Donnell Brown leads the team in pass break-ups with three. No defensive back has more than two this season.
The most interesting matchup to watch will be up front. Coming out of the bye week, it will be interesting to see what changes the Gophers have made on the offensive line, which has struggled up to this point. Maryland defensive coordinator Brian William is going to dialing up different fronts and pressures to get them on their heels and put pressure on Brosmer.
But who will score more points on Saturday?
It’s difficult to know what to make of this Maryland team. They had a disastrous performance at home against a bad Northwestern team. The Terps outgained the Wildcats 355-283 but turned the ball over four times and lost 37-10. The next week, they were able to rally from a 21-7 halftime deficit to beat USC, 29-28, on a last second touchdown. I think Maryland will play Minnesota tough, but the Gophers are rounding into form and should be healthy coming off the bye week. Minnesota 28, Maryland 20.