Can the Maryland Terrapins Reach 8 Wins in First Big Ten Season if Healthy?

Randy Edsall probably became the quickest coach to become unpopular with his program’s fan base, and ironically he just might win them all back in the long run.

On the surface, inheriting a team that went 9-4 in 2010 and finished in the Top 25 with a freshman quarterback, and following that up with a 2-10 season looks like an immediate embarrassment. Add a mass exodus of players that year to the equation, and it’s hard to sell anything about him. But slowly instilling a culture of discipline and accountability in the program required everything to be built from the ground up, and the pieces are finally coming together.

Now, as the Terps enter the Big Ten, they are coming off a 7-6 season in the ACC, which followed a 4-8 season. So improvement is

Oct 19, 2013; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Randy Edsall talks with a player on the bench during the third quarter against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Field. Wake defeated Maryland 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

showing, and it would be going much faster if the Terps could stay healthy.

Season-ending injuries to every quarterback on the roster in 2012 were followed in 2013 by another injury to starting quarterback C.J. Brown, a season-ending injury to star cornerbacks Dexter McDougle and Jeremiah Johnson, and season ending injuries to the offensive superstars, Stefon Diggs and Deon Long at receiver. Still the Terps made a bowl game.

As they enter the Big Ten and by far the toughest division in the Big Ten this year, the silver lining in all this is lots of Maryland Terrapins players have experience at every position on the roster now, as many of them were forced into action. With 17 returning starters and experience deep into the depth chart the only questions facing this team are whether or not it can stay healthy and if its skill-player centered team is equipped to handle the power of the Big Ten East.