Can the Maryland Terrapins Reach 8 Wins in First Big Ten Season if Healthy?
Defense
The Maryland Terrapins had the 55th ranked defense in college football last year but were hit with a couple of key injuries as well, including to cornerback Dexter McDougle, who was supposed to be the superstar of the group and recorded 3 interceptions the first four games before being lost to a season-ending injury. The stats are also skewed a bit because they surrendered 63 points to Florida State after giving up halfway through and another 40 points to Clemson and the dynamic duo of Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins. Although the Big Ten is a better conference, there’s not one offense in that conference that can match what FSU and Clemson did last year.
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The entire front line returns in defensive coordinator Brian Stewart’s 3-4 defense, and that’s always a huge bonus. Lead nose tackle Darius Kilgo will be a senior this year and recorded 2 sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss last year. But standing at 6’3 310 pounds, he’ll be the only big guy in the main rotation. Nobody else weighs more than 275 pounds as the Terps get set to take on massive Big Ten offensive lines, so speed will have to play a role. They have a good start at end with Andre Monroe on one side returning for his senior season after recording 9.5 sacks, 17 tackles for a loss, and 2 forced fumbles last year. Look for him to be disruptive again and possibly make more national noise. On the other side, junior Quinton Jefferson will also be reliable after managing 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for a loss, and 1 forced fumble. Keith Bowers and Roman Bragilio both have significant experience on the line as well and should continually be in the rotation, and nose tackle Nate Clark could have a bigger role this year too. He’ll be needed with his size at 6’3 305 pounds in order to take some of the load off Kilgo.
The linebackers are absolutely loaded for the Terps. To get it out of the way, losing Marcus Whitfield is a big concern after he had 9 sacks last year, and Abner Logan’s likely suspension is a setback because he could’ve been a major contributor. But the top three tackles from last year’s unit are back in Cole Farrand, Matt Robinson, and L.A. Goree. They combined for 177 tackles and 19 for a loss, and each had a forced fumble. Alex Twine was a major contributor as well with 37.5 tackles, and Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil is back after recording 13 tackles and 3 sacks despite missing half the season due to injury. All five guys will be in the rotation, and here’s the real kicker: they’re all seniors, so there’s no shortage of experience here. Sitting behind them, sophomores Yannick Ngakoue and Cavon Walker both played every game last year as freshmen, and there are seven other players on the depth chart who could contribute, including two newcomers. Ngakoue and incoming freshman Jesse Aniebonam were both 4-stars on Rivals, so there’s about as much talent, depth, and experience as you could have on a unit in this unit.
The secondary, which was the weakest part of the unit last year, might be right there with the linebackers this year. Injuries to
Sep 21, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins defense stops Virginia Mountaineers running back Charles Sims (3) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
McDougle and Jeremiah Johnson threw a wrench in this unit that probably was very beneficial for this year. McDougle is gone, as is starting cornerback Isaac Goins, but Johnson will be back and healthy as a senior, and it’s worth noting that he broke up 8 passes in 2012 and managed 1.5 sacks. Will Likely is the reason that the injuries might have benefitted the Terps secondary in the long run. The 4-star on Rivals was thrown into the fire as a freshman last year and got better as the season went on. Now, playing across from Johnson, look for a breakout year from him this year. He should be the star of the unit. Safeties Sean Davis, Anthony Nixon, and A.J. Hendy will all see significant action this year, just as they did last year. There should not be many problems there. Zach Dancel and Jarrett Ross are two other returning contributors to provide depth, and there are four other guys who could be called upon to step in.
As a unit, this defense returns almost everybody that was valuable last year, and combining that with guys who are back from injury should make for a very strong group as the Terps enter the Big Ten.