Once again, Texas football fell to the Maryland Terrapins to start their season. The Longhorns have some work to do on both sides of the ball.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Maryland Terrapins set out to honor fallen teammate Jordan McNair on their first offensive play. With only 10 players on the field – leaving McNair’s right guard position vacant – the Terrapins took a delay of game penalty. Texas, very neighborly I might add, declined the penalty as a sign of respect.
McNair passed away this summer following a 2-week hospitalization after collapsing during an organized team workout. McNair was only 19 years old.
The play, which was only a small gesture of respect by Maryland, was reciprocated by the Longhorns declining the penalty. It’s nice to know that some things, in some places, still take precedence over gridiron competitions.
What can we learn from these Week 1 performances, though? Are the Terrapins actually good? The Longhorns bad? Too early to tell? Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Longhorns’ loss at the hands of the Terps in Week 1.
No. 3: Texas is who we thought they were
The jury is still out on the Longhorns after only one week, but they look like the same old song-and-dance we’ve come accustomed to from Austin – a routinely over-hyped team, receiving Top-25 status not based on their current locker room, rather their storied history. That’s all the Texas football program is, though: history.
Coming into the season ranked, people actually believed in the Longhorns. Well, many Longhorn fans believed in the Longhorns. Their run game isn’t anything to get flustered about as an opposing defensive coordinator. Their passing game isn’t a fine-tuned machine yet, although quarterback Sam Ehlinger could be the guy for head coach Tom Herman. The defense wasn’t expected to be world-beaters, but they did surrender 34 points to the Terps.
Herman isn’t quite as impressive as once advertised, either. He was supposed to come into Austin, baby-sit Charlie Strong’s recruits on the way to at least a Big 12 championship. After a full season in 2017 plus Saturday’s game, Herman is an even .500, going 7-7. His team didn’t come out of Saturday’s weather-delay with any sort of energy, either. Is he really up for the task of bringing Texas football back to relevancy?
There’s undoubtedly time to right the ship – with a tune-up game against Tulsa approaching – but Herman and the Horns play USC on Sept. 15. After losing to the Terrapins – a team without a head coach – what will Texas be able to accomplish against a team and program like Southern Cal?
No. 2: Maryland will be just fine in the Big Ten
After 4 tumultuous years since joining the Big Ten, the Maryland Terrapins could finally turn the corner in the conference in 2018. They’ve combined to go 20-30 overall since joining in 2014, but have another nice win on their resume to begin a new season.
The Terps hung 51 points on the Horns to open the 2017 season, and walked away victorious again on Saturday. To close out the game, Maryland forced three turnovers on the Horns final three possessions.
Facing a Texas defense that typically plays better as the game unfolds, the Terps didn’t commit a single turnover against the Longhorns. Their offense accounted for 407 yards – two more than Texas – and even got a passing touchdown from freshman wide receiver Jeshaun Jones.
Starting quarterback Kasim Hill threw for 222 yards on 17-of-29 passing, including a touchdown in the first quarter. He also ran the ball six times for 10 yards.
No 1: Jeshaun Jones will be a star
Maryland freshman wide receiver, Jeshaun Jones, hit the trifecta on his first three touches Saturday against Texas – catching a touchdown, running for a touchdown, and passing for a touchdown.
He finished the day with only 4 touches, catching one other pass in the season-opener, but was a star for the Terps in his limited role. Without his contributions, scoring would’ve been hard to come by for Maryland.
Jones was a 3-star recruit coming out of school, but chose the Terps over Iowa State, Nebraska, and Tennessee, among others.
Bowling Green State and Temple are up next for the Terps, which should be a nice change-of-pace from the Longhorns. Expect Jones to see an improved role moving forward to get some traction before Big Ten play gets underway.