Maryland Football: Can Terps finally get back to a bowl game?

In the third year under head coach Mike Locksley, Maryland football needs to show some progress, and getting back to a bowl game would count. 

Maryland football‘s move to the Big Ten hasn’t been all that successful, at least on the football field, unless of course, you count the money the Terps have been making, which is more in the Big Ten than it would have been in the ACC.

But with a new head coach hired a few years ago in Mike Locksley, who was formerly the offensive coordinator at Alabama, there was renewed optimism. The first season was a struggle and Maryland football posted a 3-9 record.

Last year, Maryland played just five games due to COVID-19, and following a 43-3 loss to open the season against Northwestern, the Terrapins went 2-2 in the last four and won games against Minnesota and Penn State, while losing to Rutgers and Indiana.

In the two wins, Maryland score an averaged of 40 points but in the three losses, the Terps scored fewer than 13 points a game. Less than half a season is hard to judge, especially in a year like 2020 but it’s clear that more consistency is needed going forward, starting with the quarterback which is expected to be Taulia Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa is the younger brother of Tua, the Heisman trophy-winning quarterback Locksley also coached at Alabama, and while he showed flashes last season, completing 61 percent of his passes and throwing seven touchdowns, there were also mistakes such as his seven INTs.

So far, a seven-win season has been the high point of Maryland’s tenure in the Big Ten, with its last bowl bid coming in 2016. The Terps were in a good position last year, but will that carry over?

Here’s a look at the 2021 Maryland football offense and defense, as well as predictions.