Previewing The Maryland Terrapins' 2015 Football Season

By brookshooley
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland has been a middle-of-the-road team since hiring Randy Edsall in 2011. The Terrapins have posted back-to-back 7-6 records and bowl losses since going 4-8 in 2012, but that was good enough for Edsall to ink a three-year extension. Now that the 2015 season is imminent, Edsall and the Terrapins have their work cut out for them.

This season, the Maryland must find ways to compensate for the eight defensive players they lost to graduation after last year. The biggest losses without a doubt are linebackers Cole Farrand and L.A. Goree, who were two of the three top tacklers on the roster in 2014. But Maryland fans can take comfort in the return of potential Thorpe candidate William Likely, who intercepted six passes last season. Likely may be undersized, but his quickness and film study make him a dangerous defensive back. On the defensive front, you will hear the name Yannick Ngakoue frequently as the season progresses. Ngakoue is 6-foot-2, 255 pounds and is an absolute beast at defensive end. He reminds me of a smaller Jadeveon Clowney with similar quickness and power off the edge. 

Offensively, Maryland lost their starting quarterback and leading rusher in C.J. Brown. Furthermore, they lost two great receivers Stefon Diggs and Deon Long. Thankfully for Edsall, finding replacements for those positions may not be so difficult. Senior wide receiver Marcus Leak is expected to be the primary target in Mike Locksley’s offense this fall. Leak is a physical receiver who is a threat vertically as well as in the red zone. Amba Etta-Tawo and Levern Jacobs will also see some more action than last season in the absence of Diggs and Long. 

The quarterback situation looked bleak for the Terrapins until after spring ball when Daxx Garman transferred from Oklahoma State. He will be competing for the starting job with senior Caleb Rowe this fall. Rowe was recovering from a knee injury early in the year and did not see playing time in the spring game. Both throw a decent deep ball and can run the spread offense. It’ll be interesting to see how that situation plays out leading up to the Terrapins’ opening game against Richmond

Both Brandon Ross and Wes Brown return at the running back position, but in order for the ground game to be effective this season, ball control is paramount. Ross especially had some issues hanging on to the ball last season.

Maryland has three winnable non-conference games before traveling to Morgantown hoping to avenge last season’s heartbreaking loss to rival West Virginia. They play host to Michigan to open Big Ten play and then travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State, which is hands down their toughest conference road game. Their other road games include Iowa, Michigan State and Rutgers the final week of the regular season.

I see the Terrapins having another average season, going 6-6 overall with a 4-4 conference record and finishing third in the Big Ten East.

Brooks Hooley is a Junior Big Ten Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @brookshooley.

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