Maryland 5-2 (2-2 B1G) at Northwestern 3-4 (1-3 B1G)
When: Saturday October 28th, 12PM ET
Where: Evanston, Illinois
After dropping a game at home by a last second field goal in a game where they were favored by two touchdowns, the Terps used their bye week to get healthy and get ready to get back into the win column. The Terps will be looking to end their two game skid against the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday and capture their first win in Evanston.
Getting Healthy
The Terps were missing four starters and some depth players in their loss against Illinois including Tarheeb Still, Corey Dyches, Corey Bullock, and Dante Trader. Luckily for the Terps, their bye week came at a very good time and they are expected to get many players back for Northwestern. All four starters of Trader, Still, Dyches, and Bullock are expected to be back this week. “Dante Trader has been practicing this week. Corey Dyches, who missed a week ago, is back. We have most of our guys back healthy, ready to go. And like I said, the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time.” said coach Locks when asked about the team’s health coming off the bye week. “I would have loved to enter the bye week with a little better feeling than what we have now. We’ve gone three weeks if you count the bye week without having success. As I told our team, it’s important to try to flush that toilet that’s been sitting there for three weeks.” Another player that is expected to play is Ramon Brown who is expected to be making his season debut this Saturday after missing the first seven games. Brown will be looking to provide a spark to a rushing attack that has underperformed so far this season.
Getting the Run Game Going
Northwestern is coming into the game giving up an average of 171 rushing yards per game. If the Terps want to take their offense to another level, they will absolutely need to get the rushing game going and keep defenses balanced against them. The Terps are only averaging 140 rushing yards per game so far this season. Last season, the Roman Hemby and the Terps ran all over Northwestern for a total of 257 rushing yards with 179 coming from Hemby. With the season winding down and Penn State and Michigan coming up soon, getting the run game going would be massive for the Terps in balancing out the offensive attack. With Brown making his season debut, look for it to hopefully light a spark in the Terps running backs and help them get the run game going against the second worst run defense in the Big Ten.
Getting After the Quarterback
The Terps defense has caused 21 sacks so far this season which is tied for 18th in the country. Northwestern has given up a whopping 30 sacks so far this season. If the Terps want to win and win convincingly, they will need to get after the quarterback and get after them a lot. Northwestern has mainly used two quarterbacks this season in Ben Bryant and Brandan Sullivan, however it has been Sullivan that has been starting as of late. Sullivan got his first start last season in the Terps matchup against the Wildcats. Sullivan adds a rushing threat to the backfield as a dual threat quarterback for Northwestern. The Terps defensive line has been led by Donnell Brown and Kellan Wyatt when it comes to getting after the quarterback. However, defensive coordinator Brian Williams loves causing havoc by sending blitzes and Jaishawn Barham and Fa’Najae Gotay have also had success in getting sacks this season from the MLB spot as well. Getting after the quarterback and causing sacks and tackles for loss will get the Wildcats to play behind the sticks and will make them have to play behind the sticks and have long third downs.
The Terps will be looking to win their first game coming off a bye week in the Mike Locksley era when they visit the Wildcats. The Terps will also be looking to even the series history between the two schools at two wins each on Saturday including winning their first game in Evanston.
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