Explosive plays haunt Maryland’s defense amid four-game skid
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Maryland football had more momentum than it could’ve hoped for away to No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday. The Terps had just flipped a Buckeyes fumble into three points, shrinking their deficit to 7-3 late in the first quarter.
It was all gone two plays later.
After running back Ja’Kobi Jackson powered for three yards, quarterback Julian Sayin faked the handoff and quickly connected with tight end Nate Roberts over the middle. The sophomore, who had blown past linebacker Carlton Smith, sprinted untouched for a 68-yard touchdown.
Those lapses have become a regular occurrence for Maryland’s defense, which has allowed three consecutive opponents to post at least 40 points. While head coach Mike Locksley has stressed the need to limit explosive plays, his faltering secondary continues to leave receivers open.
The Terps have surrendered 34 chunk plays — characterized as gains of at least 15 yards — this season, with Ohio State totaling seven for 243 yards. Four of the Buckeyes’ chunk plays went for touchdowns, leading to Maryland’s 45-16 defeat.
“I think the limiting of the explosives, which to me, when they’re the passing variety like they were today, that usually comes with leverage, eye control,” Locksley said postgame.
The problem started well before the Terps’ four-game skid. Maryland allowed UConn quarterback Kalieb Osbourne to throw for 36 and 39-yard touchdowns to wide receivers JD Willoughby and Shamar Porter, respectively. Amari Jackson and Jamare Glasker, the Terps’ starting defensive backs, failed to keep pace in coverage.
While those touchdowns were not costly, Virginia Tech torched Maryland for a season-high eight chunk plays the following week. Those explosive gains were largely due to tackling issues; the Terps missed 23 tackles — their most in the last year.
Maryland allowed 445 total yards of offense, with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer completing 31-of-39 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns. But most of that damage was preventable.
At the 9:24 mark in the second quarter, Grunkemeyer checked it down to running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. out of the backfield for a routine pass. Daniel Wingate quickly converged on Overton, but his diving tackle effort came up short. Three more Terps defenders had chances to bring down the running back and also missed, resulting in a 49-yard touchdown.
“We got to make a play. We had some guys in position, but didn’t come up or didn’t make the play,” Locksley said postgame. “We got to do a better job, obviously. All of us, whether it’s the tackling, whether it’s us getting off blocks, a lot of those things showed up.”
UCLA and Nebraska combined for 13 chunk plays against Maryland — amounting to 450 yards, an average of 34.6 yards per play — to help hand Maryland a combined 76-point margin of defeat. Bruins wide receiver Aidan Mizell erupted for an 83-yard receiving touchdown, with 74 coming after the catch.
While the Terps’ previous opponents found success through the air, UCLA’s rush attack ran rampant. The Bruins exploded for 266 yards on the ground.
Wayne Knight, the Big Ten’s leader in rushing yards per game and touchdowns, amassed 100 yards on just 10 carries. His 45-yard rushing touchdown was one of UCLA’s four touchdowns on the ground: Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas punched in short-yardage scores, while Troy Leigber added a 63-yard touchdown late.
The run defense struggles have furthered in Maryland’s last two Big Ten games, as Nebraska and Ohio State have each collected over 200 rushing yards. Cornhuskers quarterback Anthony Colandrea, while not the fastest runner, scampered for a 51-yard gain in the fourth quarter of their game.
“Just doing our job. Being in the right position, having everybody rally to the ball, and just getting on the ground,” Wingate said of the improvements needed after the Ohio State game. “We had a lot of guys just out of position, and if you’re out of position, a team like Ohio State is going to capitalize on that.”
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith’s first two receptions went for 33 and 40-yard touchdowns, exposing Maryland’s man coverage. Eighty-nine of his 93 total yards came after the catch.
“When we play man is where we got in trouble today, and we’ve got to be able to get the ball on the ground once it’s caught because they were catching runs and not the deep variety,” Locksley said Saturday.
The Terps have allowed a Big Ten-worst 32.7 points per game. Their inability to get players on the ground have plagued a reeling defense, with 718 yards after the catch conceded and 85 missed tackles this season.
Maryland will need to erase those gaping secondary holes Saturday against Rutgers in a must-win game for both teams.
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