Oct. 21, 2021: The Golden Gophers will look to keep their two-game winning streak rolling as they welcome the Maryland Terrapins to Huntington Bank Stadium for a week eight contest.
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Broadcast Info:
- Date: Sat., Oct. 23
- TV channel: ESPN2
- Time of kickoff: 2:30 p.m. (CST)
- Broadcast team: Beth Mowins (play-by-play) & Kirk Morrison (color)
- Betting line: Minnesota (-5) v. Maryland; over/under (54.5)
Opponent Information (Maryland):
- 2020 record: 2-3
- 2021 record: 4-2
- v. West Virginia 30-24 W
- v. Howard 62-0 W
- @ Illinois 20-17 W
- v. Kent State 37-16 W
- v. Iowa 51-14 L
- @ Ohio State 66-17 L
- Head Coach: Mike Locksley (3rd season)
- Returning starters: 14
- Players to watch: Taulia Tagovailoa (QB), Rakim Jarrett (WR), Tayon Fleet-Davis (RB), Jaelyn Duncan (LT), and Nick Cross (S)
As the Big Ten West race really starts to heat up, Minnesota will welcome (4-2) Maryland to Huntington Bank Stadium in a pivotal week eight matchup. Coming off its first two losses of the season, and a pair of injuries to its No. 1 and No. 3 wide receivers, the Gophers are set to face a reeling Maryland squad. Talented quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa will look to right the ship on a season that has taken a turn for the worse.
Maryland season storylines:
- Taulia Tagovailoa/Mike Locksley relationship:
Brother of Alabama legend Tua Tagovailoa and now junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has become one of the most polarizing players at his position in the Big Ten Conference. Taulia is entering his second season as a full-time starter with former Alabama OC Mike Locksley calling plays for the Terrapins’ offense. Locksley was the Crimson Tide’s OC for Tua’s freshman and sophomore seasons, and he is now built a serious connection with Taulia.
In 2021, Taulia has accumulated the 18th most passing yards in the country (1,776), while completing 72.1% of his passes and adding 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Terrapins’ offense as a whole ranks 50th in the NCAA averaging 30.0 points per game. Locksley has clearly built trust with Tagovailoa, as after a 5 INT performance against Iowa, and 2 more INTs against Ohio State he has remained the team’s starter. This Maryland team has and will move as far as Locksley and Tagovailoa take them.
- Wide receiver injuries:
Early this season, Maryland quietly had one of the best offenses in the country thanks to its elite wide receiver trio. Dontay Deemus Jr. had 28 catches for 507 yards and three touchdowns in the first 4.5 games of the season before suffering a season-ending injury against Iowa. Junior Jeshaun Jones was a terrific third option with 18 catches for 224 yards, before suffering a season-ending injury last week against Ohio State. Former five-star freshman Rakim Jarrett has finally played up to his talent level with 22 catches for 319 yards and five touchdowns this season, but he is now the only healthy wide receiver with over 150 yards this season.
Through the first four weeks of the season, Maryland was averaging 37.2 points and 353.2 passing yards per game. Now with a depleted wide receiver room and a struggling quarterback, an offense that once looked like one of the best in the conference is a thing of the past. With running back Tayon Fleet-Davis now as the team’s second-leading receiver, Maryland may look to change its offensive approach. Nevertheless, Tagovailoa and the rest of the Terrapins’ offense will need to step up if they would like to get their season back on track.
- Two blowout losses in a row:
After looking like a darkhorse contender in the Big Ten Conference to begin the season, Maryland has been outscored 117-31 over the past two weeks. The two games were against what many believe to be the best two teams in the conference, but still; far from an inspiring performance. The Gophers are now set to face a motivated Maryland squad that realizes how important this game is for the rest of its season. Gophers’ fans have just witnessed P.J. Fleck turn around Minnesota’s season after an embarrassing loss to Bowling Green, it is now time to see if Mike Locksley will do the same for the Terrapins.
With so many injuries, the cards are stacked against Maryland, but that is no reason for the Gophers to look past a talented and hungry Terrapins’ team. Saturday will be a matchup between two teams that are completely opposite situations.
Gophers’ path to victory:
The easiest thing to say would be for the Gophers to do exactly what they did last week. I do believe that can take a lot of great things away from last week’s win, but Maryland is a much different team than Nebraska. Defensively, I believe that Minnesota should look to test Maryland’s now inexperienced WR group. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi has used both man and zone coverage during his tenure, but I think man-coverage would work great this week. The Gophers’ could scheme up double teams against Rakim Jarrett while trusting the rest of the secondary can hold its own against Maryland’s depleted group of pass-catchers. The man coverage would allow the front seven to get more creative with blitzing schemes to make Tagovailoa uncomfortable. The Maryland offensive line is certainly not a liability, but it’s also not a strength. Forcing Taulia into bad situations, as he has proven to struggle against the pass rush could be a great formula to victory.
As for the offensive side of the ball, I think playing like they did last week is exactly what the Gophers’ should do. Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. had likely his best game of the season calling plays, while it was by far the most balanced attack of run-pass all season. Tanner Morgan and Chris Autman-Bell showed a serious connection last week, and I would hope Minnesota would look to attack a Maryland pass defense that allows the 104th fewest passing yards per game in the country (260.8). The Maryland front seven has battled injuries in a group with not much depth, so the Gophers’ veteran offensive line should expect to dominate once again.
Overall, this game smells like a trap for the Gophers. They’re playing their best football of the season while Maryland is reeling. P.J. Fleck has certainly motivated this team to take one week at a time, but I hope they don’t let up with Maryland, Northwestern and Illinois as the next three games on their schedule. I believe the Gophers have an advantage at almost every position in this game, so they better keep their oars in the water and continue to row.