Offensive coordinator Tim Drevno said that he was “feeling really good about [Smith playing on Saturday]”, but injuries of the ankle tend to linger. Players will take the field Saturday, October 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET and the game will air on BTN and BTN2. Edsall’s freaky proclamation at his introductory press conference that Maryland was his “dream job” was clearly forced-a weak ploy to ingratiate himself with the Terps faithful-and in the four years that have since passed, no matter what the coach has done (including delivering a 7-6 season in his first year in the Big Ten), the fans down in College Park just haven’t embraced him. Losing Smith would be a huge loss, as he is the team’s leading rusher with 331 yards and four touchdowns on the year, but Ty Isaac, Drake Johnson, and Derrick Green should be able to fill in, at least for this weekend. Unfortunately, despite looking better than the first half, Maryland notched just five shots in the second and none before the 71st minute.
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After four weeks of college football action in the Big Ten, a lot has become clear.
Now that water has been discovered on Mars, Michigan may have to play its Big Ten conference opener against Maryland there. But that begins and ends with Rudock. If Rowe can’t protect the football, the Terrapins could get blown out. They’re a very experienced team and a year older and they’re playing aggressive on defense. Opponents have had fits with Michigan’s fifth-ranked pass defense, which gives up just 121.2 passing yards per game. Maryland returner William Likely leads the country in punt return yardage and has two return touchdowns. A week ago, the Wolverines shut down the BYU offense, barely allowing the Cougars to get to any kind of rhythm. In that game, it was the defense that managed to keep Michigan within striking distance the whole time.
The situation for Maryland is bleak enough that several members of the team’s leadership council – including quarterback Caleb Rowe, kicker Brad Craddock, running back Wes Brown and defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson – called for a players-only meeting before practice September 29 that was aimed toward snuffing out any negativity heading into the prime-time showdown with the Wolverines. Maryland, understandably, wasn’t ready for a 4-4-2 rather than the Wolverines’ customary 5-2-3, and it showed early in the match.
Although this was an embarrassing loss for Maryland, it should come as a surprise to no one. The other added factor is the potential effect of Hurrican Joaquin interfering with the game.
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“The rain is not as bad, depending on how severe”, Edsall said. The advantage at Byrd Stadium surely is not as great of an advantage as the students provide for the basketball team at Xfinity Center.
