Maryland Terrapins: Season Wrap Up

In their inaugural Big Ten season, the Maryland Terrapins ended up with a 7-5 overall record, going 4-4 in Big Ten play. In a season where there have been close losses and blown leads, the Terps have a great deal to be proud of because they exceeded expectations.

The Terps’ only really bad losses this season were against Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. In those games, they gave up a combined 141 points and 1,582 total yards, with Ohio State and Wisconsin gaining over 500 yards of total offense. That’s the ugly in the good/bad/ugly sequence.

The good this year was their wins against Penn State and Michigan.

Against Penn State, the Terps came from behind, winning 20-19 off of a 43-yard game winning field goal by Brad Craddock. First downs were a neck and neck stat, as Penn State won that battle 16-15, and defense was key for both teams on third down. The Terps were one for 15 on third down while Penn State was six for 20.

Against the Michigan Wolverines, the Terps held their own defensively in the first half, as the Wolverines were unable to score a touchdown. That streak ended in the third quarter, when Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner scored on a 15-yard run, making the score at that point 16-9. The Terps, however, came away with the win scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the victory 23-16. This was another game in which the Terps lost the battle in total yards gained but still won the game. This was the case against Penn State, Iowa, and Syracuse earlier in the season.

There were games the Terps should have won against teams like West Virginia earlier in the year and Rutgers at season’s end. Both were losses that could have been avoided if their defense had remained stout, but it seemed like running against the Terps was not a challenge for opponents.

In addition to struggles on defense, the Terps lost arguably their best offense weapon in Stefon Diggs, who was suspended for his antics in the Penn State game. The Terps later found out that he had a lacerated kidney. The good news for Terrapins and Diggs is he has a great chance to play in the Foster Farm Bowl December 30th against the Stanford Cardinals if everything goes according to plan.

All in all, the Terps had a great regular season and a .500 record in Big Ten play spells good things to come in the future.