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Maryland Football: 5 Toughest Games in 2015

By Brandon Austin

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5. Sep. 26 @ West Virginia

Nov 2, 2013; Fort Worth, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers safety Karl Joseph (8) during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. West Virginia won 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia has long been on of Maryland’s biggest football rivals, particularly because of the two states’ close proximity to one another. The Mountaineers currently lead the series with a record of 27-22-2, but that just goes to show how tight it’s been.

The Mountaineers, similar to the Terps, come into 2015 with plenty of unanswered questions on both sides of the ball. On offense, coach Dana Holgorsen will have a new starting quarterback. Junior Skyler Howard is currently the projected starter, but redshirt freshman William Crest may have an opportunity to compete as well. Howard took over for Clint Trickett at the end of last season and played pretty well. He completed 56-of-110 passes for 829 yards and eight touchdowns to zero interceptions.

Holgorsen is hoping that Howard can improve on his success from a season ago and it’ll be interesting since he’ll be throwing to some unproven receivers. The offense features some other talented weapons, including tailbacks Rushel Shell and Wendell Smallwood. Shell is the more dangerous of the two backs. The former five-star recruit started eight games for the Mountaineers in 2014 and rushed for 788 yards and seven touchdowns. Smallwood also put up solid numbers last year, rushing for 722 yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, he’s a threat in the passing game.

The bigger questions loom on the defensive end. West Virginia ranked a mediocre 63rd against the run last year. The frontline may struggle for the Mountaineers, but the linebackers and defensive backs are solid. The linebackers are led by Nick Kwiatkoski, who was the team’s leading tackler last season (103). The secondary is a point of strength for them as they return four key players, including senior safeties Karl Joseph and K.J. Dillon.

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