Maryland Football: 5 Biggest Takeaways from Saturday’s Win

5. Defense is a Work in Progress

Sep 5, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins defensive lineman Jesse Aniebonam (41) celebrates a win against the Richmond Spiders at Byrd Stadium. Maryland won 50-21. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Terps’ defense got off to a bit of a shaky start in this one. After two solid series, they were exposed by the Spiders for two touchdowns on back-to-back possessions. The momentum had swung in Richmond’s favor.

But, in the second half, things seemed to click for the defense. Maryland held the Spiders scoreless until the latter part of the fourth quarter. They held Richmond to only 276 total yards for the day.

Coming into the game, many highlighted the matchup between Richmond’s receivers and Maryland’s secondary. The Terps gave up a couple plays, but for the most part, they held down the fort. Will Likely and Sean Davis were all over the receivers all day long and that was a good sight.

Another bright spot was the play of redshirt junior defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson. Jefferson was the only returning impact player from last year’s defensive line and he started off the new season on the right foot, recording two sacks.

Granted, it was just Richmond, but there were some things we saw on Saturday that the Terps can build upon.