Maryland Football: Fans expectations and Twitter reaction to Richmond win

Maryland Football put on a dominating display against the Richmond Spiders Saturday, September 5th. Special Teams and the Terps’ rushing attack propelled them to the 50-21 victory.

Before the game, we spoke on behalf of The Baltimore Wire to some fans. They were optimistic about the team’s chances, such as Jeremy Carnucci who had these thoughts on his expectations for both sides of the ball:

"I’m hoping we could find someone decent at the quarterback position to lead us through the season and our defensive backs can step it up because that was our main problem.(About Perry Hills) … I only saw one or two games last season and he seemed adequate. All I can say is that from what I did see last season, I hope he took some time to develop in the offseason."

Gage Neubaum was hoping that the running backs would excel in the game, and they did just that. Maryland out-rushed Richmond 341-56 and had 479 yards of total offense. Senior running back Brandon Ross ran the ball 18 times for 150 yards (8.3 yards per rush) and a touchdown. Freshman Ty Johnson even got in on the action with 10 carries, 83 yards (8.3 yards per rush) and a touchdown, followed by junior Wes Brown who had 13 carries for 74 yards (5.7 yards per rush) and a touchdown.

It was really good to see the Terps run the ball effectively, especially when Perry Hills was struggling. It allowed them to have a backup plan and get the offense going. Hills does have to be more consistent right out of the gate. As the starter, he can’t afford to struggle early anymore. To his credit though, he did finish the game 12-for-21, 138 yards (6.6 yards per pass), two touchdowns, one interception and a quarterback rating of 78.4.

The Terps play don’t play their first Big Ten opponent until October 3rd against Michigan in College Park. Neubaum is hoping that Maryland football will be competitive in the conference:

"I just hope that we could step up to the competition in the Big Ten and start to become a real powerhouse."

After the game, Ryan Clark (not the former NFL player), gave his thoughts on how the team did as well as his fan experience:

"The first home game of the season is always exciting. It was nice to see a good showing from the student section (at least for the first half). It seemed like the alcohol sales were an overwhelming success.  I saw a lot of people with beers but nobody out of control.The team played about as well as expected against a lesser FCS opponent.  It was a bit disconcerting to see missed PAT from a Groza award winner and also that Richmond was able to hang around as long as they did.  Makes you wonder how we would fair against Ohio State or Wisconsin.  I’m hoping to see another season just above .500 and a bowl bid."

Another thing that can be taken away from Maryland football’s win over Richmond is that William Likely leads the charge on special teams. He makes the plays that need to be made and excites the crowd as a result.

Check out some twitter reaction to the win: