Maryland Football: 5 Takeaways From Win vs. Howard

The Terps take care of business in their season opener against Howard.

Maryland beat Howard. No surprise there, right? The Terps took down the Bison in a contest that they dominated from whistle to whistle. Don’t put too much stock in this victory, however, as Howard is one of the bottom-dwellers of the FCS. Nonetheless, there is something to take from every game, regardless of the opponent. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the season opener and what they mean for Maryland football moving forward.

1. This offense can actually be productive

The Maryland offense was firing on all cylinders on Saturday, albeit against a mediocre ball club. They moved the ball efficiently and effectively, scoring on each of their first four possessions. It was an all-around solid performance by this unit, which eclipsed the 500-yard mark for just the second time in 36 games.

2. Terps stingy on defense

The offense was great and the defense was strong as well. The Terps held Howard to just 269 yards of total offense, giving up just 69 of those on the ground. This unit does still need some work though. They didn’t force any turnovers and the pass rush wasn’t quite as effective as it could have been, but they should be able to work those kinks out as the season progresses.

3. Perry Hills making better decisions

One of the downfalls Maryland faced at the quarterback position pretty much all of last season was a lack of ball security. The guys they had under center struggled at decision-making and it made things extremely difficult on offense. Perry Hills appears to be much improved from a season ago. He didn’t put up a big stat line or anything, but he did take care of the ball.