Maryland Q&A With Inside the Black and Gold Publisher Ahmed Ghafir
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana travels to Maryland for its first true road game of the season, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Coach Mike Locksley and the Terrapins are 4-0 with wins over Towson, Charlotte, Virginia and Michigan State, each by 18-plus points. On the other side, coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers are coming off a 29-27 win over Akron in four overtimes, which drew plenty of concern for the rest of the season.
To preview the matchup, we talked with Ahmed Ghafir, the publisher of InsideTheBlackAndGold.net, a website covering Maryland football, basketball and recruiting news.
Here's our Q&A with Ghafir, who discussed quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the Maryland defense, and gave his score prediction at the bottom.
Q: Indiana has played Taulia Tagovailoa every year since 2020, but in what ways has he grown throughout his career? How would you evaluate his performances this year?
A: The obvious answer is his body language and discipline. You could tell in his first two seasons when Taulia made a bad play; he’d slump his head and walk off the field with a defeated look on his face. Decision-making on his reads was very much a work in progress early on in his career. Fast forward to now, Taulia’s improved composure in the pocket is the first thing that sticks out. He’s always had the arm strength on the deep throws, but delivering it with accuracy has been an area he’s taken strides from 2020 into 2023.
This season, Taulia has shown he’s arguably been the best quarterback in the Big Ten. The conference leader in passing yards (1,112), passing touchdowns (8), total offense (1,165) and points responsible for (62), Taulia has had a handful of throws he’d like to have back, such as a redzone INT vs. Michigan State, first offensive play vs. Charlotte. Other than that, he’s been efficient with an offensive line that’s welcomed ample rotations and different combos through non-conference play. Maryland has a deep room of receivers they can turn to to help Taulia, evidenced by 11 different players recording at least one catch in the MSU win, but overall he’s been smart with the football to create the big plays. The timing on some deep shots is improving as the passing attack looks to hit another level of explosiveness.
Q: Despite losing a few defensive backs to the NFL Draft, Maryland is tied for the Big Ten lead with seven interceptions. How has the team overcome those losses?
A: Going into 2022, there was a chance Maryland could lose one CB, but the staff would’ve been happy to get one back among the trio of Deonte Banks, Jakorian Bennett and Tarheeb Still. Banks and Bennett went on to hear their names called on day one and two of the 2023 NFL Draft, but Still’s return gives Maryland an experienced corner who has shown he can play the nickel and boundary. Still has three interceptions, including two in the redzone, over the last two weeks on a pair of plays that proved to be pivotal moments in the wins. Maryland also went out to add Ja’Quan Sheppard (Cincinnati) to lead a cornerback room welcoming multiple first and second-year players into the rotation.
The safeties have also come up big for Maryland this year with Beau Brade returning from injury to reel in an interception last weekend. Linebacker Donnell Brown added interceptions in two consecutive weeks on near identical plays. Glen Miller, the third safety who shines in run support, also added another impressive interception last weekend. I’ll hit on it later, but one of the area’s of improvement from year one to two under DC Brian Williams was generating more turnovers. Both Bennett and Banks proved they could play on Sundays, but both were stout in pass breakups. The turnovers have been the difference.
Q: Who are some offensive players to look out for, aside from Tagovailoa?
A: Running back Roman Hemby had most likely his worst game in a Maryland uniform against Michigan State, finishing with 12 yards on ten carries as he was banged up through the week. Colby McDonald picked up the slack, while Antwain Littleton has been the short yardage back for the unit.
Maryland has a big-bodied receiver in Kaden Prather, a shifty wideout with big play ability in Tyrese Chambers, a versatile sixth-year wideout in Jeshaun Jones, and an explosive third-year outside receiver in Tai Felton waiting for his breakout game. Octavian Smith is another shifty receiver who can play inside and out. That isn’t even including the tight end room where Corey Dyches is a lethal target in space with Preston Howard and Rico Walker filling in as the second tight end.
Maryland’s offensive line has been a work in progress, but have still only allowed three sacks through four games as left tackle DJ Glaze and guard Corey Bullock pave the way.
Q: Has anything surprised you about this year's team or coaching staff?
A: The turnovers. Maryland’s defense has generated at least four turnovers in consecutive games for the first time in 18 years. The defense’s 11 takeaways are good for a tie for second in FBS, while Maryland’s +8 turnover margin is tied with Fresno State for second-best in FBS. Sure, the competition may not meet the quality of the weekly Big Ten grind, but the front seven has been largely dominant through the first month while the ‘bend don’t break’ mantra has held steady thus far. There have still been miscommunications along the back line that’ve led to big plays, but they’ve been able to buckle down to prove they’re legit through the first third of the season.
On the other side, kicking has been a bit of a worrisome concern. After learning behind Chad Ryland in 2022, there was a lot of confidence surrounding Jack Howes heading into the season. Through four games, Howes is 4-of-8 with his season-long coming from 48 yards this past weekend. The weird part about that? Howes also missed from 29 and 40-yards in the win. Both punting and return teams have been an asset early on, but getting the kicking game back up will be something to watch heading into the middle of the season.
Q: Score prediction, and why?
Maryland, 33-10
A: I see Maryland’s defense coming away with at least three turnovers while Roman Hemby bounces back with his second 100-yard rushing game of the season. I’m not confident that Indiana’s offense can find sustained success against Maryland’s defense and see opportunities for the front seven to disrupt Tayven Jackson. First half could be a 7-10 point game, but I expect Maryland to take care of business back at home.
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