Scouting Report on Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa
West Virginia kicks off the 2021 season with a stiff challenge against the Maryland Terrapins out of the Big Ten. The Terps have a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball including their starting quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa.
What exactly does Tagovailoa do well? Where does he struggle? We asked our good friend Ahmed Ghafir from Inside the Black and Gold.
Analysis from Maryland beat writer Ahmed Ghafir:
Off the field, Tagovailoa is arguably one of the hardest and consistent workers in the locker room and a lot of offseason buzz was centered around the improved chemistry with his skill players. One obvious strength is his connection with veteran NFL receiver Dontay Demus as the two could be the most productive on the Terps’ offense, but what he does well is his pocket presence.
Tagovailoa should be considered a dual-threat quarterback, but one that moreso looks to make the play but still mindful he can pick up positive yards with his feet. I expect Maryland to lean on the RPO to bring out the athleticism that Tagovailoa possesses, but an area that he struggles with is his reads under pressure. His mid-summer arrival last fall coupled with inconsistent practice due to COVID was an understandable reason for his poor performance in last year’s season-opener against Northwestern, but the young quarterback struggled with his accuracy in key situations.
And in the spring, Tagovailoa’s touch throws in the red zone left plenty of room to grow heading into the fall. Tagovailoa will have a very deep wide receiver room this season while tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo returns to accentuate the tight end’s role in Locksley’s offense, but capitalizing on the opportunities in the red zone is the biggest area of concern.
What WVU must do to contain Tagovailoa
West Virginia's defensive line is going to be a strength this season and a lot of that has to do with the depth that they are establishing behind the cemented starters. Like Ahmed pointed out above, Tagovailoa seems to press when under duress. This is something that defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley probably noticed a few minutes into flicking on the tape. I would expect the Mountaineers to send a bunch of exotic blitzes and maybe some disguised pressure off the edge/perimeter. Tagovailoa is a talented young quarterback but his youth will still show in certain areas of the game.
Lesley will have to load the box and trust his secondary to be able to hold down the back end without giving up many explosive plays down the field. If Maryland does opt into leaning heavily on the RPO, WVU will have to play things close to the vest and not get overaggressive. That said, in obvious passing situations, I wouldn't be surprised to see Lesley bring the house on a number of occasions, knowing he can disrupt the pocket and trust his experienced guys in the secondary.
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