West Virginia's Keys to the Game vs Maryland
College football is finally here and the West Virginia Mountaineers and Maryland Terrapins will rekindle their rivalry in College Park this Saturday following a five-year hiatus.
The Mountaineers are viewed as small favorites heading into this matchup but what exactly do they have to do to come out with the win? Here are this week's three keys to the game:
Pressure, pressure, pressure, and more pressure
Taulia Tagovailoa is a talented but not fully developed dual-threat quarterback. He doesn't respond well to pressure and oftentimes forces balls into tight windows to try and make something happen instead of throwing the ball away. West Virginia could have a marvelous day defensively if they are able to disrupt the pocket and force Tagovailoa to rush his progressions. WVU should be able to dominate the Maryland offensive line, particularly on the interior where the Terps are very inexperienced.
Strike early and often
The one thing you don't want to do is give Maryland any hope. If I'm Neal Brown, I'm testing the Maryland secondary early in the game and taking some shots down the field. Have trust in your senior quarterback and experienced receivers to go make plays. If the Mountaineers get out to a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter or early 2nd, it will suck the energy out of the stadium and have the Terps' sideline questioning how long they can stay in the game.
Clean day from Doege
Sounds like an obvious key, I know, but it's critical. This plays into what I just stated above. The longer Maryland hangs around in this game, the more they believe they can pull off the upset. Giving the Terps extra possessions with the football does exactly that. Now, if it's a pick that pins Maryland deep and works as a punt, so be it. Neal Brown just doesn't want to see any costly turnovers where it gives Maryland a short field to work with. Maryland has a fairly solid secondary, so there's no need to force anything and risk turning the ball over. You can still take shots down the field as long as it's not in the middle portion of the field where it could lead a receiver into traffic.
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