It’s been a season of streaks for Maryland football, which started with five straight wins over middling opponents before a marquee test against Ohio State.
The Terps looked like they belonged in the same realm as the Buckeyes for three quarters, but the perennial national title contenders reopened the gap in the final frame to win by 20.
Maryland had a prime opportunity to rebound with another subpar opponent in Illinois, but a sloppy performance let the Fighting Illini slide out of College Park with a walk-off win.
The Terps head into their bye week without a win in October and get one last chance for one when they return against Northwestern on Oct. 28. But before that, let’s hand out some (sort of) midseason awards.
Best Player: Jaishawn Barham
Although he flies under the radar because of his quiet personality, Barham is an earth-shatteringly loud presence on the field. He gives defensive coordinator Brian Williams a skeleton key to stopping offenses with his ability to line up all over Maryland’s front seven.
Barham has played the bulk of his snaps as an inside linebacker but has been über effective when switching to edge rusher. He’s third on the team in pressures with 11 despite rushing the passer on just 30.4% of his pass-defending snaps — every other player in Maryland’s top five has rushed the quarterback more than 70% of the time, per Pro Football Focus.
“A special talent, special individual. He knows the game, loves the game,” senior linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II said. “He has an ability to come off the edge and play in the box. On third downs, he gets to the quarterback and then, first and second down, he’s in the box making plays as well. Very special talent, all-around player ... he’s that guy.”
Best job meeting expectations, and sometimes exceeding them: Taulia Tagovailoa
By any standard, the best quarterback in Maryland history has been better than he was last year. Tagovailoa averaged 0.06 expected points added per drop-back in 2022, a mark he’s increased to 0.20 this season, per Game on Paper.
EPA models how many points an offense gained or lost on a specific play, accounting for down, distance and other factors.
The improvement likely stems from his ability to evade pressure. Over Tagovailoa’s first three seasons as Maryland’s starter, around 20% of all pressures would turn into sacks — some of them drive-killing losses.
That figure has dropped to just 9.6% this season, per PFF. That, paired with a slight drop in his turnover-worthy-play rate in an offense that’s become more pass heavy, feels like it should be worthy of unequivocal praise.
But standards are high for veteran quarterbacks and Tagovailoa’s missteps have been glaring.
He threw two picks, one of them returned for a touchdown, in the loss to Ohio State. His gaffe at the end of the first half against the Buckeyes, when he cost Maryland a chance at a field goal, is a mistake an experienced player can’t make.
Most confusing season: Roman Hemby
The star running back has had a strange second act.
He came into the year wanting to improve at making defenders miss and has done so, increasing the yards he’s gained after contact per rush and the percentage of rush attempts on which he’s forced a missed tackle from the 2022 season, according to PFF. He’s also fourth in the Big Ten in yards from scrimmage.
But he has broken the 100-yard rushing mark only once and seen drops in his EPA per attempt and success rate, per Game on Paper.
Coach Michael Locksley called the running game a work in progress before the Illinois loss, placing blame on the blockers and the running backs. Hemby’s physical state could also be a reason.
After the Terps’ Sept. 23 win over Michigan State, a game in which Hemby had just 16 total yards, Locksley said the running back was nicked up. The sophomore has looked better since and said he feels good, but he acknowledged the bye could set him up for the rest of the season.
Best transfer: Kaden Prather
Maryland has always had an imposing array of skill-position talent; this year is no different. Prather, who came from West Virginia, is tied with Jeshaun Jones for the team lead in receptions, second in yards and first in touchdowns with five.
Tagovailoa has looked to Prather more than any other receiver and often eyes him down the field.
Prather is tied for the Big Ten lead in targets of at least 20 air yards downfield, per PFF. He’s caught only five of them but has been close to a few others, indicating there could be more big plays in his future.
Biggest disappointment: Freshmen
The freshman class boasted two names at the top who seemed poised to be immediate contributors in four-stars Rico Walker and Neeo Avery.
Walker, a tight end, is a clear third on the depth chart behind Corey Dyches and Preston Howard. He’s caught just four passes for 27 yards.
Avery has had a different struggle — he’s been designated as out on Maryland’s availability report for every game without an announcement about the reason. The edge rusher could’ve contributed to a pass rush that has a variety of rotation pieces but no down-to-down stars and, by all accounts, was ready to do so.
“He is an impact player from day one, for sure,” Locksley said in early September. “We just don’t know when day one is.”
The Terps’ best contribution has likely come from wide receiver Braeden Wisloski, who has become their primary kick returner. He scored on a kickoff return against Virginia.
None of Maryland’s other freshmen has made meaningful contributions, which is not entirely unexpected for the majority of players making the jump from high school to college, but it is still a letdown.
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