They say teams generally improve more between their first and second games than any other during the season. It’s a theory that makes sense and one that directly applies to the Terps after their less-than-spectacular 14-7 win against Delaware on Saturday.
But where to start? This weekly feature will examine what the team needs to continue doing right (The Good), improve upon (The Bad) and make sure they never fall into again (The Ugly), and how these things can translate to next week’s game.
THE GOOD:
- Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett were unbelievable. Scott handled 26 carries like a veteran. Getting Meggett the ball even more seems like a very good idea at this point, as he shreded the Blue Hen defense with ease and Scott admittedly was worn out by the end of the game.
- It’s tough not to be excited about the possibility of having Josh Portis under center as a change of pace, whether Jordan Steffy or Chris Turner ends up as the starting quarterback. Coach Ralph Friedgen needs to continue this trend, though mixing things up would be nice.
- Alex Wujciak had a standout defensive performance at middle linebacker, and the coaches did a great job keeping all those guys fresh.
THE BAD:
- The defensive line is smaller this year, yet the coaches have decided to showcase their linebacking depth and use the LEO hybrid defensive end/linebacker spot off of the line more often. It didn’t work consistently, and the Terps struggled to control the line of scrimmage. But Tre Covington looked rather comfortable in the 3-4 scheme.
- The offense clearly looked to get Darrius Heyward-Bey the ball consistently early in the game, which was the right idea. But it didn’t look to use his speed to have him sent on streaks, something that could be the result of the weak-armed quarterback trio.
- Sophomore punter Travis Baltz had far from a quality game. But he seems to have a good leg, and if he learns to kick to the corners when appropriate and gain a little more consistency, he could help out a lot with corner kicks.
THE UGLY:
- Terp fans have been frustrated long enough by senior receiver Isaiah Williams. It seems, at times, as though the coaching staff simply doesn’t want to admit the truth: opponents don’t even notice him on the field. It’s time to figure out a solution, and quick.
- The two starting safties, Jeff Allen and Terrell Skinner, are nice players with some potential. But they both arrived consistently late to the ball, part of why they combined for nine assisted tackles but just two solo. Skinner’s huge interception on Delaware’s final drive made up for the issue, but for how long?
- The Terps were less than focused in the return game, along with kicking and punting, and it’s tough to imagine the loss of former special teams guru Ray Rychleski didn’t have something to do with that. The Terps MUST improve things on the special teams, as they don’t have the type of team that can afford not to win the battles for field position.
ajosephdbk@gmail.com