Rutgers football game week opponent profile: Maryland
The Rutgers football team will celebrate Senior Day when it closes out the regular season against Maryland on Saturday.
The Scarlet Knights (6-5, 3-5) are coming home to SHI Stadium on Busch campus after falling to Penn State last weekend by a score of 27-6 and extending their losing streak to three games.
The Terrapins (6-5, 3-5) are also coming off of a loss, as they fell to Michigan last week 31-24.
Maryland currently boasts the 25th-ranked passing offense in the country. The high-powered aerial attack can be attributed to Taulia Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa has thrown for more than 3,000 yards and has accounted for 26 total touchdowns this season. Tagovailoa's pocket awareness and quick decision-making under pressure, even in the most dire of situations, make him a threat.
One thing the Rutgers defense can do to win this game is shut down the Terrapins offense when they get inside the red zone.
Maryland's offense has an 84.1 percent success rate in the red zone this season. The team has scored 28 red zone touchdowns — 14 passing and 14 rushing.
Since the Terrapins boast a balanced offensive attack, the Knights' defense will have to stay sharp when they have their backs against the wall in the red zone.
Kaden Prather and Jeshaun Jones are Tagovailoa's top two receivers and have combined for nearly 1,300 yards. Prather and Jones hold impressive average yards per catch numbers of 15.10 and 13.82 yards per catch, respectively.
Jones is having the best season of his college career, averaging a career-high 61.5 receiving yards per game. Additionally, Jones has been etching his name into the Maryland record books as he is currently tied for fifth in the school's history with 14 career receiving touchdowns.
While Prather is not quite setting school records, he is tied for first on the Terrapins with five touchdown catches this season.
Prather and Jones lead the lethal receiving core, and if they are not covered properly, they could pick apart the Rutgers secondary.
Maryland's defense was crucial in its early-season success, in which it rattled off five consecutive wins.
Beau Brade is someone to watch in the Terrapins' secondary, as he leads the team with 66 tackles while also having an interception and a forced fumble. His high-level football IQ allows him to often be perfectly placed on the field to make big plays for his team.
Kellan Wyatt has had a successful year as a pass-rusher, recording a team-leading 4.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.
Wyatt, a former three-star recruit, was among the top-12 linebackers in all of Maryland when he committed to the team back in 2020. He has been a major contributor to the team since.
The Knights will need to be efficient offensively and consistently push the ball downfield while limiting big plays on defense to win this game.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
"I’m really thankful for the seniors that will be playing their last game at SHI stadium," said head coach Greg Schiano. “These are the seniors that really have laid the foundation of our program."
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