Rutgers football game week opponent profile: Maryland
The Rutgers football team will travel to College Park, Maryland, this weekend to take on Maryland. Coming off a 26-19 victory over Minnesota, the Scarlet Knights (5-4, 2-4) are one win away from bowl eligibility after a four-game skid made that goal seem far from possible.
The Terrapins (4-5, 1-5) are not producing at the same level as they were a season ago when they won eight games. Maryland comes into Saturday's contest having lost four of its last five games and is the second-worst team in the Big Ten by conference record.
The Daily Targum sat down with Brandon Schwartzberg, the football beat writer for The Diamondback, to preview Saturday's matchup.
An early-season conference loss to Michigan State set the tone for what has shaped up to be a disappointing season for the Terrapins. But fans may have had low expectations due to losing some key players on the offensive side of the ball.
"(Maryland) started out the season well. (The) Michigan State loss wasn't great, but it's always tough (to win) early Big Ten games," Schwartzberg said. "Recently, it's just been kind of what everyone expected from Maryland this year … They'll get yardage, but when it comes to actually scoring touchdowns, when it comes to converting in the red zone, they're not great at it."
As if being a quarterback is not hard enough, Billy Edwards Jr. has to fill the shoes of the all-time Big Ten passing leader, Taulia Tagovailoa. Through nine games as a starter this season, Edwards Jr. has totaled 2,520 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. Averaging 280 yards per game, Edwards Jr. is not on pace to surpass Tagovailoa's record any time soon but has been serviceable for Maryland.
One receiver that Edwards Jr. often finds is Tai Felton, who has totaled a career-high in receptions and yards on the year. The connection between Felton and Edwards Jr. goes back to high school, where the two played 7-on-7 football together and were opponents during the regular season. With a long-standing relationship, Felton has been a reliable target for his quarterback and is often a spark plug for the Terrapins offense.
"(Felton) really just kind of blossomed into a number one receiver," Schwartzberg said. "You'll see the targets, I mean, it's double digits nearly every week, and the reason for that is because the offense really kind of runs through him."
Defensively, Maryland gives up 29 points per game and approximately 379 yards per game, which is not a recipe for winning football games. Two bright spots for the defense are its ability to force turnovers and sack the quarterback, especially from the linebacker position.
Linebackers Caleb Wheatland and Kellan Wyatt are tied for the team lead with three sacks each and are strong contributors to a struggling Terrapins defense.
"Defensively, linebackers (are) definitely the strength," Schwartzberg said. "(Wyatt has) been an impact performer every year since he's been at Maryland … When he's been on, he can really affect the game and then Caleb Wheatland, he's just been a consistent guy. He's been getting more playing time every season."
As for Schwartzberg's prediction for Saturday's contest, he thinks Maryland will continue its losing streak.
"I just think that Rutgers has the talent advantage," Schwartzberg said. "Just mentally, I think they're more in it. I'd say probably (the) score Rutgers 31, Maryland 27. I think it's a close Maryland loss."
With a win on Saturday, Rutgers will become bowl-eligible for the second season in a row and the eighth time under head coach Greg Schiano. Saturday's kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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