2021 Maryland Football Prese
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2021 SCHEDULE SETTING THE STAGE DATE OPPONENT TIME MARYLAND HISTORY S4 WEST VIRGINIA 3:30 p.m. 2020 Record: 2-3 (2-3 B1G) First Year of Football: 1895 (128th season) S11 HOWARD 7:30 p.m. Head Coach: Michael Locksley (Towson ‘92) All-Time Record: 654-608-43 (.518/1,233 games) S17 at Illinois * 9:00 p.m. Year at Maryland: Third as Head Coach / 13th Overall National Championships 1 (1953) S25 KENT STATE TBA Top Returning Passer: Taulia Tagovailoa (Jr.) / 1,111 yds / 7 TDs Top All-Time Passer: Scott Milanovich (1992-95) / 7,301 yds O1 IOWA * 8:00 p.m. Top Returning Rusher: Tayon Fleet-Davis (R-Sr.) / 615 yds / 4.2yds/c / 7 TDs Top All-Time Rusher: LaMont Jordan (1997-00) / 4,147 yds O9 at Ohio State* 12:00 p.m. Top Returning Receiver: Dontay Demus Jr. (Sr.) / 1,233 yds / 16.4 yds/c / 10 TDs Top All-Time Receiver: Jermaine Lewis (1992-95) / 2,932 yds Top Returning Tackler: Jordan Mosley (Sr.) / 112 TT / 3.5 TFLs / 1 INT Top All-Time Tackler: Eric Wilson (1981-84) / 481 tackles O23 at Minnesota * TBA O30 INDIANA * 12:00 p.m. N6 PENN STATE * TBA N13 at Michigan State* TBA WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW N20 MICHIGAN * TBA N27 at Rutgers * TBA Maryland will compete in its 129th season of football this season as the Terps enter camp in early August. Head Coach Michael Locksley will enter his third season at the helm as he brings in a top-20 recruiting class and returns seven 2020 RESULTS 1 All-Big Ten performers from a year ago. Overall: 2-3 | Big Ten: 2-3 DATE OPPONENT TIME The Terps bring back seven All-Big Ten honorees from 2020. S Nick Cross, WR Dontay Demus Jr., OL Jaelyn O24 at Northwestern * L, 3-43 7 Duncan, WR Rakim Jarrett, DL Mosiah Nasili-Kite, DB Tarheeb Still and QB Taulia Tagovailoa all return to the O30 MINNESOTA *^ W, 45-44 (OT) Terps as the foundation of the 2021 team. N7 at Penn State * W, 35-19 N14 #3 OHIO STATE * Canceled Maryland returns 85% of its total production from 2020 to the team in 2021, the 10th-highest returning production of any team in the country and the highest total returning production of any team in the Big Ten, according to ESPN. The N21 MICHIGAN STATE* Canceled 10 Terps return 86% of its offensive production, the 14th-highest mark in the country and 85% of its defensive production, N28 at #12 Indiana * L, 11-27 the 17th-highest mark in the country. D5 at Michigan * Canceled D12 RUTGERS * L, 24-27 (OT) Maryland welcomes the 18th ranked recruiting class in the nation to the fold in 2021, the fourth-highest ranked class ALL CAPS indicates home game; *Big Ten game. in the Big Ten, which is headlined by the top-ranked inside linebacker and No. 10 overall high school player in the TEAM INFORMATION nation Terrence Lewis. The Terps have six ESPN300 selections in the 2021 class, where Lewis is joined by linebacker 18 Demeioun Robinson, linebacker Branden Jennings, defensive lineman Tommy Akingbesote, defensive lineman Basic offense Multiple Taizse Johnson and running back Antwain Littleton Jr. Coupled with the 2020 signing of five-star wide receiver Basic defense Multiple Rakim Jarrett, this marks the first time Maryland has signed a five-star rated player in consecutive classes since Letterwinners returning: rankings began in 2000. The Terrapins are one of only 11 programs nationally that have signed a five star prospect in Offense: 41 Defense: 40 both 2020 and 2021, according to 247Sports. Special Teams: 5 Total: 86 Letterwinners lost: Maryland averaged 264 yards per game through the air last season, the 35th best mark in the country and the second Offense: 13 Defense: 8 best in the Big Ten and only allowed 200 passing yards per game, the 25th best mark in the country and the third best Special Teams: 3 Total: 24 35 in the Big Ten. The Terps were one of only four teams in the FBS and the only team in the Big Ten with a top-35 pass Starters Returning: offense and defense (BYU, Kent State, West Virginia). Offense: 8 Defense: 10 Special Teams: 2 (of 3) Total: 20 FINAL 2020 STAT RANKS STREAKS MD NAT. CONF Starts on Offense: WR Dontay Demus Jr. (18) 37.9 83 8 3rd Down Offense Pct. Starts on Defense: DL Ami Finau & S Jordan Mosley (5) 41.7 79 11 3rd Down Defense Pct. Games with a Catch: WR Dontay Demus Jr. (19) 61.6 55 5 Completion Pct. Games with a Receiving Touchdown: WR Dontay Demus Jr. (4) 15.7 121 13 Kick Return Avg. Wins when Maryland commits no turnovers: 7 264.0 35 2 Passing Offense 200.0 25 3 Passing Defense 2.50 120 13 Punt Return Avg. 83.3 59 8 Red Zone Defense SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT 72.7 114 13 Red Zone Offense Twitter: @TerpsFootball Dustin Semonavick 230.0 115 13 Rushing Defense @CoachLocks (Asst. AD/FB Communications) 145.0 81 9 Rushing Offense Instagram: @TerpsFootball Email: [email protected] 32.0 80 10 Scoring Defense Facebook: /MarylandFootball O: 301-314-7065 // C: 757-544-8393 23.6 97 11 Scoring Offense YouTube: /MarylandAthletics 2.80 27 2 Team Sacks Ben Kessler 25:23 124 14 Time of Possession (Secondary Football) 430.0 85 11 Total Defense Email: [email protected] 409.0 54 3 Total Offense O: 301-314-7068 // C: 908-770-3059 -1.40 124 14 Turnover Margin MARYLAND TERRAPINS 2021 MARYLAND FOOTBALL ON THE OFFENSE By The Numbers 1 QB Taulia Tagovailoa had an impressive first year with the Terps, completing 75-of-122 passes for 1,011 yards while throwing seven touchdown passes. Tagovailoa led the Big Ten, averaging 13.48 yards per completion and stood second in the league in passing efficiency (138.5) and third in passing yards per game (252.8). Tagovailoa also entered his name in the Maryland record books, with his 2020 season ranking ninth all-time in completion percentage (61.5%) and passing efficiency. Against Minnesota (10/30), Tagovailoa threw for 394 yards, the 10th-highest single game mark in program history. 2 A Terp earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors in two-straight weeks last season with QB Taulia Tagovailoa earning Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week recognition after a 26-of-35, 394 yard, five touchdown performance against Minnesota (10/30) and WR Rakim Jarrett earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after a five reception, 144 yard, two touchdown performance at Penn State (11/7), the first time Maryland has hadback-to-back weekly honors since William Likely (Defensive) and Cole Farrand (Defensive) did it in consecutive weeks vs. Syracuse (9/20) and Indiana (9/27) in 2014. 2 WR Rakim Jarrett had a standout game at Penn State (11/7) last season, becoming the first true freshman wide receiver to have over 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns since Stefon Diggs at West Virginia in 2012 (9/22). Jarrett finished the game with five receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns, the second-most receiving yards ever by a true freshman, only trailing Stefon Diggs’ 152 vs. Boston College on October 27, 2012 and the third-most by any freshman, trailing Diggs and Darrius Heyward- Bey (redshirt freshman), who had 175 vs. Miami on November 11, 2006. Jarrett ranks seventh among all freshman wide receivers in the FBS in receptions per game (4.2) and eighth receiving yards per game (63). 5 In five games last season, Maryland had five different leading receivers: Nick DeGennaro, 42 yards at Northwestern (10/24); Jeshaun Jones, 103 yards vs. Minnesota (10/30); Rakim Jarrett, 144 yards at Penn State (11/7) ; Dontay Demus Jr., 114 yards at #12 Indiana (11/28) and Brian Cobbs, 99 yards vs. Rutgers (12/12). The Terps were the only team in the Big Ten that had five different receivers lead the team in receiving yards in a game last season. All five wide receivers return for the Terps in 2021. 10 GAME 6: MARYLAND vs. With four receiving touchdowns last season, WR Dontay Demus Jr. now has 10 in his career, tied for the 11th most in program MICHIGAN STATE history. With one more touchdown, Demus Jr. will move up to ninth all-time, tying Marcus Badgett (1989-92) and Barry Johnson (1987-90). 30 Maryland welcomes Dan Enos as its offensive coordinator for the 2021 season. Enos has 30 years of coaching experience and last year helped lead Cincinnati to one of the best seasons in program history, which featured a 9-1 record, American Athletic Conference Championship, Top-10 ranking and Sugar Bowl berth. 2021 PRESEASON NOTES 3 2021 MARYLAND FOOTBALL ON THE DEFENSE/ST By The Numbers 1 Still Island. CB Tarheeb Still led the nation in pass breakups per game in his freshman 2020 season, averaging two per game and 10 on the season, the highest per game mark in program history. Still was selected to The Athletic’s Freshman All-America Team, one of five defensive backs named to the team. The sophomore tallied four pass breakups in Maryland’s finale against Rutgers, the most by a Maryland freshman in 31 years and tying for the most in a single game by any Big Ten player last season. 1 All-Big Ten performer Mosiah Nasili-Kite led the Big Ten and ranked 23rd nationally in 2020 with 0.80 sacks per game, recording four in Maryland’s five games last season.