By Ethan Cadeaux (@Ethan_301)
There is no time to dwell for the Terps, who suffered a heartbreaking loss at home to Wisconsin this past Saturday, as they head to East Lansing to face a Michigan State team that will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season last weekend.
Maryland will be playing their fifth AP ranked top-25 team in the past six weeks, and four that were in the top 15. The combined record of those six teams is 48-8.
“Another great opportunity for the Terps,” said interim head coach Mike Locksley. “We get to travel up to East Lansing and face the number 14 team in the country. A well coached team, coach Dantonio does a good job of having his guys prepared. They are one of the elite teams in this conference.”
Similarly to Wisconsin, the Spartan offense relies on the leadership and skill of senior quarterback Connor Cook, who is the winningest quarterback in Michigan State history. Cook has a 31-4 career record, and has won 20 out of 22 Big Ten games as a starter.
“They have one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country in Connor Cook,” said Locksley. “He is a guy that has great accuracy down the field, great mobility…as good as any quarterback we have seen on tape this year.”
Michigan State is going to have a big chip on their shoulder, after losing their first game of the season in heartbreaking fashion to Nebraska last weekend. The Spartans still have a lot to play for; if they run the table for the rest of the season they can be seriously considered for one of the four college football playoff spots.
“Teams either come out [the following week] with a pretty mean attitude and disposition or [the loss] could linger,” said Locksely regarding how teams usually respond to tough losses, similarly to the one Michigan State had. “Knowing how they are coached, I would anticipate the first being the case, and as a staff and a program, we have to be prepared that these guys are going to have a chip on their shoulder.”
After passing for a season low 74 yards against Iowa two weeks ago, the Terps passing game responded in a big way against Wisconsin. Freshman receiver D.J. Moore scored on a 40-yard touchdown at the end of the first half to tie the score at 17, and junior Levern Jacobs caught a 27-yard touchdown late in the game to keep the Terps comeback alive.
Coach Locksley has stressed since taking over as head coach that in order for the Terps offense to succeed, they need to capitalize on plays down the field in order to open up the underneath game.
“We were finally able to hit some of those explosive plays that we call off of our play action [against Wisconsin],” said Locksley. “We hit [junior DeAndre] Lane with a deep post early in the game, D.J. Moore made a great catch on the sideline and got it in the end zone. We still missed a few shots, but compared to the week before where we didn’t hit any, I thought we improved.”
Although the Terps offense made strides against Wisconsin, the number one ranked defense in the country, it does not get any easier against a Michigan State defense with one of the best front sevens in the country.
“[Michigan State’s] front seven is as good as any of the top fifteen defenses we have faced in the past five weeks,” said Locksley. “They have had five different rotations in the secondary, so I think that is maybe where they have had to adjust…but the front seven is as talented as any of the front sevens we are going to face.”
The Terps will look to continue to improve their passing game against the Spartan secondary, relying on Moore, Jacobs, and Lane just as they have done over the past couple weeks.
“Since I have gotten an opportunity, I need to show [the coaches] that I can make the plays and produce,” said Lane. The redshirt junior had not gotten much playing time prior to Locksley taking over, but Lane has been one of the success stories of Locksley’s philosophy of playing a lot of different guys throughout the game.
Although the Terps have gone through a rough patch losing their past six games, their focus always remains on just the task at hand, the next game. Although eliminated from any potential bowl games, there is still a lot to play for.
“This is the start of young players, I really feel that this is the nucleus of a team that could contend for a Big Ten championship [in the future],” said Locksley. “They have to continue to prepare, and give the effort of that type of team. And as I told the seniors, this is their legacy, we still have the opportunity to make the best out of the situation.”
When asked about how he would define success for the rest of the season, Locksley said, “Winning is a process of how you prepare and the way you play. If they continue to prepare and continue to play with great effort, than I wont let the scoreboard define us having success.”
Locksley stressed that as a coach he is graded based on his wins and losses, but that is not his biggest concern for the rest of the season.
“Playing the game in its purest form, having fun, and leaving it all on the field, all those intangible things [define success],” said Locksely. “When I come back here and watch the tape, or when our fans leave the stadium, they are saying those guys are having fun and playing hard, they are representing our school the way it should be, than that is success for me.”
