By Ethan Cadeaux (@Ethan_301)
After a whirlwind of a week for Maryland football, the Terps bye week came at a great time; they could finally just focus on football without outside distractions. In order for Mike Locksley to get his first win as the Terps interim head coach, Maryland must forget about everything that has happened the past couple weeks and view the next six games as a new season.
“It was a shock last Sunday when everything went down,” said senior guard Andrew Zeller following the firing of Randy Edsall. “There is nothing we can do to change the situation…we still have a season to play, we have six games with the potential of playing another one, and that is all we are worried about right now.”
The Terps must remain focused on the task at hand, as they have their third very tough Big Ten matchup in a row when they drive down to M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday to play Penn State.
Penn State has allowed the sixteenth fewest yards per game in the country, and leads the country in total team sacks. This is the third very tough defense the Terps have faced in a row, and the offense has struggled on many facets: scoring, as well as protecting the quarterback. Perry Hills took a lot of devastating hits versus Ohio State last week, and that is not a recipe for success against a Penn State defense with an even better pass rush than what the Terps faced last week.
“You look at the hits Perry Hills took in the Ohio State game, I don’t think that his mom will be really happy if we continue to let him get beat up like that,” Locksley said.
Locksley made a change to the two-deep depth chart this week, moving Shane Cockerille back to quarterback, after he switched from quarterback to fullback earlier this year.
“I asked Shane to move back to quarterback, it gives us some depth there,” said Locksley. “[Shane] gives us a big body that has the ability to execute this offense.
With a potential change in the offensive play-calling, Locksley said that the offense would be similar to what they ran last year with C.J. Brown. “We’ll still have some throws in there, we’ll still be able to run it,” said Locksley. “But obviously we’re running it to match the skill set of the guy that’s out there and that’s Perry.”
Although Maryland and Penn State might not be a real rivalry yet, a lot is riding on this game in terms of Maryland hoping to expand their brand. The DC-Maryland-Northern Virginia area is a very big recruiting pipeline for both Maryland and Penn State, and the Terps want this game to show that top recruits should stay home at Maryland instead of going to Penn State.
“We have a passionate fan base, and we are fortunate to have the best of both worlds being located in between DC and the Baltimore markets,” said Locksley. “Our players are excited about playing in M&T Stadium, this gives us an opportunity to expand our brand throughout the state, and that is something we want to do as a program.”
Freshman wide receiver D.J. Moore is one of several players on Maryland that grew up in Pennsylvania and was recruited by both Maryland and Penn State. Although this game may be a little more personal for him, he doesn’t view it as that.
“I was recruited by Penn State, but I chose to go to Maryland,” said Moore. “I am just ready for the game. There is no personal rivalry, but it should be exciting because of the rivalry we have with Penn State.”
Locksley has expressed over the past week and a half since he was named interim head coach that he wants the kids to have more fun, and to loosen up.
“Lets not mistake having more fun as being undisciplined, or not being accountable for going out and playing the game of football the way we want it to be played.”
In his attempt to lighten the mood around College Park, Locksley has introduced a lot more competition drills at practice as well as playing music before team meetings.
“I believe a team takes on the personality of its leader, and with me being the leader for the next six to seven weeks, when kids go through tough times you need to lighten the mood up a little bit, “ said Locksley. “I don’t want our guys playing tight, or thinking they have to go out and play to win to save people’s jobs or to get a guy a job, I want them to play football in its purest form.”
