Maryland football is back for week two, and they look to stay hot. The Terps travel to Charlotte for a road test with the 49ers.
The opposing 49ers are the underdogs in the matchup, coming off two losses against Florida Atlantic and William & Mary.
QB Taulia Tagovailoa is an expected difference maker, as he looks to stay on pace for a record-breaking season in passing yards.
In its past two games, Charlotte has allowed 264 yards and 256 yards in the air, respectively. Tagovailoa reached 290 in last weekend’s game against Buffalo, so Tagovailoa’s expectations this week are high.
With all four of last week’s touchdowns coming from Hemby and Littleton II on the ground, the receiving corps is still looking to reach its expectations.
WR Rakim Jarrett led the Terps last week with six receptions for 110 yards. WR Dontay Demus Jr., on the other hand, only raked in three receptions for 23 yards.
Between the two players on the stat sheet were WR Jeshaun Jones, TE Corey Dyches, and TE CJ Dippre. If Maryland can successfully earn first downs in the air, expect less reliance on the running backs..
Like Buffalo, Charlotte produces a lackluster offense, focusing primarily on the run game. Initially, Veteran QB Chris Reynolds took the reigns as the starter, but after suffering an injury to his left arm, third-string QB Xavier Williams now has the starting role.
Soon after stepping into the game against William & Mary last Saturday, Williams broke away for a 67-yard touchdown run. He finished the loss with 201 passing yards and two touchdowns. Maryland’s defense poses a new challenge for Williams this week.
WR Grant Dubose will be the player to watch out for on Charlotte’s offense. As the X receiver, Dubose currently leads the Charlotte receiving corps with two touchdowns and 156 receiving yards.
“The biggest thing is, it’s not really about them; it’s about us,” Dubose said in Thursday’s presser. “We’re gonna be ready to compete and put our best brand of football on film come Saturday.”
The key to Maryland’s win is to treat the 49ers like any other opponent. Both sides of the ball will still need to bring their best to prevent any unexpected surprises from Charlotte.
Also, Maryland must reduce its seven penalties from last week, which forced a loss of 67 yards.
Maryland fans will also want to see better success on third-down conversions. Last week against Buffalo, Maryland completed only 4 out of 10 attempts on third down.
How to watch
Kickoff is on Saturday, September 10th, at 3:30 pm ET. The game will show live on the fubo Sports Network and stream on fuboTV.
