Defense on display, Morris named MVP in Maryland’s Red-White Game

COLLEGE PARK — Defense was on display in Maryland’s spring practice finale Saturday with two pick-sixes at the ends of both halves helping the White team defeat Red, 34-3.

The annual Red-White Game was the first in four seasons not to feature Maryland all-time leading passer Taulia Tagovailoa. The resulting offense on a rainy Saturday at SECU Stadium was at a premium, only offering fits and starts of success. Three of White’s five touchdowns came in the game’s final minutes, including an interception by Jonathan Akins that was returned 94 yards for a score on the game’s final play.

“I see a defensive side of the ball that has created a lot of depth,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. “You look at what we did on defense a year ago, we took some steps forward. And I see us now, and when you look at the two different defenses today, they both kind of played about the same and that’s a testament to the work that [defensive coordinator] Brian Williams and coaches and all those guys on that side of the ball.”

Quarterbacks Billy Edwards Jr. and North Carolina State transfer MJ Morris got equal time leading White, featuring Maryland’s first-team offense, with Locksley standing pat on not anointing anyone as a favorite in the competition to succeed Tagovailoa.

“What we’ve tried to do is we’ve created some competitive situations,” Locksley said. “We continue to put them in football situations to see how they respond and how they are able to perform. We’re a long ways away from naming a starter.”

Morris earned game MVP honors with 6-for-8 passing, throwing for 65 yards and a touchdown.

“For me, it was really just ‘how fast can I learn this system?’” Morris said. “I know it’s a competition, and I’m competing every day. I mean, that’s just me. That’s the main thing though. Even if I’m out there on the field, if I’m not on the field, I’m still competing to make sure I learn the best I can. And I’m trying to be the best I can for my guys in general.”

Edwards noted he was “a little banged up last week” after practices and Maryland’s scrimmage at Ballou High School in the District, but was happy to be on the field and perform as he did.

“I didn’t really know how much I was gonna play today, so the fact that I was able to get as many reps as I did split with MJ and being on a team with a running clock and things, I was just happy to to get out here and to play with my guys one last time in the spring,” Edwards said. “Because we obviously know when we come back in the summer and we hit the ground running and get ready for fall camp, it’s a whole different ballgame.”

Red QB Champ Long was the fourth signal-caller to see the field, but led the first sustained offensive burst for either side. In three plays, he quickly got Red past midfield and converted a fourth-and-long to receiver Ezekiel Avit inside the 10. The drive stalled, though, and ended with a field goal. Only one combined first down was recorded before Long took over on the final drive of the first quarter.

White immediately responded with the game’s first touchdown — a Roman Hemby 3-yard scamper on a drive led by Morris. White added another on a pick-six inside the 20 from freshman linebacker Keyari James off Red QB Champ Long just 12 seconds before halftime for a 14-3 lead.

“He’s still learning the game but his natural talent instincts kind of showed up today,” Locksley said of James, a native of Canada who enrolled early for spring practices. “It was good to see it. But that is exactly why you want to bring these high school guys in early because I don’t have to three years to build a team. I’ve got to build one every single year, and we’ve got to speed up the growth process of the young players.”

Starting on the first-team offensive line were two of Maryland’s transfer portal additions: Purdue’s Josh Kaltenberger and Georgia’s Aliou Bah. The unit will be almost entirely remade following the departure of multiple starters, including tackle DJ Glaze who was selected Friday in the third round of the NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.

“I feel like I’m just trying to do my best as a veteran player to come in here and help lead these guys and show them how things need to be done,” Kaltenberger said. “Take what [coaches are] teaching us and really implementing that, especially going into summer here where coaches won’t be around us as much.” 

Kaltenberger will be blocking for the established Hemby and the younger Nolan Ray, who may be the next showcase piece in Maryland’s multi-pronged backfield attack. The redshirt freshman had three straight touches on White’s second offensive drive and broke off a 40-plus-yard run in the fourth quarter as part of his game-high 119 all-purpose yards.

“You guys finally got a glimpse of what we have seen from the day he’s got here: He’s a big play threat. He’s got great vision, balance, body control,” Locksley said of Ray, who dealt with health issues last season after only playing in the season opener against Towson. “Looks like a few of these Big Ten running backs that we’ve had around here that I think will be a guy that people take notice to this year.”