Maryland’s opportunity to salvage disappointing season begins with Rutgers

Maryland held Heisman Trophy contender Dillon Gabriel to his lowest passing total of the season, but No. 1 Oregon was too good and still able to pull away easily from the Terrapins last Saturday.

Now back at home for the first time in nearly a month and with three games remaining, the chance for Maryland to salvage a disappointing season with a potential bowl appearance begins with Rutgers.

“We know the matrix of what it takes to get to bowl eligibility … it starts for us what really is playoff football, meaning we have to win to be able to advance,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said Tuesday.

Though he set the FBS record for touchdown passes in the game, Gabriel’s 183 yards passing were a season low. Yet Oregon managed to score 30-plus points for the ninth-straight game in the 39-18 win.

The progress, especially among a secondary that’s been banged up and thrusted young players into difficult roles is heartening for Locksley, but something he can’t dwell on.

“Our defense played, I thought, well enough for us to win on Saturday,” he said. “They limited one of the more explosive offenses to six explosives [plays]. They got off the field. They got us the ball back. The problem is, it hasn’t been complimentary.”

Specifically, Maryland (4-5, 1-5 Big Ten) has struggled to run the ball — even with veteran backs — behind an offensive line that’s been in constant upheaval.

“We’re just not having it consistent enough to stay on track with the run game,” Locksley said, “and that puts a lot of pressure on the young line.”

The Terrapins have cracked the 100-yard mark as a team in only one of their four games since the beginning of October, an effort that was for naught in a 48-23 loss at Minnesota on Oct. 26.

“I have the utmost trust in those guys up front, and it’s not all on them,” said running back Roman Hemby. “Sometimes it’s us being in the wrong spots or just not being able to execute the plays that are called from our offense.”

Though Maryland is 15th of 18 Big Ten teams in yards rushing (114 per game), the Scarlet Knights are in the bottom third of the Big Ten in rushing defense, allowing an average of 151 yards to opponents. An opportunity to right the run game exists Saturday, Hemby said, by relying on simplicity.

“In an offense like our offense where we’re trying to get first downs and move up the field, a 4-yard run is not a bad run,” Hemby said.

Maryland has won three straight against Rutgers (5-4, 2-4), and scored at least 24 points in all 10 matchups the Big Ten-anointed “rivals” have played. The Scarlet Knights have played streaky, winning their first four games, then losing their next four, before beating Minnesota 26-19 last week. 

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Greg [Schiano] and the job he does as a coach, and over the years, really has his team always well prepared, and they do all the little things the right way.”

Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai’s status is unknown against Maryland after the conference’s third-leading rusher missed last week’s game due to injury. His absence wasn’t a problem for quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, a former Golden Gopher who put up a three-touchdown performance in his return to Minneapolis.

“They threw the ball all around the place last week … [he] is talented enough. We’ve seen him,” Locksley said. “He’s the guy that we feel like kind of makes them go, and we’ve got to find a way to affect them a little bit more than we have.”