Terps Football: 2019 Season in Review

Last weekend, the Maryland Terrapins wrapped up their first season under head coach Michael Locksley and their sixth as members of the Big Ten Conference. What began as an extremely promising year for the program ended in disappointment with a 3-9 (1-8 Big Ten Conference) record and seven straight losses to finish things off. There figure to be plenty of changes to both the team and the coaching staff during the offseason, but let’s first take a look back at the 2019 season.

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A 2-0 Start, National Attention, and Sadness

Maryland did everything right in their first two games, outscoring Howard and then-#21 Syracuse by a combined score of 142-20. It propelled them into the AP Top 25, as they entered Week 3 as the #21 team in the country. But after a close loss to Temple on the road and a blowout loss to then-#12 Penn State, the team was on their way to their worst record since 2015.

After the first two weeks of the season, the fanbase was more excited than it had been in a very long time. Tickets for the team’s Friday night showcase against the Nittany Lions were selling like hotcakes, and the university was forced to add thousands of additional seats in the student section due to increased demand. But in all-too-familiar Maryland fashion, the team fell flat on their faces in front of a national audience.

It was all downhill from there, as the Terrapins were outscored 310-96 in their final seven games. Just two of those games were decided by less than 30 points, and featured a three-game stretch of nationally televised games against Minnesota, Ohio State, and Michigan in which the average margin of victory was 44 points. For as excited as the fanbase was after Week 2, it’s now as apathetic as ever.

2019 Offense Recap

Rushing Offense: #59 (#7 Big Ten Conference)
Passing Offense: #113 (#12 Big Ten Conference)
Total Offense: #108 (#11 Big Ten Conference)

As is typical for the Terrapins, four different quarterbacks took snaps this season. Virginia Tech transfer Josh Jackson was the team’s starter for the majority of the year, missing two games due to injury. While his first two games were nearly perfect, his season as a whole was very disappointing. He finished the year with a 47% completion percentage and threw for just over 1,200 yards. Tyrrell Pigrome wasn’t any better however, as he completed 59% of his passes but threw just 3 touchdowns while tossing 6 interceptions. Lance LeGendre saw time in three games and preserved his redshirt, with most of his damage coming on the ground. The true freshman ran for 104 yards on 13 carries, and offered a glimpse of hope at the quarterback position.

Maryland’s running backs were the best part of its offense in 2019, with Javon Leake and Anthony McFarland, Jr. leading the way. Leake played in every game, rushing for 736 yards and averaging over 7 yards per carry. He actually outplayed McFarland, Jr., who ran for 614 yards and averaged nearly 5.5 yards per carry. Each finished with 8 touchdowns on the ground, with McFarland, Jr. adding one as a receiver. Tayon Fleet-Davis had a solid year as the third-string running back, totaling 446 total yards and 4 total touchdowns.

The loss of Jeshaun Jones definitely hurt the team’s wide receiving corps, as there was no true compliment to Dontay Demus, Jr. He had an excellent year, finishing with 625 yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging over 15 yards per reception. Brian Cobbs, Darryl Jones, and Carlos Carriere had 538 receiving yards and and 1 touchdown between them, with no player emerging as a clear number two behind Demus, Jr. As promised, offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery got the team’s tight ends more involved, with Chigoziem Okonkwo and Tyler Mabry finishing with a combined 32 receptions, the most for a group of Maryland tight ends since 2011.

The offensive line had a rough season, and couldn’t fill the shoes of tackles Derwin Gray and Damian Prince, who both graduated after the 2018 season. The team was forced to turn to Jaelyn Duncan and Marcus Minor on the outside, two players with talent but very little experience. As a unit, the Terrapins’ line allowed a conference-worst 38 sacks, good for 10th-worst in the country. Ellis McKennie had an admirable season however, filling in at nearly every position on the line to cap off an excellent career in College Park.

2019 Defense Recap

Rushing Defense: #83 (#10 Big Ten Conference)
Passing Defense: #115 (#14 Big Ten Conference)
Total Defense: #109 (#14 Big Ten Conference)

Outside of Maryland’s stable of running backs, the most impressive performances from the 2019 season came on the defensive side of the ball. That’s an odd thing to say about the conference’s worst defense, but the play of Antoine Brooks, Jr., Ayinde Eley, and Keandre Jones was extremely impressive to watch.

Brooks, Jr. led the team with 87 tackles, including a whopping 69 solo tackles. He played in every game for defensive coordinator Jon Hoke, and had an interception against Indiana. He finished second on the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 5 pass breakups. Incredibly, he’s played in every game for the Terrapins over the course of the last three seasons and will be an excellent safety and/or nickel cornerback for an NFL team next year.

Eley finished second on the team with 79 tackles, playing in all but one game at inside linebacker. He adapted well to Hoke’s 3-4 defensive scheme, and had a 39-yard interception return against Rutgers. He finished the year with 4 tackles for loss and 3 pass breakups.

Jones proved to be a valuable addition as a transfer from Ohio State, as he immediately stepped into a starting outside linebacker role and finished third on the team with 74 tackles. He led the team with 7 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. He also had 3 pass breakups and forced 3 fumbles.

Outside of those few performances however, the defense was putrid. With the amount of talent present on that side of the ball, there’s truly no excuse to finish with the worst defense in the conference and one of the worst defenses in the country.

2019 Special Teams Recap

Kickoff Returns: #32 (#4 Big Ten Conference)
Punt Returns: #11 (#1 Big Ten Conference)

Kickoff Return Defense: #75 (#10 Big Ten Conference)
Punt Return Defense: #18 (#6 Big Ten Conference)

Led by Leake, Maryland’s kickoff return unit was one of the best in the country. He averaged nearly 27 yards per return, including two returns for touchdowns against Rutgers and Michigan. He tied Torrey Smith’s lead with three kickoff return touchdowns in his Maryland career. Before being charged with a DUI, DJ Turner was having an extremely impressive year as the team’s punt returner. Through the first three weeks of the 2019 season, he was averaging nearly 36 yards per return and had a return touchdown against Howard.

Joseph Petrino had a very uneventful season as Maryland’s kicker, making 2 of his 5 attempts on the year. His longest field goal came from 33 yards in the team’s final game against Michigan State. He made 36 of 38 extra point attempts, with misses against Rutgers and Michigan State. Colton Spangler and Anthony Pecorella split time at punter for special teams coordinator John Papuchis, averaging a combined 40 yards per punt.