Quarterback Perry Hills prepares his offensive line during the Terps’ 50-21 win over Richmond at Byrd Stadium on Sept. 5, 2015.

They’d all pile into the film room, burly offensive lineman and lithe running backs alike with their eyes glued to the television, exchanging ideas and techniques.

With dual-threat quarterback C.J. Brown gone, the Terrapins football team needed to find running production elsewhere. So when running back Wes Brown noticed the offensive linemen putting in extra hours in the film room, he suggested the running backs join their teammates.

It wasn’t brought up by coach Randy Edsall or offensive coordinator Mike Locksley. The players took the initiative themselves, meeting together Mondays and Wednesdays starting during training camp.

“Because we are watching that together, we have that equal language that we understand each other, so it makes it a lot smoother,” Wes Brown said.

The sessions poring over film paid dividends Saturday, as the Terps rushed for a combined 341 yards and three touchdowns in their season-opening 50-21 trouncing of Richmond. And they’ll look to carry that production into this week’s game against Bowling Green.

“The O-line, they blocked their butts off,” Brown said. “They did what they was supposed to do, and they was executing. We just did the aftermath.”

While quarterback Perry Hills routinely underthrew targets Saturday, Brown and running back Brandon Ross had no trouble finding holes and breaking off big gains. Ross rushed for a career-high 150 yards, while Brown spelled him at stretches for 74 yards.

“Whenever [the running backs] can have a great run game, that’s going to help me because you’ll have linebackers jumping up, safeties jumping up,” Hills said.

With the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, Edsall turned to running back Ty Johnson. The freshman picked up right where the other backs left off, taking his third attempt 23 yards. Two plays later, he scored his first touchdown.

Brown and Ross played subservient roles to C.J. Brown in the running game in the past. Now, they know the burden mostly falls on their shoulders, so having Johnson as a reliable third-string option should help with the duo’s durability.

“[Johnson’s] very coachable,” Wes Brown said. “He listens to everything you tell him, and if he knows the answer, he’ll still ask you just to make sure. So if he knows on the play he has a route, he’ll know the route, but he’ll ask me in the form of a question, ‘Oh, I have this, right?’”

It’s that type of receptive attitude that was fostered during the film sessions with the offensive linemen, a group Edsall stressed would be much improved after a subpar Big Ten debut last season.

The unit earned praise from coaches and players after Saturday despite five-star redshirt freshman Damian Prince playing with the second team. Instead, tackles Michael Dunn and Ryan Doyle, guards Mike Minter and Andrew Zeller and center Evan Mulrooney were tasked with opening up running lanes.

They didn’t disappoint.

“We do a lot of inside runs, so they ain’t got no choice but to continue to work their grit and mentality when we are in there running runs for the first couple periods,” Brown said of the offensive linemen. “It just gets them more acclimated to what they supposed to do and how it’s supposed to look.”

The Terps have a good matchup to do more of the same against Bowling Green, which allowed then-No. 25 Tennessee to rush for 399 yards and six touchdowns this past weekend.

The Richmond contest was a glowing start for the Terps’ rushing attack and offensive line, but Edsall will be looking for performances like those all year.

“One game doesn’t make a season,” Edsall said. “What we have to do is be consistently good. We want to be good this week, and then after this week we’ll move onto the next week.”