Running back Wes Brown makes a break for the end zone during the Terps’ 50-14 win over Richmond at Byrd Stadium on Sept. 5, 2015.

It was the talk of camp. A retooled offensive line was primed to bolster the Terrapins football team in a conference coach Randy Edsall has called a “lineman league.”

Edsall had raved throughout training camp about senior running back Brandon Ross. Wes Brown was set to provide a dynamic second option. But would all the chatter lead to results?

The season opener indicated yes, though it came against FCS foe Richmond. The Terps kept pounding the ball on the ground, and the running backs kept churning out big gains until they had their largest rushing total since 2002 (341 yards).

The Terps won’t rush for 300-plus yards a game all season, but running back success will be crucial to how the season pans out. With unproven quarterback Perry Hills at the helm and a defense with seven new starters, Edsall needs to be able to rely on the running game to alleviate pressure on both parties.

“For us as a unit, the run game is going to be really important all this season because it opens up everything else for us,” offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said.

Last year was a nightmare for the Terps’ rushing attack in its inaugural Big Ten campaign. The Terps finished 12th in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game (121.8), and their leading rusher was also their quarterback.

Without scrambling quarterback C.J. Brown under center, it might seem like now would be a good time to rely even more on an aerial attack, but that isn’t the case. And it’s not just because Hills hasn’t showcased the ability to stretch the field. Sure, that’s part of it, but a stout ground game is key to any successful offense.

Wisconsin, which went 11-3 last year, led the Big Ten with 320.1 rushing yards per game. Reigning national champion Ohio State was second at 264.5 rushing yards per game. Both marks are at least double what the Terps were averaging last season.

So the Terps committed to getting better in the offseason. A more prolific rushing game would force opposing defenses to honor the ground attack rather than expect passes.

“During camp, we programmed it in our heads that this is what we want to do, be able to run the ball so we can be able to pass the ball as well,” Wes Brown said. “You can’t pass the ball effectively if you can’t run the ball effectively and that goes either way.”

Saturday was the first step in the right direction. The Terps carried the ball 45 times and lost yardage on just one attempt.

One of the biggest issues last season was the Terps’ inability to control the tempo of the game. They finished last in the conference in time of possession at 26:56, nearly a minute worse than Illinois at No. 13. Unsurprisingly, the top three teams in the conference in time of possession had the top three records.

It would go a long way in keeping the defense fresh, especially in a game like this Saturday’s against an up-tempo Bowling Green offense.

“That would help us tremendously,” defensive coordinator Keith Dudzinski said. “Any time we can get on the bench and rest and get our guys a break and get focused and make the corrections we need to for the next series, that’s always good.”

Plus, if Ross and Brown run like they did Saturday, it forces the opposing defense to stack the box, thus opening the passing lanes for Hills.

“There might come times where people might do things to you defensively that won’t allow the running game to maybe get as many yards as you do some weeks,” Edsall said. “That’s when your passing game has to step up and maybe open up the running game for you, so that’s why I say we have to be a balanced football team.”

With Bowling Green having allowed 399 rushing yards to Tennessee last week, the Terps should provide more of the same this Saturday. It might not be until Big Ten play rolls around that we see where this rushing attack truly stands.

But even against weak nonconference opponents last season, the Terps didn’t eclipse 300 yards. They are already showing more than they did in 2014, and that’s a promising sign for the future.