Running back Justus Pickett and the Terps’ running game has been one of the worst in the nation so far this season. The team’s 86 rushing yards per game ranks No. 116 out of 120 FBS schools.
Randy Edsall has some designs on what he plans to do with the Terrapins football team’s stable of running backs this weekend. He’s just not going to tell anyone about them.
“I have some ideas in mind about the direction we want to go in,” he said yesterday. “Hopefully we’ll have something like that worked out going into the game on Saturday.”
It’s the expected response from a coach who’s been anything but forthcoming about the team’s crowded backfield. Running backs Justus Pickett, Brandon Ross, Wes Brown and Albert Reid are all listed as starters on the Terps’ updated depth chart, but their play on the field has done little to indicate who of the four might be closest to being the team’s feature back.
Ross received the team’s first carry in Saturday’s 19-14 win over Wake Forest, but he finished the game with five carries for just one yard and didn’t touch the ball after the first quarter. Brown and Pickett ended the game as the Terps’ rushing leaders, but each totaled just 10 carries for 23 and 21 yards, respectively.
“We need to keep working at it and get better at it,” Edsall said. “We need to be able to run the football because I want to be a physical team.”
The Terps have a long way to go, though. Their 86 rushing yards per game rank No. 116 out of 120 FBS teams, and their 2.16 yards per rush are the third-worst mark in the country.
The team doesn’t seem to have a clear plan as to who will start in the backfield Saturday at Virginia. But no matter who is back there, the Terps know how critical it is to have a more effective run game.
“We want to establish a run game,” guard Justin Gilbert said. “Find our identity.”
IN THE TRENCHES
If the Terps are going to resurrect their previously nonexistent run game against the Cavaliers this weekend, they’ll have to start up front.
The team’s offensive line has struggled throughout the early part of the season. It has allowed 19 sacks — tied for the fourth most in the nation — and repeatedly forced freshman quarterback Perry Hills into pressured throws.
And while it’s not as easy to discern on the stat sheet, the unit has also contributed to the Terps’ lackluster ground attack. Edsall cited decision-making after the snap, footwork and an inability to sustain blocks as the line’s biggest deficiencies, leaving Terps rushers with few holes to run through.
“It’s just that consistency part with everybody,” Edsall said. “Add to that the young guys who are still learning and those are things that take some time.”
The young guys Edsall is referring to are tackle Mike Madaras and guard Andrew Zeller. The freshmen made their first career starts last week, and their ability to acclimate to their increased roles could be key if the line is going to better its pass and run blocking efforts.
“We need to make sure we have a good knowledge of our opponents, where they stand, blitzes, stuff like that,” Gilbert said. “We need to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
ERRATIC WEAPON
Through the first 14 minutes of play Saturday, Brad Craddock was arguably the Terps’ most valuable asset.
Buoying an offense that struggled to get on the same page throughout the afternoon, the freshman kicker booted field goals of 49 and 52 yards in the first quarter, keeping the Terps within one point of the Demon Deacons.
But in the fourth quarter, the Adelaide, Australia, native showed there was still plenty of room for improvement. He missed a 47-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter that would have given the Terps a 16-14 lead and missed the extra point on what would prove to be the game’s winning touchdown.
“Brad hasn’t been as consistent as I would like him to be,” Edsall said Saturday. “When you see him go out and hit the 49 and 52, you see that and then, you know, ‘How do you miss the extra point?’ A lot of it was just Brad. We’re just trying to get him to have the same swing every time.”
sportsdbk@gmail.com
