Tonight, Erin Henderson will be playing two big games.

In one, Henderson will team up with senior linebacker Wesley Jefferson in an effort to contain No. 5-ranked West Virginia’s dynamic offense.

In the other, Henderson will compete against Jefferson to see who can make more big plays – a friendly contest the redshirt sophomore lost Saturday night.

“I bowed down to Wesley, I gave it to him,” Henderson said. “I felt like he made some big plays at some crucial times in the game. I had a decent game; he had a good game.”

Henderson’s defeat did not prevent him from doing something he does extraordinarily well – talk. And talk some more.

Like after Henderson opened the Middle Tennessee game with a bull rush through the offensive line before dumping the unassuming ball carrier for a loss.

“Right after it was done, I went back to him and said, ‘That’s one Wes, you better catch up,'” Henderson said through a grin.

Or, going back a few weeks, like after Henderson chased down quarterback Sam Hollenbach in practice and tackled him two-hand-touch style. Hollenbach – who wore the no-contact yellow penny – heard something like this from Henderson:

“If this was a real game, I’d knock your head off! You know that, right?”

Yes, Henderson is good at talking. And now, after one redshirt season and one injury season, it has all come out.

“I like to talk and to be the center of attention,” Henderson said. “My first couple of years I kind of went into a shell. I wasn’t really in a situation where I could talk and say different things. Now that I’ve had a chance to go out there and play a couple of games, I’ve got confidence from my team and respect from my teammates.”

On a team where vocal leaders are few and far between, Henderson is one guy whose presence is always known. It is hard to decide which of Henderson’s two major contributions – flying around making plays or talking – will make a greater impact on the Terps.

The younger brother of two-time All-American E.J. Henderson, Erin arrived in College Park first as a quarterback. When the Terps’ coaching staff realized a 6-foot 3-inch, 242-pound man-child might be better off chasing the ball instead of throwing it, the path was clear for him to follow in E.J.’s footsteps.

With E.J. playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Erin turned to another prominent Terp linebacker, D’Qwell Jackson, for direction and advice. After suffering a season-ending ACL injury in fall practice last season, Henderson especially needed Jackson’s support.

During last winter’s workouts – just five months after his injury – Henderson discovered that he could keep up with teammates and knew a full recovery was in order – a recovery so successful that Henderson claimed the starting weakside linebacker position despite never appearing in a collegiate game.

The on-field results are encouraging through two games: Henderson leads the Terps with four tackles for a loss and is second only to Jefferson in total tackles with 12.

If Henderson does mature into the type of player E.J. and Jackson were, the university could compete with Penn State for the title of Linebacker U – along the lines of Quarterback U (BYU), Running Back U (Miami) and Boo U (Duke).

Our first look at him on the big stage is tonight. Could inspired play by Henderson help the Terps stay close with the mighty Mountaineers? Will Henderson beat out Jefferson in the big-play battle?

“I told him to watch out for Thursday night,” Henderson confidently declared.

Contact columnist Daniel Chiat at chiatdbk@gmail.com.