Falling behind by double-digits, football teams typically abandon the running game and air it out. The Terrapins followed that pattern last month at West Virginia, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 28-point deficit.
Faced with a similar situation last week trailing 20-0 to Virginia, the Terps hurled that philosophy out the window. Equipped with a pair of star running backs, the Terps stuck to what they do best: run the ball down opponents’ throats.
It’s a strategy based on the strength of junior running backs Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore and the weakness of the passing game due to young receivers. Senior quarterback Sam Hollenbach has run an efficient offense and made passes in key situations, but there’s a reason he’s handed the ball off to running backs more times than he’s thrown it. And the Terps have the chance to again use their running prowess tomorrow when they host N.C. State.
Lattimore understands his and Ball’s role, especially when the game is on the line.
“We know what this is about. We know that we can run the ball very well,” Lattimore said. “At the same time, we want to get our receivers in it, but when they call our number, we know what we gotta do. We know we gotta take the team on our shoulders and let’s go.”
That’s exactly what Ball and Lattimore have done, providing offensive yardage and moving the chains against Virginia on the Terps’ comeback drives. It was Ball who leapt over the goal line to get the Terps on the board, but the running backs would dominate the rest of the game as well. Lattimore accounted for 15 yards on the Terps’ next scoring drive and 67 on the one that put them ahead, including the 56-yard touchdown dash.
Then Ball provided the final dagger, rushing for a 26-yard gain that enabled the Terps to burn off the remaining seconds. Junior right guard Andrew Crummey called the clock-melting drive “a testament to how good the offense can be.” Those final drives included six running plays and zero completed passes.
While there have been some concerns in the passing game (Hollenbach’s five interceptions), the Terps can be exceedingly hopeful about the running game because of its consistency and room for improvement – and because N.C. State is No. 10 in the ACC in rushing defense. Ball, Lattimore and senior Josh Allen have combined for more than 100 rushing yards in all but one game this season. Though Allen has not quite returned to his pre-injury form, the trio are thoroughbreds in the stable of running backs.
“Those guys just have such capacity for a big play,” junior tight end Joey Haynos said. “They’re so athletic, so fast, so smart and you give them a chance, they’re gonna make a big play.”
But until the Virginia game, the Terps hadn’t been able to bust out a long run. Lattimore’s 56-yarder was vindication for the junior who coach Ralph Friedgen said was running the best he ever had in fall camp. Crummey said it was also a morale booster for the offensive line, knowing the hard work is paying off for something.
“[Lattimore’s] growing in confidence daily. It certainly didn’t hurt,” Friedgen said of the 56-yard touchdown run. “The thing that I was really pleased with Saturday not only was how aggressively he ran the ball but also that he broke one for a long play. That’ll give our team tremendous help. That didn’t go unnoticed.”
As they’re running all over opposing defenses, it’s hard not to notice the impact Ball and Lattimore are having. They’ve traded 100-plus yard games the last two weeks and, with Allen, have become what Lattimore calls a “three-headed monster” that can’t possibly get enough carries on gameday.
With Hollenbach and the offense continuing to break in inexperienced players such as Jason Goode and Isaiah Williams, Lattimore said he and Ball are mature enough to understand their crucial role.
But along with grinding out yards and stimulating the Terp offense, the top-notch running game can provide a secondary benefit – opening the field up for the passing game. When Virginia loaded up against the run, Hollenbach went to work. He connected with Goode on a 3rd-and-6 pass and Danny Oquendo on the next play, immediately before Lattimore broke his career-long run.
Haynos said N.C. State plays a lot of one-on-one coverage and the Terps can exploit the defense. He added if the passing game accentuates the running game well enough, it’ll be fun to be a part of a wide-open offense.
“When you have a good run game, it opens it up for your passing game. When you have a good passing game, it opens it up for your running game,” Haynos said. “Hopefully it can be a snowball effect and we can just keep going from there, and teams won’t know what to do with us.”
Contact reporter Stephen Whyno at whynodbk@gmail.com.
