Wide receiver Stefon Diggs returns a kickoff during the Terps’ 40-37 loss to West Virginia on Sept. 13, 2014.
Terrapins football wide receiver Stefon Diggs (lacerated kidney) has been ruled out for the final two games of the regular season at Michigan on Saturday and at home against Rutgers on Nov. 29.
Based on Diggs’ meeting with a doctor, coach Randy Edsall expects the junior to be cleared for contact by Dec. 1, making him available for the Terps’ bowl game later that month or in early January.
Saturday will mark Diggs’ second straight game on the sideline. The Big Ten suspended the standout receiver for the Terps’ 37-15 loss to Michigan State after his participation in a pregame scuffle before a win over Penn State on Nov. 1.
While Diggs sat out against the Spartans, sophomore Jacquille Veii moved into the starting lineup and caught four passes for 45 yards. Veii will likely remain the replacement for the remainder of the regular season.
Diggs also started the Terps’ first nine games as the No. 1 kick returner. On Saturday, cornerback Will Likely, the team’s punt returner, fielded kickoffs and averaged nearly 33 yards on seven returns. In this week’s official depth chart, Likely stayed on as the team’s first kick returner.
Despite missing the loss to Michigan State, Diggs still leads the Terps in receptions (52), receiving yards (654) and receiving touchdowns (five).
Diggs’ absence will have an even greater impacting considering Monday’s news that freshman wideout Juwann Winfree, the Terps’ seventh leading receiver, will be suspended for two weeks because of a violation of this university’s Student-Athlete Code of Conduct.
