Randy Edsall is the stereotypical stern, unsatisfied football coach. He doesn’t show much emotion, win or lose, especially early in the season when his Terrapins football team has plenty of trials ahead.

Yet after the Terps opened their 2014 season in emphatic fashion Saturday afternoon by plastering FCS James Madison, 52-7, before an announced 45,080 at Byrd Stadium, Edsall was unusually jazzed.

“Well that was fun today, getting a win,” Edsall said. “I thought we did a lot of good things today.”

It was a positive result, the fourth-year coach said, and he conceded that he had fun on the cloudy afternoon in which football returned to College Park.

It’s too early to tell what kind of a team the Terps will be, but even Edsall was OK saying Saturday’s performance was a positive step.

With that, here are four takeaways from the season-opening triumph.

RUNNING RAMPANT

The Terps’ wide receiving corps drew tons of attention for its promise in the preseason, but the team’s 285 yards on the ground keyed Saturday’s victory.

Starting running back Brandon Ross led the way with 86 yards on 16 carries. The junior was shifty and decisive, often making one quick move before hitting holes hard.

Quarterback C.J. Brown made an impact on the ground, too, carrying the ball seven times for 61 yards and three touchdowns. Even running back Wes Brown, who was suspend all of last season, got in the mix. He totaled 81 yards on 13 carries.

“Wes really ran the ball well, downhill, with physicality,” Edsall said. “Brandon did a good job. We got to be able to run the football. Because, like I said, it will make us more dynamic the better and more efficient that we can run the ball.”

The important thing here is that the Terps appear capable of establishing the run, which will allow their offense to be versatile when they run into stiffer competition. The offensive line created holes and the runners took advantage, which is a great sign for the Terps moving forward.

C.J. WAS OK

C.J. Brown scored four total touchdowns Saturday and didn’t turn the ball over, so it’s hard to say he didn’t play well. But, man, he missed a ton of open receivers.

Brown finished 11 of 24 through the air for one touchdown. The only deep pass he completed was his last throw of the game, a 41-yard touchdown toss to a wide-open Deon Long. But there were plenty of throws Brown failed to make Saturday.

He overthrew wide receiver Marcus Leak in the second quarter when Leak had his man beat badly. He missed Long on another occasion and wobbled a pass out to Taivon Jacobs.

“Coming out and going 11-for-24 on opening day is not acceptable,” Brown said, “and I hold myself to a higher standard.”

Brown did plenty of great things, and his toughness as a runner and a leader is crucial for the Terps. But he has to be able to connect with his receivers on deep balls when he’s standing in the pocket. If he doesn’t, opponents can load the box to stop the running game and the short passes, and that’ll keep the Terps from finding a balance on offense.

STIFLING D

The Terps defense is a veteran group, and it made sure to begin the season with a positive performance. James Madison’s offense was overmatched at times and even when the Dukes seemed to generate some momentum, the Terps would make a key play to halt the drive.

Inside linebacker L.A. Goree (14 total tackles) and safety Sean Davis (10 total tackles) were the stars of the unit, but several Terps had impressive outings. The Terps held James Madison to 302 total yards and forced two interceptions.

But will the dominant defense persist?

Last season, the Terps defense was one of the nation’s best through the first month of the year and helped the team out to a 4-0 start. But in the fifth game against Florida St., they gave up 63 points.

So the Terps’ solution is to keep improving and guard against complacency.

“We played OK, we could always play better,” Goree said. “You always expect to play better. If you don’t, there’s always a problem there, you feel me?”

SPECIAL RETURNERS

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs and cornerback Will Likely might be two of the best kick returners in the country, and they displayed a glimpse of their potential Saturday.

Likely, who handled the punt duties, called fair catches on most of the Dukes’ punts, but in the second quarter, he finally had some room. And on his only punt return of the day, Likely scampered for 35 yards.

Diggs, meanwhile, took his only kickoff return for 59 yards.

“Our guys know on special teams that if they get a body on a body and you give Will or you give Stefon some time, opportunity, room, they can make things happen in special teams,” Edsall said. “To add that to your arsenal, that’s great.”