Every time Stefon Diggs touches the football, he makes something happen.
It’s been easy to see. He’s only played six games in his Terrapins football career, but he’s already established himself as undoubtedly the team’s top playmaker. The freshman has amassed 483 yards on just 28 offensive touches this season, an average of more than 17 yards per play.
That’s one of the biggest problems facing the Terps at the halfway point of the season, though. If Diggs is the top weapon on an offense lacking firepower, why is he averaging fewer than five touches a game? Why isn’t he getting the ball every play?
Coach Randy Edsall has answered this question before. He’s spoken glowingly about the freshman’s maturity, his knowledge of the game and his penchant for making the big play. Despite the praise, though, the second-year coach seems intent on transitioning him to the college game slowly.
“He is just a true freshman, so we want to bring him along at a pace that is good for him and good for our team to make sure that we do not overload him to the point where he cannot be as productive as his abilities would allow,” Edsall said earlier this month. “He has been involved, but we are extremely fortunate that we have some other guys on our team that can make things happen as well.”
Unfortunately for the Terps, those other guys haven’t made things happen for quarterback Perry Hills. Marcus Leak, the team’s No. 2 receiver, has 299 yards on 19 catches — more than 150 fewer yards on only two fewer catches — and senior wide receiver Kevin Dorsey has just eight catches this season.
The running game has been even worse. The Terps’ 71.33 rush yards per game rank No. 118 in the nation, and only one of their four starting running backs — Diggs’ high school teammate Wes Brown — is averaging more than 3 yards per carry.
Diggs has been the only real constant on offense. He leads the team in receptions, total yards and receiving touchdowns. He’s been named the ACC Rookie of the Week twice. And he’s always one missed tackle away from a game-changing play.
He caught a tipped pass for a 29-yard touchdown in the Terps’ loss to Connecticut. He scored catch-and-run touchdowns of 42 and 56 yards in the Terps’ loss at West Virginia. His latest feat wasn’t on offense, but on special teams, as he returned the opening kickoff 100 yards to score the team’s first points in a win at Virginia last week.
Overall, more than a third of Diggs’ catches this season have gone for more than 20 yards, and he’s averaging 21.6 yards per reception — nearly eight more yards than Hills’ average per completion.
So why doesn’t he get the ball more?
Edsall and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley should take a page out of the Mountaineers’ playbook. Their star wide receiver Tavon Austin — who Diggs drew favorable comparisons to heading into the teams’ Sept. 22 meeting — never goes too long without getting his hands on the football. He’s compiled 851 yards and eight touchdowns on 75 offensive touches this season, which includes a 13-catch, 179-yard, three-touchdown performance in a win over the Terps.
Sure, those lofty numbers are unattainable in College Park — Edsall runs a conservative offense and Hills has just 85 completions this season — but Diggs has the talent to make an Austin-like impact on the Terps.
Austin plays in the slot and out of the backfield. He receives passes and runs the ball. There’s no reason to think Diggs can’t do the same.
He’s shown he can turn a short out route into a 50-yard touchdown. He’s shown he can catch a downfield pass as well as any receiver on the roster. And he’s shown he can be an absolute terror when he has room to catch and run.
“I’m just trying to make a play, just trying to do my job,” Diggs said last month. “Big players make big plays in big games.”
Diggs is a big player. He’s made big plays. He’s had big games.
But he’s averaging just 4.7 touches per game. If the Terps can double that number, those big games could become monstrous.
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