Sitting at a round table in Maryland Stadium’s Tyser Tower press box on Wednesday afternoon, Maryland football starting quarterback Perry Hills spoke about what would make his last year in the program a successful one.
“A successful season?” Hills asked. “Winning every single game. Winning a national championship. Because you don’t put in all this work that we’ve put in to go out and say, ‘Oh, it’s OK to lose two games here. It’s OK to go whatever and whatever.'”
In the week the Terps kick off the DJ Durkin era against Howard on Saturday, Hills’ answer mirrored those of his teammates’ when asked the same question a day earlier.
That’s what every Maryland fan wants to hear, and I’m sure that’s what the players believe, but it isn’t realistic. With Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State — three of the nation’s top 12 teams — in their division, the Terps are going to lose. Sometimes it might be ugly.
There is a more realistic goal, though, one that many of the veteran players have experienced before last year’s 3-9 season.
Not only is Maryland capable of making a bowl game, but Terps fans should expect the team to earn a berth.
In former coach Randy Edsall’s last two full years, the Terps posted 7-5 records before falling during bowl season. The second appearance came after the program’s first regular season in the Big Ten when it picked up wins over Iowa, Michigan and Penn State.
Inconsistency at the quarterback position plagued the Terps as they fell short of the six-win bowl standard in 2015. Hills and quarterback Caleb Rowe and Daxx Garman combined for 29 interceptions, the most in the country and six more than the second-highest team. They also endured a mid-season coaching change, which saw former offensive coordinator Mike Locksley replace Edsall halfway through the campaign.
Entering the season opener against Howard, Maryland appears to have addressed these issues.
Durkin named Hills the starter Aug. 24, later saying the redshirt senior left “no doubt” in his mind about who the No. 1 signal caller should be. Hills also earned new offensive coordinator Walt Bell’s praise for his toughness and determination throughout the offseason. And his experience? Hills will be starting his third season opener, the other two in 2012 and 2015.
None of those have come under Durkin, who was hired in December, but Hills said it didn’t take long for him to buy into what the 38-year-old wanted for this program.
It started with a completely new coaching staff, and it continued with an intensity the players haven’t seen at the college level before.
Defensive lineman Roman Braglio called this year’s fall camp “way harder” than last year’s. Wide receiver Teldrick Morgan, a New Mexico State transfer, said the August slate was “by far the hardest camp I’ve been through.”
“What we’ve been going through — and coach Durkin tells us this all the time — we’re going through the hardest stuff that any college team in the nation is going through,” linebacker Jalen Brooks said.
Durkin understands what it takes to be successful at the highest level. He worked under Ohio State coach Urban Meyer while Meyer was at the University of Florida. He learned from Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh with the Wolverines and at Stanford years before. He’s established a process, and the Terps have bought in.
Then there’s the schedule, one that affords the Terps an opportunity to bring a 4-0 record into Penn State on Oct. 8. After its opener with Howard, Durkin’s bunch plays a pair of mediocre Florida schools before hosting Purdue to start Big Ten play. The media predicted the Boilermakers to finish last in the conference.
Take the Big Ten’s three ranked teams out of the Terps’ schedule, and Maryland would need two wins against Nebraska, Penn State, Minnesota, Indiana and Rutgers. Only one team (Nebraska) was picked to finish third or higher in their respective division, according to cleveland.com.
Durkin wasn’t concerned with wins or losses, though, as he sat and spoke to the media Tuesday afternoon. He wanted to have “the best Tuesday we can possibly have” and then improve on that performance each day throughout the week.
“I really feel that we have a talented enough team to go play well this year,” Durkin said. “What equals that, I don’t know.”
One day at a time, Durkin insisted. That’s the best way for Maryland to navigate its season.
But for the Maryland faithful, it’s OK to look ahead. And after a disappointing 2015 season, expect the Terps to play into late December this time around.
