Opponent: No. 23 Texas
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas
Kickoff time: Saturday, noon EST
TV: FS1 — Justin Kutcher, Mark Helfrich, Petros Papadakis, Jennifer Hale
Radio: 105.7 FM (Baltimore) / ESPN 980 AM (Washington, D.C.) — Kevin Sheehan and Tim Strachan
Student broadcast: WMUC Sports (online) — Liam Beatus and Megan Smedley
Noon weather forecast: Mostly sunny, 87 degrees with a RealFeel® of 102 degrees.
Three Terps to Watch
Quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome: Piggy was named the Terps’ starting quarterback against Texas. The sophomore made one start last year as a true freshman, when he passed for 161 yards, a touchdown and two picks and rushed for another 71 yards in a blowout loss to Minnesota. If he doesn’t look the part against Texas, an admittedly tough opponent, fans might want to see true freshman Kasim Hill (a four-star high school recruit) in the home opener against Towson on Sept. 9.
Wide receiver D.J. Moore: The junior has caught a pass in 21 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the Big Ten. He’ll also hit the milestone of 1,000 career receiving yards with just a six-yard gain in Saturday’s game. Moore will play a big role in helping Pigrome settle into the game as his no. 1 receiver; he caught Piggy’s lone touchdown in his Minnesota start in 2016.
Linebacker Jermaine Carter: Carter led the Terps with 110 tackles and put up the team’s second-highest sack total with six a year ago. Entering his senior year, the captain will be the heart of the Maryland defense while looking to increase his notoriety and draft stock. He was named to the Bednarik Award and Butkus Award preseason watch lists, for best defensive player and best linebacker in the nation, respectively.
Three Longhorns to Watch
Running back Chris Warren: Longhorns back D’Onta Foreman ranked second in Division I in rushing yards last year with 2,028, but he now plays in the NFL. The next man up is Warren, the leading returning rusher for Texas, who tallied just 366 yards and three touchdowns on 62 carries a year ago. Still, Warren was named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, given to the country’s top college player.
Linebacker Malik Jefferson: Multiple “way-too-early” 2018 NFL mock drafts consider Jefferson a first-round selection. He racked up 5.5 sacks, three pass deflections and a forced fumble as a sophomore. This year, according to Sports Illustrated, Texas will move Jefferson (who’s also on the Bednarik and Butkus watch lists) from inside to outside linebacker, potentially giving him more opportunities to threaten the quarterback.
Quarterback Shane Buechele: Pigrome won’t be the only sophomore gunslinger on the field for this game. In 2016, Buechele was the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Texas since 1944. He threw for 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions over 12 games last year, but of course, the Longhorns managed only a 5-7 record. How will this quarterback fare without Foreman in the backfield, and in new head coach Tom Herman’s first game wearing burnt orange?
