The energy in Maryland football’s locker room following its 38-20 victory against Villanova on Saturday wasn’t like most wins. It felt almost as if the Terps had lost, coach Michael Locksley said.
They knew they didn’t play the way they wanted. Entering a Big Ten-only schedule, they’re searching for more.
“I just hate that we don’t play clean,” Locksley said.
Maryland exploded to a 24-0 lead in the first half. Its offense was dominant and efficient while its defense was stifling. Then, the Terps slugged.
The first misstep began in the red zone. Colby McDonald took a handoff to the left, fighting for extra yards through contact. Villanova’s defense then stripped the senior and forced a fumble.
Locksley was displeased on the sidelines with McDonald’s blunder. The “middle eight” of a game — the final four minutes of the first half and the first four of the second — is highly important to the coach. Especially against lower competition, like Villanova, where it gives his younger players more time to develop with in-game experience.
Instead, Villanova completely controlled that crucial portion. Senior wide receiver Tai Felton said one of the things the Terps emphasize is starting fast.
That didn’t happen in the second half, when they only ran one offensive play in the first 10 minutes. That was the opposite of the first quarter when they scored two touchdowns in that timeframe.
[Maryland football ends non-conference slate with 38-20 domination over Villanova]
The Wildcats took more than five minutes off the clock in their opening drive during the third quarter, nearly matching their entire first-half yardage total. Maryland’s defense held strong with a fourth down stop, but redshirt junior Billy Edwards Jr. threw an interception on the next play.
Freshman Keyshawn Flowers, one of the Terps’ closest players to the teed-up ball in their usual return kickoff formation, left his spot preparing to block before the kick. The kick went right toward Flowers’ original spot. But because he turned early, Villanova pounced on the ball and scooped it before Flowers reacted.
Locksley felt the kickoff shouldn’t have been a surprise. He said Flowers didn’t execute one of the fundamentals in being on the front line.
Maryland had two penalties later in the game that were particularly frustrating for Locksley.
Just two plays after the onside kick, defensive back Glen Miller was penalized for playing without his helmet, which popped off during a tackle attempt. The redshirt senior sprung up to help his defense bring down running back Isaiah Ragland.
A rule states that a player can’t continue to play once his helmet comes off. Locksley said that is coached to his team.
[Billy Edwards Jr.’s confidence gives him an edge as Maryland football’s quarterback]
Senior linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II was penalized for a horse collar tackle early in the fourth quarter. Locksley said that was a lack of fundamentals.
“Accountability is horizontal,” Locksley said.
The Terps’ eight overall infractions marked the third time they’ve reached that total in their four games this year. They’ve registered the third-most penalties in the Big Ten this season, which concerns Locksley.
The mistakes didn’t cost Maryland the win. It strung together nearly 500 offensive yards and limited Villanova to just two touchdowns. That still leaves room for improvement.
“As a coach I’ve got to make sure that they understand that they can’t take winning football games for granted,” Locksley said.
Running back Roman Hemby believes the Terps are a mature team with a standard of perfection. Their lack of excitement about a three-possession victory is evidence of that.
Edwards knows Maryland is unlikely to have a perfect game. But if his team falls narrowly short that, he thinks they’ll still be in a good spot. The consensus is they’re still looking to play cleaner.
“A lot of guys in the locker room have the mindset of ‘We’re not satisfied,’” Edwards said.
