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Maryland compiled a pair of easy wins against the likes of Florida International and Howard to begin the 2016 season.
The Terrapins received an extremely tough test from Central Florida this past Saturday. It took two overtimes to take down the Knights in a 30-24 decision.
Despite a horrific first half offensively, Maryland was able to score touchdowns on both of their overtime possessions.
We’ve looked at the tape and will be handing out grades in our new weekly series. We’ll be giving Maryland player “Turtle Shells,” which will range from zero to four shells depending on a player’s performance.
We’re going to select four players every week that stood out in a positive or negative way and grade them accordingly.
Without further ado, let’s handout some “Turtle Shells” for the Central Florida game.
Sep 17, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Maryland Terrapins tight end Avery Edwards (82) tries to help teammate running back Lorenzo Harrison (23) who is being tackled by Central Florida Knights linebacker Errol Clarke (51) and defensive lineman A.J. Wooten (96) during the second half of a football game at Bright House Networks Stadium. Maryland won 30-24 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
The running game has easily been Maryland’s biggest strength through the first three games this season.
However, the team’s leading rusher has come as a bit of a surprise.
Freshman Lorenzo Harrison leads the team with 208 yards on 32 carries through the first three games. Harrison’s three touchdowns are tied for the team lead with quarterback Perry Hills.
Harrison is the first Terp with a touchdown in his first three career games since Josh Allen in 2002.
The former DeMatha Catholic (Md.) standout has gotten off to a phenomenal start. He’s averaging 6.5 yards-per-carry and continued his strong play against Central Florida.
When the Terps couldn’t get much going on offense in the first half, Harrison found the end zone from seven yards out. He ended up rushing for 77 yards on a season-high 15 carries.
Harrison has really displayed great field vision and proved to be extremely dangerous in the open field.
It’ll be interesting to see if Harrison continues to receive a similar workload once Big Ten play begins. If he keeps up this level of play, it’s going to be hard for the Terps to come him off the field.
Grade: Four Turtle Shells
Next: Not phased by the moment
Sep 17, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome (3) runs for the game winning touchdown past the diving Central Florida Knights defensive lineman Tony Guerad (93) in double overtime of a football game at Bright House Networks Stadium. Maryland won 30-24 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Friday’s game was one of the most thrilling finishes that Maryland has had in recent years.
Hills injured his shoulder on his first carry of double overtime and had to come out of the game. Backup Tyrrell Pigrome came off the bench and made about as instant an impact as one player can make.
Pigrome took his first carry 24 yards for a touchdown on a play where he weaved through the Knight defense.
The former Clay-Chalkville (Ala.) standout hasn’t missed a beat when he’s seen the field so far in 2016. In the season opener against Howard, Pigrome completed 4-of-6 passes for 60 yards while carrying the ball seven times for 53 yards.
Pigrome has been as advertised over the first three games. He’s the definition of a dual-threat quarterbacks and appears to be a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Walt Bell’s offense.
The freshman signal caller hasn’t shied away from the spotlight and has played at an extremely high level.
Right now, D.J. Durkin says that Hills is “day-to-day,” but things could change when the Purdue game gets closer. If Hills is unable to go, it looks like the team is very confident in handing the reigns over to Pigrome.
Grade: Four Turtle Shells
Next: Providing some physicality
Sep 17, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Central Florida Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton (10) is tackled by Maryland Terrapins defensive lineman Brett Kulka (96) and defensive back William Likely (4) during the second quarter of a football game at Bright House Networks Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Maryland’s secondary was tested for the first time on Saturday.
Sophomore J.C. Jackson recorded his first interception of the season, but it was Will Likely that really had himself a game against Central Florida.
Likely tied teammate Shane Cockerille with a game-high 14 tackles. He also recorded a pair of tackles-for-loss and a pass breakup.
The Florida native played an extremely physical brand of football against the Knight wideouts. Especially on third downs, Likely was no afraid to stick his nose into an opposing receiver and knock the ball the free.
Likely also didn’t shy away from using his hands to push the issue and bordered the line of a pass interference call.
Throughout his Maryland career, it’s been clear that Likely has always one of the top players on the field. He continues to elevate his play each week and could anchor one of the most impressive defensive backfields in the conference this season.
Grade: Four Turtle Shells
Next: Former top producer underachieving
Nov 21, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Levern Jacobs (8) is tackles by Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jonathan Crawford (9) and linebacker Dawson Fletcher (29) during the first quarter at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Maryland’s offense has shown flashes of explosiveness through the first three games of the season.
However, one big surprise has been the play of Levern Jacobs.
The senior wideout has only caught one pass for seven yards this season. In fact, that catch just came this past Saturday against Central Florida.
This is incredibly surprising because Jacobs was one of the key playmakers of the Randy Edsall era.
He led the Terps in receptions (47) and receiving yards (640) during the 2013 season. Obviously, those numbers may not have been so high if Stefon Diggs and Deon Long hadn’t missed the second half of that season.
Despite horrific quarterback play in 2015, Jacobs still led the team in receptions (35) and receiving yards (425). He’s always had the potential to be a game-changer, but something just hasn’t clicked in 2016.
Durkin has made it clear that he wants Jacobs to be more involved as a blocker, so perhaps that’s one of the reasons for the lack of production.
Obviously, there’s still nine games to go in the regular season, so it’s a little early to write off Jacobs. With the amount of talent that he possesses, it’s hard to imagine him not being a focal points of the offense.
Grade: One Turtle Shell
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