For obvious reasons, we didn't publish this week's edition of Across The Field on the front page. But since Maryland beat writer Emily Giambalvo of the Washington Post was kind enough to answer some questions for us before the game was canceled, I figured I might as well share her answers here so you could still get her insight on the Terrapins and how she thought Saturday's game would have played out.
Q: Maryland went from losing its season opener against Northwestern by 40 points to winning its last two games against Minnesota and Penn State. What have been the biggest differences between the first game and the second and third games?
Giambalvo: I hate to put so much on one player, but the difference has been Taulia Tagovailoa. He looked like a different quarterback from week one to week two, and he’s played with poise and confidence in these last two weeks. His decision-making has been great, and he’s avoided making major mistakes. Maryland has the right pieces on offense — a talented group of receivers and Jake Funk as the lead running back — so when Tagovailoa plays well, Maryland looks solid on that side of the ball.
The offense took a big jump from week one to week two (and then equally as important, maintained that in week three), and then the defense took a significant step forward from week two to week three. Against Penn State, the Terps managed to fluster the quarterback, which the defense had struggled to do in previous games. In some ways, though, it still feels difficult to assess this Maryland team because Northwestern has looked great since playing Maryland (so maybe that loss wasn’t quite as bad as it felt in the moment) and both Minnesota and Penn State could have rough seasons (so maybe those wins aren’t as great as they seemed these last two weeks).
Q: Now that Maryland has a 2-1 record, what should reasonable expectations be for the rest of the season? How many games do you think the Terrapins can win this year?
Giambalvo: After the Penn State game, a bowl game suddenly seems to be in reach. To me, that’s always the bar for a successful season for this program. Maryland has at least a couple winnable games left on the schedule, so I think it’s reasonable to think the Terps could have a 4-4 record heading into the championship weekend. When matched up against a similarly ranked West division team, maybe Maryland gets another win. So then you’d have a 5-4 Maryland team probably going to a bowl game… that exceeds every expectation I had for this team and would be a huge sign of progress for the program under Michael Locksley.
Q: Taulia Tagovailoa and Rakim Jarrett both arrived at Maryland as hyped recruits and are already playing big roles in their first seasons as Terps. In what ways have they made Maryland’s offense better?
Giambalvo: They’ve made this an offense that has a ton of confidence in the passing game, which has been a rarity at Maryland in recent years. A remarkable note from last weekend was that on third down against Penn State, Tagovailoa completed 8 of 12 passes for 218 yards. Jarrett accounted for four of those completions and 140 yards. I was (and maybe still am) a bit concerned about Maryland not really having a No. 2 running back. I think that makes it hard for any offense to succeed. But Tagovailoa has slowly eased those concerns. He’s been able to throw on the run or scramble for long runs himself.
On a macro level, it’s hard to understate how much a quarterback can change a program, and if he keeps this up through the next three years, we might look back at his decision to come to Maryland as a turning point. I think Jarrett is a similar story. He was a local recruit, originally committed to LSU, but he flipped to Maryland. When players like them succeed, they give Locksley tangible evidence to point to in recruiting, and that’s only going to help the program.
Q: Who are some of the other Maryland players that Ohio State and its fans should be aware of entering this game?
Giambalvo: I’d say the other receivers in addition to Jarrett. That’s such a strong position group at Maryland, so maybe it won’t be Jarrett who has a great game this weekend but another player will step up. Jeshaun Jones and Dontay Demus Jr. are two other impressive receivers, and with Tagovailoa playing well, I’d imagine Maryland will keep giving them opportunities.
On defense, linebacker Chance Campbell has been the most consistent player and had a few critical third-down stops late in the Minnesota game. Sophomore safety Nick Cross and freshman linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II both played well against Penn State as part of the improved defensive effort.
Q: Maryland’s defense had its best game of the season so far against Penn State. Where have the Terrapins made strides on that side of the ball, and how do you think they’ll hold up against Justin Fields and the Buckeyes?
Giambalvo: I think they’ll struggle a bit. I don’t know how many defenses in the country are truly able to contain Justin Fields. Maryland lost all of its starters from last year on the defensive line, and the level of talent at Ohio State should give it a significant advantage at the line of scrimmage. So I have doubt that Maryland will be able to rattle Fields much at all. As much improvement that Maryland has had since week one, this is still the same team that couldn’t do anything to stop Northwestern and then let Minnesota score 44 points.
Q: This is the second week in a row that Maryland is a nearly four-touchdown underdog. Do you think the Terps have a chance to pull off another stunning upset, or will they be overmatched by Ohio State?
Giambalvo: I think they’ll be overmatched. For all the positives Maryland has shown in the last couple weeks, Ohio State is still a playoff-caliber team and Maryland is so far below that tier. Especially after last year’s embarrassing 73-14 loss at Ohio State, I think Maryland would show an important step forward simply by keeping the game within a few scores.
