Can the ‘Cats beat Maryland in College Park for the first time since 2017?
With Maryland and Northwestern entering this week without a win in conference play, Friday night’s matchup could be the turnaround spark for whichever team comes out on top. Ahead of a big clash in College Park, Testudo Times’ Matt Germack answered our most pressing questions.
Inside NU: Replacing longtime quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa in College Park, Billy Edwards Jr. has sneakily been one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten this season. How have you analyzed his performance thus far?
Matt Germack: Edwards is a first-year starter, but he’s been at Maryland since 2022. His familiarity with the system is evident. He’s a quick decision maker and poised in the pocket — his 2.28-second time to throw is the Big Ten’s best, according to PFF — and he arguably runs the offense as designed better than Tagovailoa did. At 6-foot-3 and 222 pounds with good speed, he’s a serious threat with his legs, especially in short-yardage and red zone situations. He can extend plays and make off-schedule throws. It certainly doesn’t hurt having Tai Felton and Kaden Prather to throw to, but Edwards has elevated his weapons when many expected his weapons to elevate him.
The biggest knock on Edwards is his deep accuracy. He’s missed several open receivers down the field on go balls — his numbers would look much better if he hit on those throws. But many pegged Edwards as an inaccurate passer before the season, and outside of the deep balls that hasn’t been true. He can, and does, make throws to every part of the field.
INU: Northwestern has a pass defense problem. Last week, Indiana’s Elijah Sarrratt burned Northwestern for seven catches and 135 yards. Against Washington, Denzel Boston hauled in seven catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns. What does Tai Felton have the potential to do to the Wildcats’ young secondary?
MG: Felton is off to a historic start for Maryland. He’s the first Terp ever to record at least 100 yards in each of a season’s first four games, and leads the Big Ten in both receptions and receiving yards despite having a bye last week. He has a ton of nuance in his game. Felton possesses elite hands, the route-running ability to get open in man coverage, the spacial awareness to beat zone and the body control to win contested catches. Dane Brugler of The Athletic said some NFL scouts already have him in “the top-75 mix” for this upcoming draft.
Don’t forget about Kaden Prather either. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior is a steady presence as the No. 2 receiver, averaging five catches and over 50 yards a game with a touchdown in each of Maryland’s last three contests.
INU: At 0-2 in conference play, Maryland has had disappointing losses to Michigan State and Indiana. What’s been the problem in conference play for the Terrapins?
MG: Running the ball has been a particular struggle for Maryland’s offense in Big Ten play. It’s averaging just 3.2 yards per carry in its two conference games, which isn’t good enough to sustain success in an uber-physical Big Ten. Indiana’s secondary forced Edwards to hold onto the ball for longer than he wanted, which allowed the Hoosier pass rush to affect the game. Maryland has forced seven turnovers across those two Big Ten games, but its offense has scored just 10 points off of them.
The Terps’ secondary has been the problem on defense. Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles posted a season-high 363 yards against it, while Indiana signal caller Kurtis Rourke threw for 359. Big plays are just as frequent as the turnovers, and creating them is a recipe for a Wildcat win.
INU: Defensively, Maryland has struggled, allowing the conference’s third most yards per game, yet rank second in the Big Ten with eight interceptions. Who are a couple of X-factors on the defensive end?
MG: Redshirt senior defensive back Glen Miller has game-breaking ability when he’s at his best. He stands 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds, and while he primarily lines up in the slot, he also plays plenty of both box and deep safety. He’s tied for the team lead with three interceptions, is third in tackles with 22 and also recovered a fumble. But Miller also has struggled in coverage at times, allowing multiple big receptions in man coverage. He’s also tied for the team lead in missed tackles with seven, according to PFF.
The inside linebacker corps is the defense’s strongest unit. Senior Ruben Hyppolite II is its leader and brings incredible athleticism at the MIKE, with sideline-to-sideline speed and big-hit ability. Junior Caleb Wheatland is an emerging threat as a pass rusher, sitting second on the team with 11 pressures according to PFF. Sophomore Michael Harris is having a breakout season, stacking back-to-back strong performances the last two weeks. Look for him to make an impact.
INU: After falling to Northwestern in Evanston last season, what do you think the Terrapins need to do to beat the Wildcats?
MG: Maryland matches up well with Northwestern. On offense, it wants to air it out to Felton and Prather, and as I talked about earlier, it’s set up to do that. Its defense wants to limit big plays and force turnovers — Northwestern’s passing attack is shaky enough to do both.
Despite the Big Ten record, the Terps’ talent is still very much there. They just can’t continue to shoot themselves in the foot. Their eight penalties a game lead the conference and have hurt them in both Big Ten losses. Those infractions make it a lot harder to win any game.
INU: What is your score prediction for the game and why?
MG: Maryland 34, Northwestern 27. This could be a close game if Maryland continues to hurt itself with penalties. I expect it will, but not to an extent the Terps flip the result.
SECU Stadium should be packed — a rarity — for the team’s blackout night, which will help the Terps a lot. Northwestern’s receiving core could give Maryland’s weak secondary some issues, but I don’t know if Jack Lausch is good enough to win the game by himself. If Cam Porter can get going, Northwestern could give the Terps’ defense a lot of issues.
But Maryland’s offense should dominate from whistle to whistle. Felton was quiet against Indiana, with just five catches for 38 yards, but I don’t expect that to be the case again. Not only do the Wildcats have to deal with him and Prather, but running back Roman Hemby had his first 100-yard game of the season against Indiana. Nolan Ray and Colby McDonald are threats out of the backfield as well. The Terps’ offense has multiple paths to a dominating performance on Friday.