BadgerBlitz.com brings back it's Behind Enemy Lines series, where we get an opposing beat writer's take on the upcoming matchup.
For Week 9, we spoke to Scott Greene of TerrapinSportsReport.com and touched on Taulia Tagovailoa, the program's direction under Mike Locksley, and more.
The Terrapins hung with Michigan on the road and barely lost to Purdue. What happened in those losses, and could this team feasibly be 8-0?
Greene: Maryland played Michigan fairly even on the road, having some calls go against them that possibly could have changed the outcome of the game. That said, as evenly as they played the Wolverines, for the most part, they simply couldn't stop Blake Corum. The former Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances star rushed for 243 yards, including touchdown runs of 47 and 33 yards where he went virtually untouched into the end zone. Bottom line, you aren't going to win many games allowing an opponent's running back to rush for over 200 yards.
As for the Purdue game, you might have thought Maryland won if you looked at the final stats. The Terps had more total yards, had three takeaways to Purdue's one and sacked quarterback Aidan O'Connell five times. The game really seemed to turn on a Maryland extra point attempt that was blocked where it looked like one of the defenders clearly jumped before the snap. That changed the game plan for the coaches and definitely seemed to take some wind out of the Terps' sails. But again, the Terps committed nine penalties for 76 yards and it is tough to win when you make so many mistakes. So in conclusion, do I think it is feasible the Terps could be 8-0? Maybe. But it is also just as likely another game or two could have gone in the opposite direction. I think the Terps are in a great spot at 6-2 and if someone were to ask me, I'd probably say they could very easily be 7-1.
Rohrer's Reaction: Michigan is truly one of the better teams in the country, and I think it would be close if Maryland played them again. This team can hang around with anybody.
