Heading into Saturday’s game against USC, Maryland head coach Mike Locksley talked about how the Terps will look to limit the Trojans on both sides of the ball.
“On offense, they're going to bring pressure. We're going to have to protect our quarterback. We’re going to have to have a good plan for managing pressure. They’re a man team,” he said during Talkin’ Terps.
It's been a point of emphasis for Maryland all offseason after Locksley brought on a second offensive line coach in Damian Wroblewski, while analyst Brian Ferentz has stepped in to bolster the unit. Still, it’s been the biggest storyline for Maryland through the first half of the season with five new faces stepping into full-time roles, while they’ll look to rebound after allowing three sacks in each of their last two games.
Of course, the Trojans will need to adjust this weekend after both DL Anthony Lucas and LB Eric Gentry suffered season-ending injuries this week. Still, they enter Saturday leading the conference in third-down defense (27.1%) in the first season under D’Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator. “They’ve got the Baltimore Ravens-style defense where they're going to load the box – show you seven, drop them out, show you seven, bring seven. And Billy Edwards, we’ve got to keep them upright.”
On offense, it’s centered around RB Woody Marks, the Mississippi State transfer and Doak Walker Award candidate who sits fourth in the conference and 17th nationally with 128 all-purpose yards per game.
Marks has also recorded at least one catch in 51 consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation, while he’s ran for over 100 yards four times in six games. The Trojans still have big-play potential through the air with three receivers notching at least 20 catches this season, but Marks has the defense’s full attention.
“On defense, it's stopping the run game,” Locksley added. “If they’re throwing it 55 times, that’s a good thing for us. We’ve got to be able to stop the run, eliminate those big plays which for us when the big plays have happened on defense, it’s usually a misalignment or missed tackle. Those are things we can control.”
Kickoff is set for 4 PM on FS1.
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