Mike Locksley on facing Michigan State, commitment to run game in 2024
- Ahmed Ghafir
- Jul 26, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 28, 2024
Maryland football opens the 2024 season in 36 days against UConn, and while head coach Mike Locksley noted “we’re a one game at a time team,” the staff has worked ahead to get an early look at the rest of its 2024 opponents. “I learned at the Nick Saban School of Preparation that we're doing our offseason summer scouting reports as we speak and we work backward. And so we got through the first six games backward and we'll finish the next six here . But you study them and you put together a plan now…we already kind of have a jump start on them” he told a pool of reporters at Big Ten Media Days. But Maryland will have its first test early in its 2024 schedule. While defensive lineman Jordan Phillips also noted that “we’re taught to take one game at a time”, there’s ambiguity when it comes to the Terps’ first conference opponent as, led by first-year head coach Jonathan Smith, Michigan State is set to head to College Park on Sept. 7. “To play a conference game that early is always challenging because you're still trying to figure out who you are as a team. And so we've just got to expedite our preparation to figure out quickly because they're really well-coached team,” Locksley added. “Look at the Oregon State team he came from. They’ve got some similar characteristics to us as in terms of a tough program and they do some good things that it'll be a challenge.” While Locksley noted he’s “still trying it out” when it comes to the quarterback competition, he emphasized that “the one area of my team that for us to compete in the Big Ten, we’ve got to run the ball.” A veteran duo will lead the rushing attack in Roman Hemby and Colby McDonald, while second-year running back Nolan Ray drew high praise from Tai Felton after a breakout performance through spring ball. “Nobody is trying to compete with him right now. He’s sliding. He’s a super fast guy. You guys will definitely see when the season starts. That’s a guy right there,” Felton said when asked about the fastest players on the team. As for finding an answer to the run game, Locksley knows he has the staff in place to find answers in the 2024 season. “I've got three guys that's working with my line now and it's because of learning or taking what I call grandma's chocolate chip cookie recipe to Maryland, but putting my personality on it.” Damian Wroblewski was the lone on-field addition to the offensive staff this offseason, joining the program as an assistant offensive line coach. Meanwhile, Brian Ferentz has transitioned from Iowa’s offensive coordinator to Maryland’s offensive analyst to help with exactly that, adding to the efforts from Brian Braswell and Wroblewski in the trenches. “Coach's kids go through a lot of stuff, man. And I'm very partial. I had Dino Tomlin on my team, Mike Tomlin's son. I got Rick Smith's son, Robert Smith on my . Coach's kids – Jalen Hurts was a high school coach's kid – they understand it and they get it, man. And I can tell you that having Brian on my staff, he brings expertise in running the football, offensive line play. I mean, they're the gold standard for what linemen, tight ends look like. Why wouldn't I take him and add him to my team to bring a skill that we need to get better at, but also bring some championship pedigree to it? At a discounted price.” “ comes in, he has great ideas, expanding the room, man. He brings a new perspective and, you know, how do you want to block the outside zone? Why? Makes you ask the question, why are you blocking it that way? Anytime you bring in that type of experience and ten wins, they've always had top linemen drafted tight ends. They've got the greatest tight ends have come out of that program. Like that's a win for Maryland. And, again, I didn't invent figuring this out by hiring guys with expertise like that.” Related Links
