Mike Locksley on UConn, containing QB Kalieb Osborne, Zion Elee, Michael Hershey

10 hours ago

5 min read

Updated: 10 hours ago

In addition to addressing the status of both CB Dontay Joyner and WR Josiah Teasley, head coach Mike Locksley took a look at Maryland football's week two opponent with a 3:30 PM kickoff against UConn set for this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 12. Everything else that Locksley said today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY6yTSAbXnQ

Opening Statement

“We closed the book on Hampton on Sunday. We now practice on Sunday and Monday is our players' day off. Closed the book on them on Sunday. Reviewed everything. Took a long look at things that we need to improve upon from game one to game two that was on the tape, got it corrected, and then used yesterday to get recovered to get some guys in here get healthy and to get a jump start on obviously this week's opponent, Toledo. Also, want to also say I'd be remiss for not again shouting out the student section. I think it was 10,000 students that showed up at the start of that game and kind of carried the momentum in halftime that helped us,and looking forward to continuing to see that kind of support out of our students.

On UConn

“A lot of respect for our opponent this week, UConn. I know Jason Candle really well. Did a tremendous job at Toledo, has put together a big time staff up there at UConn. Obviously, UConn's coming off of the big year. They lost their head coach bowl eligible a year ago. A bunch of those guys are returning. But if you look at Jason, what he's been able to do at Toledo, and look at the landscape of how he was able to bring a lot of the players that were successful for him there at Toledo to UConn, you start with the quarterback. And I think when you think about them on offense, it starts and ends with the quarterback. He's a dual threat guy, does a great job of operating their RPO system, extends plays for his feet and also adds value in the QB run game.

Their best player on defense is zero [linebacker K’Von Sherman], in our opinion. He's a guy that made a lot of plays a week ago. Again, an older player started at Hutchinson Community College, went to Toledo, and then came with Coach Candle here. As I said, defensive side, very similar to last week, 4-2-5 alignment, split field coverage. Zero is the guy that we have to make sure we know where he is. He does a great job in the blitz game as a pass rusher and their interior blitz and pressures, so [we’ve] got to do a really good job to keep those guys out of the face of our quarterback.”

“Looking forward to a great week of preparation. The work is going to be what's important as we have our first opportunity to travel together with this team, in this iteration of the Terp football squad. Looking forward to see how we respond. Obviously, going into a tough environment, I've coached games up there at Rentschler Field. They have a pretty good fan support in terms of how they create an environment, so I know it'll be a tough environment, but a great test for us and our team as we grow.

So, our captains this week: Daniel Owens, Isaiah Wright, Lavain Scruggs.

On UConn’s quarterback Kalieb Osborne

“I think the big thing is standing your rush lanes up front. We got to do a great job of containing the ball. When you think about what a dual threat quarterback does to a defense, the back end is going to be important when we do a good job plastering. When they extend plays, we can't get caught with our eyes looking at the man. We got to go find people to cover because that's where you usually see the dual threats’ value that they add because of the ability to extend plays. So we got to do a great job in scramble situations, a really good job of containing them and keeping them in the pocket and make sure we stay in our pass rush lanes.”

On edge Zion Elee’s debut

“He was super frustrated. I didn't remember having to have a conversation with Zion about – I saw the play where he almost got the sack and then he didn't get it, and much like a young player, stormed off the field disappointed. And I had to reinforce that you affected the play, you created value. He did that all game. I mean, if you look at the tape, he had a bunch of double teams on him but he forced some quick throws, some errant throws. Didn't get the finish on the quarterback, which for a guy like him is frustrating. But as I told him, this is part of a learning experience. The thing I was most impressed with was how he played the run for a young player. He has enough size and strength to be able to hold it up and showed up Saturday.”

On the OLB room

“That outside linebacker group, as I've said we all summer, has been one of the strengths. And because of the depth that we've been able to create, you talk about [Nahsir Taylor] and Zion, and DD [Holmes] was one of our Players of the Game because of the two sacks and the effect he had on the game at the time we needed him to. That room, Ted [Monachino] has done a good job of developing the depth that we need to have. That's a key position. Those are key positions, that SAM and JACK in our 3-4 system. To have the depth and size that we have there to be able to roll players and keep them fresh is what will help us.”

On the offensive balance, assessing the week one results

“We had I think 15 explosives, eight in the run game, seven in the pass game. So I thought there was balance. I think a year ago we had nine maybe explosive runs all year long. So the passing explosives showed up. We played a bunch of players early in the game. By the end of the game, we weren't throwing the ball. So obviously, we tried to do a good job of young players, establishing standards of how we want to run the ball and play to run on defense. So I was happy with the explosives we had, run and pass.”

On skill players blocking

“Championship mindset comes with standards that one, you're not a guy that watches the scoreboard. Two, success comes from the work you do on the field Monday through Friday. That doing the things that you need to do to be in the best possible shape you can be to be your best on Saturday and making sure that all those things are aligned with the values of our team.”

On Michael Hershey’s leadership

“Chop wood, carry water. That's Michael Hershey. He's kind of the Proverbs 14:23 face. He's one of those guys that he doesn't do a lot of talking, but when he does, there's a lot of respect behind what he says, and his teammates really respect him, and as a young player that has played a lot of football around here from day one as a starter. When he talks, it has an impact.”

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