Maryland’s non-conference schedule to open the season seems to be set up well for the Terps. Towson, Charlotte and Virginia, all opponents from the east coast, will challenge Maryland but each game should be considered more than winnable in the month of September. With a chance for Maryland to get creative with rotations in key areas through non-conference, we take an early look at what to expect through the first three games of the 2023 season.
Beginning with Towson, after departing with longtime head coach Rob Ambrose, first-year coach Pete Shinnick will lead the Tigers into SECU Stadium to open the season on Sept. 2.
On the offensive side, the Tigers are returning a pair of running backs and wide receivers who will be of great use. Running backs Devin Matthews and D’Ago Hunter combined for 740 yards in 2022, and will presumably be leaned on heavily with a bunch of questions at the quarterback position.
Wide receivers Da’Kendall James and Zay Perkins, who posted 866 combined yards last year, are the top receiving targets for this squad. As a seasoned graduate student, James’ experience should benefit Towson’s offense. Former
On the defensive side, the Tigers lost starters all over the field. Their strong suit is at cornerback where Shafeek Smith and Robert Javier are returning. Javier led the CAA with 12 pass break-ups last year.
Towson had to replace a pair of defensive linemen, linebackers and safeties. In the first game of the season, they’ll still be trying to piece things together in a game where Maryland will be a heavy favorite.
Maryland will begin shifting its attention towards gameplanning likely towards the end of this week as head coach Mike Locksley and the staff irons out the two-deep.
“We’ve got about another four, five practices to before we kind of start transitioning into our preparation for Towson, so I think by the end of next week, we’ll start working into, Thursday, Friday, I think is when we’ll start on our Towson prep to give us a couple of extra days to get us ready to go,” Locksley added. “Obviously it’s a new team, new coach there at Towson, so we don’t have a great knowledge of what they’re doing or what they run so we’ve got to be really good at knowing what we do well and be ready to make those adjustments once the game gets on us.”
A similar opponent to Towson in terms of skill level and name brand, the 49ers fall into the tune-up category as far as the Terps are concerned. Charlotte posted a 6-5 overall record and 4-4 conference record in 2022, but now led by first-year head coach Biff Poggi, the 49ers have already circled the showdown in College Park with plenty of familiarity whether its on the roster or along the coaching staff.
Offensive coordinator Mike Miller, Maryland’s tight ends coach from 2019-2022, is back for a reunion. Miller, who coached high school football in Charlotte, returned to North Carolina and looks to show what he can do when leading an offense of his own where he’s even coaching the younger brother of a former Terp in Lacota Dippre.
Charlotte has fallen victim to many 2022 starters hitting the transfer portal this offseason. The silver lining, they were able to find starters in the portal as well. The favorite in training camp to take over the starting quarterback job is Bethune-Cookman transfer Jalon Jones. Jones is a dual threat and will use his legs when necessary.
The defense also loaded up with ample talent coming out of the Power Five ranks, led by Michigan defenders Nikhai Hill-Green, Eyabi Okie and Julius Welschof, UNC cornerback Ladaeson DeAndre Hollins, Purdue edge rusher Greg Hudgins and Minnesota wideout Ike White. Charlotte also added several players who were fringe rotation players at Maryland, like TJ Butler, Zion Shockley and Austin Fontaine.
The 49ers’ running attack is a bright spot coming into the season. Redshirt junior Shadrick Byrd leads their core of backs, after posting 620 yards and four touchdowns in 2022.
Lastly, Charlotte ranked 127th in total defense last season and had the worst pass defense efficiency ranking in the nation. Taulia Tagovailoa seems poised to have a field day when the two teams take the field.
In Maryland’s final non-conference contest, a rivalry is renewed when the Virginia Cavaliers travel to College Park. Under the lights on a Friday night, the Terps will host their toughest opponent prior to Big Ten play.
Yet, that may not be saying much due to Virginia’s 3-7 record last season and the amount of production lost in the transfer portal. Starting at quarterback, Brennan Armstrong packed his bags and headed to NC State. That leaves Monmouth transfer Tony Muskett to take the helm of the offense. Muskett threw for just under 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns last season in the CAA.
The Cavaliers’ backfield is their strong suit. Three backs who combined for 790 yards in 2022 and Kobe Pace, a transfer from Clemson, could shoulder the load of the offense as Muskett and the passing game find their footing in the early going.
Virginia’s defensive coordinator John Rudzinski had his unit trending in the right direction after vast improvements from 2021 to 2022. The Cavaliers return six starters from one season ago, including All-ACC candidates Chico Bennett, Aaron Faumui and Antonio Clary. The Cavaliers should have the pressure in the trenches to test Maryland’s offensive line for arguably the first time of the season with former Spalding defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter looking to break through. Under the Friday night lights at SECU Stadium, Maryland should still find themselves a healthy favorite.
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