Previewing Michigan vs. Maryland with a Terrapin insider

TheWolverine.com caught up with Maryland insider George Gerbo of The Washington Times to gather intel on the Terrapins ahead of their game against the Michigan Wolverines.

Gerbo gave a projection of the Terrapins’ starting lineup, broke down the team’s strengths and weaknesses, and provided a final score prediction.

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Maryland Projected Starters On Offense

• Redshirt sophomore QB Taulia Tagovailoa — The Maxwell Award watch list member has completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,105 yards and 20 touchdowns with 10 interceptions this season. He has minus-7 rushing yards and no touchdowns on 58 attempts. He’s thrown one interception in each of the last two games (versus Penn State and at Michigan State) and has thrown at least one in half of the team’s contests.

• Fifth-year senior RB Tayon Fleet-Davis — The Doak Walker Award watch lister has gained 441 yards and scored six touchdowns on 91 carries, and added 28 receptions for 269 yards and one touchdown.

• Senior WR Carlos Carriere — He’s compiled 19 receptions for 243 yards and four touchdowns in eight games, while lining up out wide on 96.5 percent of his plays.

• Sophomore WR Rakim Jarrett — He leads the team with 47 receptions for 638 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 63.8 yards per outing. He plays outside on 97.4 percent of his snaps.

• Senior WR Brian Cobbs — The slot receiver has 13 catches for 154 yards.

• Senior TE Chigoziem Okonkwo — The team’s third-leading receiver has racked up 40 catches for 374 yards and five touchdowns, including 20 receptions and two scores over the last two games. His 48.5 PFF run-blocking grade ranks 45th on the team.

• Junior LT Jaelyn Duncan — The preseason All-Big Ten honoree and 6-6, 320-pounder has started 25 career games. His 70.0 overall PFF grade ranks second among the team’s starting offensive linemen. He’s yielded four sacks and 11 pressures on the year.

• Sophomore LG Mason Lunsford — The 6-7, 305-pounder is set to make his 12th career start. He has below-average PFF grades in both run and pass blocking, and has given up four sacks and a team-high 15 pressures.

• Junior C Spencer Anderson — The 6-5, 330-pounder has started 16 career games and has a 67.5 overall PFF rating that slots third among the team’s starting offensive linemen. His 86.1 pass-blocking mark, however, tops the squad by nearly seven points, with only one sack and eight pressures yielded on the year.

• Senior RG Johari Branch — The 6-3, 330-pound JUCO transfer has started 15 games for the Terrapins, and holds a 63.3 PFF rating. He’s given up six pressures and no sacks this season.

• Sophomore RT Delmar Glaze — The 6-5, 305-pounder leads the team’s starting offensive linemen with a 70.3 overall PFF grade. In 182 pass-blocking snaps, he’s yielded two pressures and no sacks. He’s started the last two games and three for his career.

Maryland Projected Starters On Defense

• Senior DT Ami Finau — He’s sixth on the team with 32 tackles, and has added five stops for loss, one sack and one forced fumble.

• Junior DT Mosiah Nasili-Kite — He’s notched 29 tackles, six stops for loss, four sacks, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry in eight contests, while adding 11 pressures according to PFF.

• Fifth-year senior DE Sam Okuayinonu — He’s third on the squad with 44 tackles and leads the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. He’s second on the Terrapins with 15 pressures.

• Senior OLB Lawtez Rogers — He’s racked up 26 tackles, 4.5 stops for loss, one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery, while posting 16 pressures.

• Freshman OLB Demeioun Robinson — The four-star recruit has recorded 14 stops, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

• Sophomore LB Ruben Hyppolite II — He’s totaled 39 tackles, two stops for loss, two pass breakups and one forced fumble.

• Freshman LB Branden Jennings — The former Michigan commit has posted 22 tackles, one stop for loss, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble.

• Sophomore CB Tarheeb Still — The 2020 honorable mention All-Big Ten selection is fourth on the team with 43 tackles, while adding three tackles for loss, two sacks, nine pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He’s given up 38 receptions for 539 yards and five touchdowns on 64 targets.

• Senior CB Jakorian Bennett — He leads all Power Five players with 1.3 pass breakups per game, while adding 17 tackles, one stop for loss and two interceptions. He’s yielded 27 receptions for 380 yards and two touchdowns on 51 challenges in coverage.

• Junior S Nick Cross — The 2020 honorable mention All-Big Ten standout is second on the squad with 56 tackles and has also compiled three interceptions, four pass breakups, one forced fumble, 1.5 stops for loss and one sack. He’s allowed 20 receptions for 256 yards and three touchdowns on 27 targets.

•  Senior S Jordan Mosley — He leads the team with 66 tackles, and has made six pass breakups and caused one fumble. He’s been targeted 21 times in coverage, yielding nine receptions for 120 yards.

Maryland Specialists

• Senior K Joseph Petrino — He’s made 10 of his 15 field goals this season, with a long of 48. He is 4 of 7 from 40-plus yards and 0 for 1 from 50-plus yards.

• Junior P Anthony Pecorella — He’s averaging 43.8 yards per punt, with 11 pinned inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and 10 boots of 50-plus yards.

Top Strength Of The Terrapins’ Offense

There’s one name to know when it comes to the strength of the Maryland offense, Gerbo opined, and it’s redshirt sophomore signal-caller Taulia Tagovailoa.

“He’s looked inexperienced at times, especially as the Terrapins entered Big Ten play, but he is growing into the role week-by-week, and his talent in throwing the ball is undeniable,” the writer said. “He continues his climb up Maryland’s record books, standing 394 yards and six touchdowns from the single-season program bests in both categories, and will probably end up with all of Maryland’s major career passing records after he graduates.

“His starting receivers have pretty much changed every week due to injuries since Oct. 1 against Iowa, and his ability to adapt to whoever lines up for Maryland and spread the ball to multiple receivers is noteworthy.”

Biggest Weakness Of The Terrapins’ Offense

Tagovailoa hasn’t gotten much help from the run game, Gergo pointed out, with the team averaging an underwhelming 3.5 yards per carry.

“[Fifth-year senior] running back Tayon Fleet-Davis can be a multi-talented back, and while he’s had flashes of success in the passing game, he and the rest of the Terps have struggled to establish any semblance of a ground attack,” the scribe noted. “Maryland barely cracked 100 yards against Michigan State (101), and that was the first time they’ve done so in their last six games.

“Head coach Mike Locksley will try to get sophomore Peny Boone and freshman Colby McDonald, who saw his most meaningful action last week, more involved to try and change that.”

Top Strength Of The Terrapins’ Defense

The Maryland defense has been stout at the line of scrimmage, totaling 53 tackles for loss for the year and averaging 2.8 sacks per contest (28th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten).

“Fifth-year senior Sam Okuayinou, junior Mosiah Nasili-Kite and senior Greg Rose have been the most dynamic of those players, combining for 15 of Maryland’s 28 sacks,” Gergo explained. “Senior nose tackle Ami Finau also got in the act last week with a forced fumble. In the interior, they’ve been good against the run.”

Maryland is yielding 157.5 yards per game on the ground (77th in the country).

Biggest Weakness Of The Terrapins’ Defense

The two weaknesses of the defense have been the passing defense, which is giving up 258.2 yards per game through the air, and a lack of discipline with penalties.

“The secondary — which has been torched in back-to-back weeks now against Penn State and Michigan State — and penalties,” Gerbo explained in naming the two most glaring weaknesses. “Nittany Lions wide receiver Jahan Dotson went for a school-record 242 yards on them, and Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne tied his career-high in passing touchdowns with four last week.

“They have been dreadful in man coverage, and I expect Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara to pick up on that. The Terps have also shot themselves in the foot week in and week out with penalties at key moments, including a season-high 13 last week in East Lansing. Of those 13, eight were in the first half, and all were on the defense.”

Gerbo’s Final Score Prediction

“In Maryland’s five losses, they’re only averaging 16.4 points, and I fully expect them to remain near that average,” Gergo began. “I wouldn’t categorize Michigan’s offense as ‘explosive,’  but between McNamara and [redshirt sophomore running back Hassan] Haskins, the Wolverines will be able to wear the Terrapins down, especially with how quickly Maryland’s offense gets off of the field sometimes.

“It may be another game that looks close in the first half for Maryland, but Michigan is the more talented team, Maryland won’t be able to get out of its own way with mistakes and the Wolverines should ultimately prevail.”

Michigan 30, Maryland 17