No Father's Son

[Sonny]

I thought the couch learned his lesson previously about telling his wife everything? This is going to bit the little cub in the arse soon.

[redsox907]

Damn right, you did that shit.

Odds you do it again?

I have a bad feeling Michigan is going to be a snap back to reality moment

I thought the couch learned his lesson previously about telling his wife everything? This is going to bit the little cub in the arse soon.

he'll tell her when there's something to tell, all he's got now is an anonymous letter

[redsox907]

---

Terps Throttle Hokies After Half To Remain Undefeated

---

Marcus Washington // Terpsville • Published: September 9th, 2028

The Virginia Tech Hokies fought valiantly for the first half as they steadfastly tried to prove the win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Week 0 was not a fluke. The Maryland Terrapins' first two drives were stalled in the red zone, leading to field goals on both, before Hokies HB Nolan Byard was able to slice through the defense for a 24-yard jaunt that put the Hokies on top 7-6, despite having earned their first first down on the same drive at the start of the 2nd quarter.

From there, both sides exchanged explosive plays with Bradley Goodwin hitting Shamarius Peterkin on a WR screen that the athletic wideout took the remaining 64 yards, juking one Terrapin defender and simply outracing the rest. The Terrapins punched back with their own explosive plays, with Zymear Smith's 58-yard reception setting up his own 1-yard touchdown before Za'Ron Collins found space on 3rd-and-Goal from the 3 for what would be the go-ahead score for the Terps.

Maryland took a 20-14 lead into the second half and then throttled the Hokies after the break, surrendering 88 total yards over the final two quarters as they methodically pulled away. The Hokies would get desperate as time began winding down in the 4th and the Terps' defense made them pay with a pair of interceptions, including a pick-six by FS Byron Baldwin Jr., to salt away the 37-14 victory.

After the game, Coach Leon praised the team's resilience to withstand the Hokies before the break and most importantly his defense for making the necessary adjustments.


•••


Question One - Ryan Parker (Big Ten Network): "Your Terrapins faced a Hokies squad that had already secured some big-time wins this season, Coach Leon. How did your team buckle down after the back-and-forth 2nd quarter to not be the third team the Hokies slayed?"

Armando Leon: "We kept fighting, Ryan. We play 60 minutes for a reason, a good fifteen minutes doesn't make a game. IGetting that touchdown in the final minute of the 1st was huge; it gave us the momentum going into the break. With that and some key adjustments, we were able to smother their offense and force them into desperation throws. You saw the result."

Question Two - Melisa Striver (Collegiate Times): "The offense struggled in the red zone at times throughout the contest, notably in the 1st half that gave the Hokies room to claw back into the game. Is that a matter of the Hokies defense stiffening, or simply less space to get your dynamic athletes the ball with room to work?"

Armando Leon: "Red zone offense wasn't an area we were tested against towson for the most part, a large number of our touchdowns came from 10+ yards out, so it's an area we're still refining as a team. We broke out of the rut in the 1st half, and again in the 2nd, with Zymear Smith powering his way over the line both times. Sometimes, you can get too cute in the red zone. You've just got to buckle the chinstrap, pound the rock, and get the touchdown; we did that when we needed."

Question Three - Aisha Thompson (Terp Magazine): "Your previous defenses at Oregon State were notorious for collecting sacks in a variety of ways, but through your first two games at Maryland your defense has accumulated only four. A respectable number for some programs, but a far cry from what many have come to expect from a Leon defense. What adjustments do you need to make defensively to get that number where it typically is for your unit?"

Armando Leon: "We had some slower starts with the Beavers too, especially in year one. We're still getting comfortable playing together, what guys are better in what situations. Garrison collected one last game, Isaiah nabbed one today. Once those two get going it's going to be a tough time for opposing QBs. They'll be getting it from both sides. Pause if necessary, as the kids would say."


•••


Aisha is right, we expected this unit to get home more than it has thus far this season, especially against a team like Towson. But I agree with Leon, I think it's coming. You watch the tape and the defensive line is just barely missing the sack, bang-bang type of plays.

I think as they get more comfortable in the scheme, the timing will improve a tick, and you'll start seeing those near sacks get home. The fact we're nitpicking the amount of sacks the Terps defense is getting, in my opinion, speaks volumes for how solid this team has looked all year.

Even when the Hokies went on a back-and-forth run in the 2nd quarter, you didn't see any panic from Maryland or their coaches. They stuck with the game plan and eventually they broke through.

That's the kind of mentality that helps you win big games in October and November, especially against the juggernauts in the Big Ten. This was another warm-up, albeit of a higher competitive level, for the real season.

Which starts next week when the Terps invade the Big House.


•••

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Virginia Tech	0	14	0	0	14
Maryland	6	14	3	14	37

Q	Team	Time	Play	Virginia Tech	Maryland
1st	Maryland	5:37	Donald Byler, 33 Yd FG	0	3
1st	Maryland	0:13	Donald Byler, 33 Yd FG	0	6
2nd	Virginia Tech	7:42	Nolan Byard, 24 Yd Run	7	6
2nd	Maryland	3:22	Zymear Smith, 1 Yd Run	7	13
2nd	Virginia Tech	2:00	Shamarius Patterson, 64 Yd Pass From Bradley Goodwin	14	13
2nd	Maryland	0:32	Za'Ron Collins, 3 Yd Pass From Malik Washington	14	20
3rd	Maryland	6:30	Donald Byler, 39 Yd FG	14	23
4th	Maryland	9:14	Zymear Smith, 1 Yd Run	14	30
4th	Maryland	3:13	Byron Baldwin Jr, Returned Interception 58 Yds	14	37

Virginia Tech                                                    Maryland

Passing               | Stats                                    Passing             | Stats
----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Bradley Goodwin       | 9/28, 176 Yds, TD, 2 INT                 Malik Washington    | 19/31, 236 Yds, TD


Rushing               | Stats                                    Rushing             | Stats
----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Nolan Byard           | 14 Att, 57 Yds, TD                       Zymear Smith        | 19 Att, 100 Yds, 2 TD
George Fine           | 7 Att, 24 Yds                            Malik Washington    | 8 Att, 7 Yds

Receiving             | Stats                                    Receiving           | Stats
----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Nolan Byard           | 2 Rec, 36 Yds                            Zymear Smith        | 6 Rec, 102 Yds
Shamarius Peterkin    | 2 Rec 74 Yds, TD                         Za'Ron Collins      | 5 Rec, 23 Yds, TD
Alex Coronado         | 2 Rec, 32 Yds                            Emanuel Ross        | 2 Rec, 57 Yds

Defensive             | Stats                                    Defensive           | Stats
----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
LB Colby McClain      | 11 Tkl, 2 TFL                            FS Byron Baldwin Jr | 4 Tkl, INT, TD
LB Gabe Williams      | 8 Tkl, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks                    DE Isaiah Patterson | 2 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack
FS Brendan McLean     | 10 Tkl, TFL                              LB Jordon Robinson  | 3 Tkl, 2 TFL

Big Ten Week Two Results
14 FCS @ Wisconsin (2-1) 35
10 FCS @ Illinois (2-1) 59
20 Eastern Michigan (0-2) @ Indiana (2-0) 45
17 UCF (1-1) @ Northwestern (2-0) 35
35 #15 Iowa State (3-0) @ Iowa (1-1) 28
22 Hawaii (1-2) @ #22 UCLA (1-1) 45
29 Purdue (1-1) @ Wake Forest (2-0) 31
7 FCS @ #24 Nebraska (3-0) 59
44 Bowling Green (1-2) @ Minnesota (2-0) 46
20 Nevada (1-1) @ #5 Michigan (1-0) 23
0 FCS @ Michigan State (1-1) 59
6 Fresno State (1-1) @ #11 USC (2-0) 45
42 #19 Penn State (2-0) @ Syracuse (1-1) 10
61 #2 Ohio State (2-0) @ #7 Alabama (1-1) 59
27 Baylor (2-1) @ #18 Oregon (2-0) 35

Notable Week Two Results
27 #25 NC State (1-1) @ #1 Clemson (2-0) 38
19 Oklahoma (1-1) @ #14 LSU (1-1) 38
26 #20 Texas (1-2) @ #17 Notre Dame (2-1) 28
24 #19 TCU (1-1) @ #13 Duke (1-1) 19

Additional Media

► Show Spoiler

[Soapy]

pretty good performance against virginia tech, feels like a 9 win team

[Captain Canada]

Well calibrated offense and we scoring on defense? Say less.

[Sonny]

Off to a great start, it looks like, scoring plenty of points for a defensive coach.

[redsox907]

pretty good performance against virginia tech, feels like a 9 win team

I figure high end would be 9, but anywhere between 7-9 seems realistic to me

Well calibrated offense and we scoring on defense? Say less.

despite the 6 tuddies for Malik in the opener, we're just trying to play complementary ball. But after suffering thru Oregon State for two years, I had to let it fly week 1

Off to a great start, it looks like, scoring plenty of points for a defensive coach.

I'm usually an offensive guy, forced my self to do a DC one for a change of pace. But now that we play both sides, we cookin

[redsox907]

---

2028 Week Three Preview: Maryland Terrapins (2-0) @ #5 Michigan Wolverines (1-0)

---

Marcus Washington // Terpsville • Published: September 13th, 2028

The Maryland Terrapins took care of business in their two non-conference games to open the season, wins over FCS Towson and Virginia Tech, but now the real season begins. The 5th-ranked Michigan Wolverines and the Big House await. And if that wasn't enough of a challenge, the Terrapins will have to do so on a short week with a Thursday night kickoff in Ann Arbor.

To the Terrapins' benefit, Michigan looked very rusty in their narrow 23-20 win over the Nevada Wolfpack last week, giving a glimmer of hope that the Terrapins can catch the Wolverines slipping in the early conference clash.

On the other side of the stats, we'll get to Inside the Shell with Coach Leon where he'll address the challenges of the short week on top of the difficulties the Wolverines themselves present.


•••

Maryland Terrapins (2-0)               | Description                   | #5 Michigan Wolverines (1-0)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
81 Overall // 81 Offense // 81 Defense | Team Rating                   | 96 Overall // 96 Offense // 96 Defense
Armando Leon (2-0)                     | Head Coach                    | Steve Sarkisian (21-7) 
Spread                                 | Offensive Scheme              | Spread
3-3-5                                  | Defensive Scheme              | 4-2-5

Maryland Terrapins (1-0)               | Description     | Michigan Wolverines
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18-5                                   | Combined Record | 19-6
Towson (FCS) W 63-17                   | Week One        | BYE
Virginia Tech (2-1) W 37-14            | Week Two        | Nevada (1-1) W 23-20

Oregon State Beavers                             Michigan Wolverines
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SR Malik Washington (87)                 | QB  | JR(RS) AJ Brand (86)
SR Zymear Smith (89)                     | HB  | FR Greg O'Reilly (75)
SR(RS) Emanuel Ross (87)                 | WR  | JR Emmett Adkins (89)
SR(RS) Za'Ron Collins (82)               | WR  | SR(RS) Jordan Malau'ulu (89)
JR DE Garrison Dobbs (87)                | DEF | JR LB Roman Satele (90)
SR(RS) SS La'Khi Roland (87)             | DEF | JR(RS) CB Jayden Sanders (90)
JR(RS) DT Caleb Williams (80)            | DEF | JR MLB John Dillard (89)
SR(RS) CB Brandon Lee (83)               | DEF | SR(RS) CB Jo'ziah Edmond (88)

Big Ten Week Three Schedule

► Show Spoiler

Illinois (2-1) @ Rutgers (1-0)
Purdue (1-1) @ #11 USC (2-0)
#18 Oregon (2-0) @ Oregon State (1-1)
Michigan State (1-1) @ #21 TCU (1-1)
Northern Illinois (1-0) @ #2 Ohio State (2-0)
#16 Washington (2-0) @ Washington State (2-0)
#8 Cal (2-0) @ Minnesota (2-0)
Colorado State (2-0) @ #19 Penn State (2-0)
FCS @ Northwestern (2-0)
Wisconsin (2-1) @ #24 Nebraska (3-0)
Iowa (1-1) @ Rice (1-1)
Indiana (2-0) @ Utah (2-0)

•••


Inside the Shell

MW: "The time has come to officially open conference play and the Terrapins do not have the benefit of easing into the pool as they're being thrown into the deep end from the jump with a trip to The Big House in Ann Arbor. What is a bigger challenge this week, Coach Leon, the hostile crowd in Michigan, or the short turnaround from your game on Saturday to kickoff on Thursday?

AL: "The Big House has earned its reputation, Marcus, but without a doubt the short turnaround. This is a physical game we play and on top of that, the quick turnaround means less practice time. We'll be prepared the best that we can, but it's going to be a challenge no matter what. We'll definitely be going deep on the depth chart to make sure everyone stays healthy."

MW: "After a prolific start to the season, Malik came down to earth a bit against Virginia Tech. Even so, he still had a productive day. What are the expectations for him and Zymear Smith against a unit as stout as the Wolverines' defense?"

AL: "To keep finding guys in space and to focus on taking what the defense gives us. If we go big-play hunting we're just as liable to give them a big play of their own. That isn't to say to play scared, just aware. If it's there, by all means take it, but don't try to force a big play just 'cause we need them. If you do that, you find yourself snowballing quickly."

MW: "Last one, Coach. For the third season in a row you'll find yourself scheming a way to stop Jordan Malau'ulu after his transfer to Michigan over the winter. The last time you faced him, in the Pac-12 Championship, your defense was able to leave him without a catch in the biggest game of the year. Is the plan to have one guy follow him, or take a team approach to slowing him down?"

AL: "No matter what I do, this guy seems to follow me everywhere. laughs But in all seriousness, Marcus, Jordan is a heck of a receiver who has gotten me on two of those three occasions. I think the biggest thing is that unlike with Fresno State and even Boise State to a degree, he isn't the one moving the needle. They have other contributors who are equally as skilled. So unlike against Boise, where we felt shutting him down severely limited their offense, with Michigan he's just another piece to the puzzle. If we get caught trying to stop one guy, we're going to be in for a long day."


•••


Coach Leon has this team well prepared and executing, and that is exciting as a Terrapins fan, but even with that I think this is too tall a task for the Terrapins currently. There remains a glimmer of hope that this Michigan team isn't as good as originally thought, based on their recent struggles against Nevada, but I think betting on a repeat poor performance is foolhardy.

I think we're going to compete and we'll be in it until the end, but ultimately the talent gap between Maryland and Michigan may be too great for simply superior coaching to overcome.

Maryland 24, Michigan 28 is my prediction. Maybe the Wolverines win on the final drive, maybe Maryland can't finish the job in the 4th quarter, but either way I think the Leon era takes its first loss at The Big House.

[redsox907]

why

[redsox907]

not