Wisconsin football will hit the road this weekend for a Big Ten matchup with the Maryland Terrapins as the Wisconsin Badgers look to improve to 8-2 on the season and add a fifth Big Ten victory
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The Badgers are attempting to keep pace with Iowa in the Big Ten West division, and will need a win at Maryland to do so.
To get some insight on the matchup, we hit up Chris Bengel, the editor over at Terrapin Station, Fansided’s Maryland website. Be sure to check out Terrapin Station and give them a follow on Twitter.
Now, on to our questions. Stay tuned to Badger of Honor and Terrapin Station for more collaboration heading into Saturday’s game.
BOH: What has been the high point and the low point of Maryland’s season so far?
TS: The first part of this question is tough. For anybody who has watched Maryland this season, it’s well-established that this is a struggling football team. We’ve seen a coaching change and three different quarterbacks under center. I’d say the high point of the season was the Ohio State game when the Terps played a stellar first half and were even knotted at 28 with the defending national champions. There was plenty of talk regarding the firing of Randy Edsall the week prior to the game and Maryland responded with a performance in which they left it all on the field. While it didn’t end up as a win, it was still as inspiring a performance as we’ve seen from the Terps this season.
This part is easy. Maryland’s loss to Bowling Green was one of the lowest points for the program in quite some time. Bowling Green is obviously having a great season with their only two losses being at the hands of Memphis and Tennessee. However, losing to a MAC team is unacceptable for a Big Ten school like Maryland. Especially in the manner of which the Terps lost. Maryland was outscored 28-7 in the fourth quarter. This is probably part of the reason Edsall lost his job last month.
BOH: What Maryland player or players have broken out as top performers this season?
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TS: I’ll give one on each side of the ball. True freshman wide receiver D.J. Moore has produced a whole lot quicker than many imagined. Moore is second on the team in receptions (15) and receiving yards (222). He has been a strong downfield threat for Maryland and has been a great complement to Levern Jacobs.
From a defensive standpoint, middle linebacker Jermaine Carter has transformed into a star in 2015. Carter saw the field some as a freshman, but nowhere near the amount of playing time he has seen this season. He is a tackling machine that is always around the football. Carter is the leader of a Maryland defense that has shown vast improvement since the beginning of the season.
BOH: What phase of the game — offense, defense, special teams — does the Maryland team hang its hat on?
TS: Maryland has one of the better special teams units around. The Terps possess one of the most talented return men in the country in Will Likely. Likely has totaled 1,024 return yards and three touchdowns (two punt and one kickoff) this season. The star cornerback got back into the act this past week against Iowa when he returned a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown. Maryland also has one of the best kickers in the country in Brad Craddock. Craddock was the 2014 Lou Groza Award winner and only missed one field goal last season. If the Terps are in field goal range, chances are that Craddock will connect.
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BOH: By score alone, outside of a 28-0 loss to Michigan, Maryland has put up a fight in Big Ten play so far, but hasn’t been able to scrape out a victory. What has kept the Terrapins from taking home a conference win?
TS: The answer is simple: turnovers. Maryland leads the Big Ten with 23 interceptions this season. A big part of the reason was Caleb Rowe, who despite only throwing 91 passes, still managed to throw 12 interceptions. Perry Hills has thrown 10, but he has also been more consistent under center for the Terps. Maryland has also lost their fair share of fumbles. If the turnovers were cut down, Maryland would definitely have at least one win during the conference schedule.
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BOH: This Maryland squad gave the top team in the country, Ohio State, a run for its money. What did the Terrapins do well against the Buckeyes?
TS: Maryland ran the football with incredible consistency against Ohio State. It was Hills’ first game since losing the starting job after the Bowling Green game. Hills registered 170 yards on the ground and the offense was catered more to his particular skill set. The Buckeyes are 10th in the conference defending the run, so that was something that the Terps targeted.