When Maryland football took the field Saturday, split into two groups for the spring football game, the squads featured many key players who showed promise in an abbreviated and coronavirus-altered 2020 season. Taulia Tagovailoa was starting again under center after impressing in his first year in College Park. A whole host of his top pass catchers returned, too, including Dontay Demus,
Rakim Jarrett and Brian Cobbs. OverThat unit returned 85% of its contributors, and several made significant impacts Saturday. All, the Terrapins returned 86% of their offensive production from the fall, a solid base as coach Mike Locksley enters his third season. Plenty of familiar faces from a young defense also return, creating an evenly-matched contest. So when the first-defense offense (White Team) and first-team defense (Red Team) played at Maryland Stadium in front of a smattering of fans, the product was competitive.
The White Team edged the Red Team 12-10. But Locksley focused on anything but the scoreboard: He commented on the five turnovers, eight penalties, and the drops that nicked Tagovailoa’s completion percentage. Those were the blemishes on an otherwise solid day.
“Good teams don’t beat themselves,” Locksley said, despite this being an intrasquad matchup. “So we’ve got to continue to work on taking care of the things we can control.”
Elsewhere, though, the Terrapins showed a glimpse at what they might look like once the upcoming fall season comes around. Here are four takeaways from the spring football game:
Tagovailoa and the quarterbacks
When Tagovailoa reflects on his debut season with Maryland, he acknowledges his standout games: three passing touchdowns against Minnesota and Penn State. But for the junior, he’s quick to point out his shortcomings, identifying three-interception performances against Northwestern and Indiana. If there’s anything Tagovailoa wants to improve in his second campaign with the Terrapins, it’s taking care of the football. That’s what he did throughout camp — Locksley said he threw just two picks — and Saturday at the spring game.
Tagovailoa completed 35 of his 47 passes Saturday for 353 yards. He found eight different receivers. And despite not finding the end zone, his zero turnovers encouraged him.
“My biggest thing I wanted to improve going into the spring was taking care of the football,” Tagovailoa said. “Last year, on the bad games, I threw like three picks and stuff like that. You can never win games. Like today, I didn’t throw no picks — at least you give your team a chance to win.”
Tagovailoa missed a few passes on the corner route; Locksleyy wanted him to adjust his aim to account for the wind on the field. Tagovailoa also dealt with what he described as a strain on the lower right part of his back. That causes him some discomfort when he rotates to throw, but he downplayed the severity of the injury.
“I was pleased with his spring,” Locksley said. “In the spring game, the penalties became a factor. He didn’t get helped by some of his receivers with some drops in critical situations. But I thought he played well for the most part.” David Foust earned the start for the Red Team and completed 7-of-16 attempts for 51 yards and an interception. The sophomore has seen more playing time this spring because Eric Najarian, a junior who made his debut in the season finale last year, finished camp with a shoulder injury that will require surgery.
Offensive line
The spring game gave the first glimpse of what could be Maryland’s starting offensive line, a grouping featuring three returners — Spencer Anderson, Jaelyn Duncan, and Johari Branch — and two linemen who may see increased roles.
Anderson rotated from the correct tackle he played last year to center during the spring game, and Amelio Moran received reps at right tackle. Mason Lunsford, a redshirt sophomore, played left guard. Locksley said Lunsford had been one of the most improved players during spring camp. “We’re pleased with where he is,” Locksley said. “He’s a guy who blocks with power. He blocks low-to-high and plays with good leverage. I saw him take another step this spring, man, and happy for Mason and excited to see him continue progressing. He’s put himself in a position to earn playing time at the left or right guard positions for us.”
