Durkin continues work bolstering Terps
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
6 Maryland
DJ Durkin (6-7, entering second season; 7-7 overall)
6-7, 3-6 in the Big Ten Conference, fifth in the East Division
Maryland made great strides under first-year coach DJ Durkin, doubling the Terrapins’ win total from the previous year while earning their first bowl berth since 2014. Maryland opened the 2016 season by winning its first four games, the program’s best start since 2013. But the Terps quickly took a tumble, dropping seven of their next nine games. The losses were by an average of 29 points per game. number of turnovers in half: from 36 in 2015 to 19 in 2016. Much of that success can be attributed to better quarterback play. Senior Perry Hills, who started 11 of the team’s 13 games, cut his interceptions by nearly two-thirds: from 13 in 2015 to just four in 2016. Caleb Henderson, a transfer from North Carolina, should slide right into the starting role after several seasons with the Tar Heels.
Sophomore Ty Johnson returns after becoming Maryland’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Da'Rel Scott in 2008.
The middle of the defense features a pair of linebackers who registered at least 100 tackles apiece last season in Shane Cockerille and Jermaine Carter Jr. The pair, along with Jalen Brooks, will be the centerpiece of Maryland’s defensive efforts in 2017.
The defense immediately improved under Durkin’s direction, cutting nearly five points per game off the previous season’s average. That said, the group still allowed more than 400 yards per game for the third consecutive season. Senior Jesse Aniebonam, who led the defensive front with 9.0 sacks, will need another strong year if the group expects to contain opponents, especially on the ground. Maryland allowed more than 215 yards per game rushing in 2016 — ranked next to last in the Big Ten.
Eight different players saw starts on the offensive line last season as the group allowed a league-worst 49 sacks. Eight of those sacks came in the team’s 36-30 loss to Boston College in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Durkin helped Maryland land a top 20 class in 2017. The team’s improvement and depth provided by recruiting will be crucial when conference plays begins in October.