Location: College Park, Maryland

2017 Record: 4-8 (2-7 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Matt Canada

2018 Record: 3-1 (1-0 Big Ten)

Record vs. OSU: 0-4

What has happened thus far in 2018:

Matt Canada took over as acting head coach following D.J. Durkin being placed on administrative leave for alleged abuse to players, which allegedly contributed to the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair on May 29. Maryland started the season upsetting No. 18 Texas 34-29 by forcing three turnovers in the fourth quarter and scoring 10 points late to snatch the win away from the Longhorns. The following week, Maryland claimed an easy victory against Bowling Green 45-14, but then faltered the following week by getting blown out at home by unranked Temple 35-14. Last week, Maryland rebounded from its loss by opening up Big Ten conference play with an easy win over Minnesota 42-13.

Impact Player:

Senior running back Ty Johnson has been leading the way for the Maryland offense. In four games, Johnson has had 40 carries for 300 yards and two touchdowns. This gives Johnson an average of 7.5 yards per carry and two games of over 100 yards rushing against Bowling Green and Minnesota. Johnson is not the only threat in Maryland’s offense, but he is one of its most prominent players and should continue to have success as the season goes on.

Strengths:

Maryland’s strength has easily been its running game thus far in the season. Maryland has already had three rushers with over 100 yards rushing each. Freshman running back Anthony McFarland has emerged in the last couple of games as a forceful weapon for Maryland, already rushing for over 291 yards on only 27 carries. Against Minnesota, he rushed for 112 yards on six carries for two touchdowns, giving him an average of 18.7 yards per carry. Sophomore running back Tayon Fleet-Davis has also rushed for three touchdowns over the first four games of play.

Weaknesses:

Maryland has shown that it can be prone to bad losses, with a 35-14 home defeat to Temple. Though the Terrapins utilize the run game for most of the offense, they could use more from redshirt freshman quarterback Kasim Hill, who is throwing for 129 yards per game so far this season. For Maryland to be a major contender, it will have to bring more of a dual-threat offense to the table.