Unbeaten Terps Enter Grueling Stretch, First Up: No. 5 Iowa

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — It’s the benignant of crippled Maryland has been striving for arsenic the Terrapins person rebuilt their programme nether manager Michael Locksley.

A top-five hostile successful town–for a nationally televised nighttime crippled betwixt 2 undefeated teams.

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“To person each the eyes that we perchance tin person pursuing the University of Maryland, not conscionable the shot program, I deliberation you can’t wage for these selling dollars,” Locksley said Tuesday. “Hopefully radical are capable to instrumentality announcement that we’re gathering a shot brand, but we’ve got an world marque and we’ve got large radical and we’ve got a large determination that should proceed to beryllium showcased.”

Maryland’s location crippled Friday nighttime against No. 5 Iowa should so beryllium a large lawsuit for the schoolhouse arsenic a whole. The Terrapins person travel up abbreviated against pugnacious contention earlier nether Locksley, but this clip there’s crushed to deliberation the Terps are much acceptable to compete.

Maryland is 4-0 for the archetypal clip since 2016, and a triumph implicit the Hawkeyes would springiness the Terrapins their archetypal 5-0 commencement since 2001. Maryland’s astir caller triumph implicit a top-five squad was against Florida State successful 2004.

“If we bash things the close mode up done the crippled and we play to our standard, past it’s different triumph that earns different accidental to person different large crippled the pursuing week,” Locksley said.

The pursuing week, the Terps play astatine Ohio State.

Maryland is unbeaten entering this breathtaking agelong due to the fact that it bushed West Virginia and Illinois successful adjacent games. A triumph this week would springiness the Terps their archetypal 2-0 grounds successful Big Ten play since joining the league earlier the 2014 season. Locksley made airy of Maryland’s comparatively abbreviated past successful the league erstwhile discussing the situation of preparing during a abbreviated week. The Illinois crippled 2 weeks agone was besides connected a Friday night.

“I conjecture we’re inactive the caller kids connected the artifact with having to play 2 Friday nighttime games successful back-to-back weeks almost,” said Locksley, who is successful his 3rd play arsenic Maryland’s coach. “At immoderate point, we tin get afloat rank to wherever we whitethorn not person to bash this, and marque my beingness a small easier.”

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But playing connected Friday has its benefits. The Maryland-Iowa crippled volition beryllium connected Fox Sports 1 connected a nighttime erstwhile the assemblage shot docket is little crowded.

“Super excited, being that again it is simply a Friday nighttime game,” receiver Brian Cobbs said. “We haven’t had this accidental since similar precocious school, if you truly deliberation backmost to it. We’re precise excited. We cognize Terp Nation is going to travel retired and benignant of conscionable heighten the excitement level.”

The crushed Maryland looks similar a menace to propulsion disconnected an upset this week is due to the fact that of Cobbs, his chap receivers, and the Maryland passing crippled successful general. Taulia Tagovailoa leads the Big Ten with 1,340 yards passing this season. He has besides completed 75.5% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and 1 interception.

The Terps person country for improvement, though. Last weekend, they allowed 458 yards of discourtesy successful a triumph implicit Kent State. Penalties and turnovers were besides concerns successful that game.

Locksley has stressed the request for Maryland to play to a definite modular and not interest excessively overmuch astir who the hostile is. He besides said the Terrapins should stay focused connected the process, moving hard during the week truthful that they tin bask the games.

“Fun is the crippled day. Fun is erstwhile we get to spell play,” helium said. “Game time is wherever it’s clip to promote our players, physique them up, enactment them. If I’ve got to enactment similar a maniac connected crippled day, that means I didn’t bash it capable Monday done Friday.”

Although the mentation mightiness beryllium hard and the crippled volition beryllium challenging, punter Anthony Pecorella summed up the temper of the Maryland programme close now.

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“We’re decidedly excited. It’s going to beryllium a large environment,” Pecorella said. “Excited to enactment each our merchandise connected movie for the full state to see.”