Three Takeaways From Michael Locksley After Maryland Football’s Second Scrimmage

The Maryland football team is in the “dog days,” as head coach Michael Locksley says, after the team wrapped up its second scrimmage on Aug. 20.

The team has one more week of camp before the beginning of fall classes on Aug. 29. The Terps will then begin preparing for the season opener on Sept. 3 against Buffalo.

Here are takeaways from Locksley after the scrimmage:

1. Terps running backs must be effective without the ball.

The Maryland running back group is the youngest on the offensive side of the ball. Senior Challen Faamatau (325 yards and three touchdowns in 2021) returns as the most experienced of the group, but sophomores Colby McDonald (235 yards and two touchdowns in eight games) and Roman Hemby (71 yards and two touchdowns in three games) figure to contribute as well.

Locksley believes his running backs are explosive and can make big plays with the ball, but what they do without the ball is also important.

“They’re all explosive guys that can make big plays,” Locksley said. “But the biggest thing for me to play young running backs is how they play without the football. That’s paramount. Being able to protect the quarterback and being effective and efficient in the passing game.”

2. Locksley is pleased with the depth at linebacker.

Redshirt seniors Fa’Najae Gotay and Durell Nchami are both returning from injuries and round out an already plentiful linebacker room. Junior Ruben Hyppolite II, who finished third on the team in tackles (62), also returns. Hyppolite appeared in all 13 games in 2021.

“We’ve got some guys with experience like Ahmad McCollough, Ruben Hyppolite and Fa’Najae Gotay, who’s coming back from injury,” Locksley said. ” … [Inside linebackers coach Lance Thompson] has done a great job developing and understanding what we want out of the position and how you need to play it. So with the depth that we’ve created, I expect all those guys to contribute in some form or fashion.”

3. Young players must grow up fast.

It’s no secret that injuries are a part of the game of football and the Terps experienced their fair share last season. However, in football, the mantra is next man up. Because of injuries, plenty of less experienced players had the opportunity to play last year. That will likely be the case again in 2022.

“What you’re going to see us continue to do is play a lot of players throughout the course of our season because we’re going to need those guys to grow up fast,” Locksley said. “As we know, it’s a long year and injuries are part of the game. We’ve seen how that has affected us in the past and we’ve got to get these guys ready to play. So we’ve done everything we can to expedite the growth.”

Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox

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