Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

October 23, 2018 at 9:21 pm.

Defense the unsung heroes for Terps

Maryland has been on the defensive this season, a major improvement on that side of the ball helping fuel the team’s winning record so far.

The Terrapins (4-3, 2-2) host Illinois on Saturday in what shapes up as a pivotal game for Maryland’s drive to a bowl bid in a topsy-turvy season. Interim head coach Matt Canada wouldn’t even broach the topic in his weekly press conference.

“I will not talk about (a possible bowl) either … because it goes against everything we talk about,” he said. “We have to be 1-0 this week. We opened up with Texas … and if we won we had to come in, watch the (film) and get ready for Bowling Green. And if we lost the game we had to come in on Sunday and watch it and get ready for Bowling Green. It’s the 24-hour rule. You start looking down the road and acting like a fan you’re going to end up losing games you have a chance to win.”

Two wins shy of the magical six-victory plateau, Maryland has Illinois (3-4, 1-3) looming as a huge contest in the bowl path formula with Michigan State, Indiana on the road and then nationally-ranked Ohio State and Penn State left on the schedule.

If the Terrapins are to succeed in their quest, perhaps made more poignant as they try to honor fallen teammate Jordan McNair, look for their defense to play a key role. The defense kept the team in the 23-0 loss at No. 19 Iowa last week. The Hawkeyes led just 6-0 late in the first half before a touchdown in the final seconds made it 13-0 at the break. Iowa’s defense scored a clinching score later, but Maryland’s defense so porous a year ago, continues to impress.

The Terrapins are ninth in the nation and currently lead the Big Ten in turnover margin (plus-1.1 per game) and have won the turnover battle in all but two games. The defense came up with five interceptions in the last home game against Rutgers and has 13 interceptions this season, the second highest total in the country. That pass defense has held the last two opponents — Iowa and Rutgers — to less than 100 yards passing, the first time the Terps have achieved that feat since 2010.

Maryland is third in the Big Ten in total defense, allowing just 315.6 yards per game, and they are eighth in the conference in scoring defense (23.3 points). The addition of impact defensive ends Byron Cowart (transfer from Auburn) and Jesse Aniebonam (back from injury), along with linebacker Tre Watson (grad transfer from, ahem, Illinois) have been key. Hybrid nickel back/linebacker Antoine Brooks, Jr. and safety Darnell Savage, Jr., have continued their outstanding play from a year ago, and cornerback Tino Ellis has morphed into an all-conference level performer.

Maryland’s defense has put up much-improved numbers this season despite diminishing help from the offense, which is last in the conference in time of possession (27 minutes, 13 seconds per game), and had a disastrous 19:05 time of possession as the Hawkeyes converted nine of 18 third downs to hog the ball.

“Our objective is to get off the field on third down,” said Watson, who had 15 tackles and an interception.

“We understand that when those long drives happen, that’s because we failed to do that. That falls back on us. Sure the offense getting first downs gives you breaks in between them, but if we get ourselves off the field we’ll be in a better position throughout the game.”