Maryland (0-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Buffalo (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
September 3, 2022
Maryland Stadium
12:02 pm EDT
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland football team will open up its 2022 season at home against the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday, September 3 at noon. The game will air on Big Ten Network with Lisa Byington, Anthony Herron and Meghan McKeown on the call, and stream on the Maryland Sports Radio Network with
Johnny Holliday and Steve Suter broadcasting the game.
GAME 1 STORYLINES
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
- QB Taulia Tagovailoa rewrote the Maryland record books in 2021, setting five program records. The All-Big Ten honoree reached the top of the Maryland single-season record book in passing yards (3,860), completions (328), completion percentage (69.2%), touchdowns (26, tied with Scott Milanovich, 1993) and 300-yard passing games (7).
- Tagovailoa had the sixth-most single season passing yards in Big Ten history last season, only trailing Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State, 2018), CJ Stroud (Ohio State, 2021), Curtis Painter (Purdue, 2006) and Drew Brees (Purdue, 1998 & 1999).
- Heading into his third season as a Terp, Tagovailoa stands first in program lore in career completion percentage (67.6%), second in career 300-yard passing games (8), fourth in career passing touchdowns (33), sixth in career completions (403) and eighth in career passing yards (4,871).
opener success
- The Terps have won 10-straight non-conference openers heading into the 2022 season, tied for the second-longest streak in the Big Ten, only trailing Michigan State who has won 12-straight. Maryland's streak dates back to 2010 when the Terps beat Navy 17-14 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and includes two wins over Texas.
- Maryland has won seven home games during this stretch, most recently beating West Virginia, 30-24, last season, behind 332 yards and three touchdowns from Taulia Tagovailoa. Both Dontay Demus Jr. and Rakim Jarrett had six catches and more than 100 yards receiving and a touchdown apiece in the game.
- In the Locksley era (2019-pres.), Maryland's average of 48.9 points per game in non-conference play leads the nation The Terps have scored 30-plus points in six-of-seven non-conference games under Locksley.
the cupboard is stocked
- The Terps bring back nine players who earned All-Big Ten honors over the last two seasons. OL Spencer Anderson, CB Jakorian Bennett, WR Dontay Demus Jr., OL Jaelyn Duncan, DL Ami Finau, WR Rakim Jarrett, DL Mosiah Nasili-Kite, DB Tarheeb Still and QB Taulia Tagovailoa all return to the Terps as the foundation of the 2022 team.
- Maryland has the 10th ranked returning offense in the nation according to ESPN's SP+ rankings, which takes into account teams' returning production, recent recruiting and recent results to project where they're trending between seasons.
- The Terps, which return a plethora off offensive talent, including the entire starting offensive line from 2021, has the third ranked offense in the Big Ten for 2022 (Michigan and Ohio State) according to ESPN.
Jakorian pbu-bennett
- DB Jakorian Bennett led all Power Five players with 16 pass breakups last season.
- In 12 games played, Bennett had 13 pass breakups and three interceptions, for an average of 1.3 pass breakups per game.
- The senior had five games with at least two pass breakups, tied for the third-most in the country. Bennett's 16 pass breakups were the most by a Terp since Domonique Foxworth had 22 in 2002.
wide receiver u
- Maryland has the third-best wide receiver room in the nation, per CBS Sports, only trailing Ohio State and USC. The Terrapin receiving corps has combined for an impressive 373 receptions, 5,481 receiving yards and 80 touchdowns thus far in their career
- The group features 2022 Biletnikoff Award Watch List member Rakim Jarrett, who led the Terps and stood top-10 in the Big Ten in every receiving category in 2021. Jarrett totaled 62 receptions for 829 yards and five touchdowns last season and has at least one reception in all 17 games he's played as a Terp.
- Jarrett is joined by 2021 Biletnikoff candidate Dontay Demus Jr., who currently stands second in program history in career 100-yard games (7), sixth in career touchdowns (13), eighth in career yards (1,775) and 12th in career receptions (106). Demus Jr. has caught a pass in 27 straight games in which he has played, the sixth-lonest streak in the country and second-longest in the Big Ten, only trailing Minnesota's Chris Autman-Bell.
- Jacob Copeland joins the already potent group after a four year career at Florida where he appeared in 40 games with 23 starts, totaling 86 receptions for 1,366 yards and nine touchdowns. Copeland led all Florida receivers last season with 41 receptions for 642 yards and four touchdowns.
- Demus Jr., Copeland & Jarrett were all listed in The Athletic's 2023 NFL Draft WR class rankings, with Demus Jr. listed as the No. 6 senior receiver, Copeland ranked as the No. 14 senior receiver and Jarrett listed as the No. 7 draft-eligible underclassmen wide receiver.
RETURNING STARTERS
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