University of Maryland Athletics

Football 9/10/2024 10:00:00 AM

Game 3: Maryland at Virginia Preview

Maryland (1-1, 0-1 B1G) vs. Virginia (2-0, 1-0 ACC)

September 14, 2024

Scott Stadium

8:00 p.m.

ACCN

COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Maryland hits the road for the first time this season when it travels to Virginia to face the Cavaliers on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Scott Stadium. The game is set to kickoff at 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on the ACC Network and the Maryland Sports Radio Network.

Non-conference Success

The Terps have won 13 straight games against non-conference opponents, the second-longest streak in the country (Georgia). Under head coach Michael Locksley, the Terps are 15-1 in non-conference games with wins over Power Five teams Virginia Tech, West Virginia, #23 NC State, #21 Syracuse, Virginia and Auburn. This is the longest such streak for Maryland within the last 40 years.
In the Locksley era (2019-pres.), Maryland's average of 42.4 points per game in non-conference play ranks fifth in the nation, only trailing Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma and LSU. The Terps have scored 30-plus points in 14-of-16 non-conference games under Locksley.

Maryland's 43-point win over UConn in the season opener was the school's largest in a season opener that was against an FBS school since Division I went to two distinctions in 1978.

Rivalry renewed

This Saturday will mark the 80th all-time meeting between Maryland and Virginia with the Cavaliers being the Terps' most commonly played opponent in program history. Maryland leads the series by a record of 45-32-2.
Last year's game was the first time the two teams met since 2013, Maryland's final season in the ACC. During that game in College Park, Maryland came away with its largest win in the series since 1986, 42-14. The Terps rallied from a 14-point deficit and scored 42 unanswered points behind Taulia Tagovailoa's 342 passing yards.

Wide Receiver Braeden Wisloski (19)Maryland vs. Virginia at Secu Stadium in College Park, MD on Friday, Sep. 15, 2023. Brieanna Andrews/Maryland Terrapins

Against Virginia last season, true freshman Braeden Wisloski returned a kick 98 yards for a touchdown, the first Maryland kickoff return for a TD since 2019.

Touchdown tai

Senior WR Tai Felton has gotten off to a blistering start this season. Through two games, he leads all FBS players in receiving yards with 330. Additionally, his 18 total receptions are tied for second most among all FBS players and are the most in the Big Ten. His three receiving touchdowns are tied for tops in the Big Ten (Washington's Denzel Boston and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith).
Felton is the third Big Ten player in the last 20 years to record 300+ receiving yards through his team's first two games of the season, joining Purdue's Rondale Moore in 2019 (344) and Michigan State's Tony Lippett in 2014 (300).
The 2023 All-Big Ten honoree is also the first Big Ten player in the last 25 years to record 150+ receiving yards in each of his first two games of a season.
Felton is the first Terp since Jermaine Lewis in 1995 to have 150+ receiving yards in any two consecutive games.
With three TDs in the first two games of the season, Felton is the first Terp with three receiving TDs in the first two games since DJ Moore in 2017. Felton is also just the second Maryland player to do that since at least 1996.
Felton notched a career-best 11 receptions on Saturday. That number marked the most by a Terp since current Tennessee Titan Chig Okonkwo had 12 catches against Penn State on Nov. 6, 2021. It was the first time a Terp had double-figure catches since Rakim Jarrett had 10 vs. Michigan State on Nov. 13, 2021.
Through Week Two of the 2024 season, Tai Felton is PFF's second-highest graded wide receiver in all of FBS with a 92.4 grade. Felton is only behind Ole Miss' Tre Harris (93.8). Only one other WR has a 90+ grade (Skyler Bell, UConn).

Maryland Football vs. Michigan State at SECU Stadium in College Park, MD on Saturday September 7, 2024.Maryland Terrapins

The Ashburn, VA native has 100+ receiving yards in each of the first two games this season, becoming the second Terp since 1996 to accomplish that feat (Dontay Demus Jr.)

Miller time

With at least one in each game this season, redshirt senior defensive back Glendon Miller has a streak of four consecutive games with an interception, dating back to the final two games of the 2023 season. Miller is the first Terp with a streak that long since Lewis Sanders had interceptions in five straight games from Sept. 2-Oct. 9, 1999.
The Orange Park, FL native is the fourth Maryland player this century to have a defensive interception in each of the team's first two games of the season, joining Jakorian Bennett (2021), Kevin Barnes (2007) and Tony Okanlawon (2001).
The safety has six career interceptions, the most on the Terps' defense.

Music City Bowl: Maryland Football vs. Auburn

Miller had a 44-yard pick-six against Auburn in the 2023 TransPerfect Music City Bowl.

Billy Ball

Redshirt junior QB Billy Edwards Jr. is 4-1 as a starter at Maryland across three seasons, with wins over Northwestern, NC State, Auburn and UConn.
Edwards Jr., who graded out as a top-five Power Four QB in Week One per PFF, has accounted for 17 total touchdowns (nine rushing and eight passing) in 17 games as a Terp. Edwards Jr. hit the 1,000 yard passing milestone against Michigan State on Saturday.
The 2023 TransPerfect Music City Bowl MVP is one of just five QBs in the country to have at least 300 passing yards, no interceptions and a 74.0% completion percentage against a FBS team this season (North Texas' Chandler Morris, USC's Miller Moss, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart and Clemson's Cade Klubnik). Edwards Jr. did so against UConn.
Edwards Jr. has completed 75.4 percent of his passes through two games this season; a number that ranks fourth in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. Edwards Jr. has completed over 75 percent of his 61 total pass attempts and only has one interception.

Edwards Jr. has five total touchdowns through two games this season (four passing, one rushing).

Takeaways on takeaways

Maryland has forced 3+ turnovers in both games so far this season, marking the first time the program has accomplished this since doing so in the first three games of the 1996 season.
With three interceptions against Michigan State (two by Glendon Miller and one by Jalen Huskey), Maryland has multiple defensive interceptions in each of its first two games of a season for the first time since 2001.
Through two games, the Terps have a 2.50 turnover margin---tied with three other teams for fourth among all FBS teams and tied with Minnesota for second in the Big Ten. Maryland's six total turnovers gained ranks tied for fifth overall and second in the Big Ten (Minnesota).

Through two games this season, Maryland has five interceptions, tied with Illinois for the most in the Big Ten and in a four-way tie for second in the nation among FBS teams.

Quick hitters

RB Roman Hemby is one of just nine active FBS players who have recorded 1000+ scrimmage yards in each of the last two seasons. Of that group, only one other player resides in the Big Ten (Penn State's Nicholas Singleton).
Maryland scored 129 points in the first quarter of games last season, seventh most among power conference teams. The Terps have scored 14 points in both first quarters this season for a total of 28, a number that ranks second among Big Ten teams (Indiana, 42).
The Terps converted their first five third down attempts against Michigan State. It was the first game in the past 15 years in which Maryland converted each of its first five third-down attempts. Maryland finished the game 11 of 17 on third down.

Maryland Football vs. UCONN at SECU Stadium in College Park, MD on Saturday, Aug.31, 2024.

With a win, the Terps will move to 13-2 in September games over the last four seasons.

Click here for this week's game notes.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Taulia Tagovailoa: QB; 5' 11"; Redshirt Senior

#9 Billy Edwards Jr.: QB; 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior

#10 Tai Felton: WR; 6' 2"; Senior

#24 Roman Hemby: RB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

#1 Glendon Miller: DB; 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior

#19 Braeden Wisloski: WR; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#22 Jalen Huskey: DB; 6' 1"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#3 Taulia Tagovailoa
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Senior
: QB

#9 Billy Edwards Jr.
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior
: QB

#10 Tai Felton
: 6' 2"; Senior
: WR

#24 Roman Hemby
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior
: RB

#1 Glendon Miller
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior
: DB

#19 Braeden Wisloski
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: WR

#22 Jalen Huskey
: 6' 1"; Junior
: DB