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Maryland football refuses to cast blame for ineffective run game
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- Maryland football refuses to cast blame for ineffective run game
Starting running back DeJuan Williams is scheduled to return to Maryland's practice on Wednesday, which is a welcome boost for a flagging ground game.
Since the redshirt sophomore sprinted for 116 yards and two touchdowns on just three carries in a season-opening 62-0 shutout of Hampton , only to leave in the second quarter because of what he described as "clicking" in his knee, the Terps' run offense has lost steam. The unit's ineffectiveness culminated in a 54-3 trouncing by UCLA on Saturday during which the team finished with a meager 39 yards on 30 rushing attempts.
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While Williams, a Baltimore resident and St. Frances graduate, is slated to be active for Maryland (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) this week in the hopes of being able to play at Nebraska (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday at 4 p.m., redshirt freshman Harry Dalton III will not practice because of an unspecified ailment that sidelined him before the game against the Bruins, according to coach Michael Locksley.
Still, Williams' potential availability could be an asset for sophomore quarterback Malik Washington .
"Being able to add a playmaker like a DeJuan back into the system — a week ago, we didn't have [redshirt senior tight end] Preston Howard available — gets Malik back a couple of playmakers, a couple of guys that have had the ability to make plays and have made the plays for us," Locksley said. "It adds more weapons to his arsenal, which I think is something that right now on offense will help us get back in groove."
With Williams, the Terps rushed for 365 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries against the Pirates on Sept. 5. Without Williams the next week, the duo of sophomore Iverson Howard and Dalton III ran for 103 of the team's 125 yards and all three scores on 31 of 36 attempts in a 38-14 victory at UConn.
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But Howard and Dalton III were stymied in a 35-26 loss to Virginia Tech on Sept. 19, combining for only 48 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Then the ground game cratered against UCLA as Howard — in his first game as the primary running back — managed just 34 yards on 12 attempts.
The inability to sustain drives on the ground forced Maryland to go to the air, and Washington, a Glen Burnie native and Spalding graduate, slogged through arguably his worst performance in 16 games as a starter, throwing for 142 yards and four interceptions without a touchdown.
"When you don't have the balance that you need to have with the ability to run the ball a little more efficiently, it puts a lot of pressure on the passing game, and I think that's what showed up Saturday," Locksley said, adding that he and offensive coordinator Clint Trickett have taken some "things off of his plate." "Again, having some healthy bodies get back here, the condensed-ness of what we're doing game plan-wise will allow our offense to find the groove that we need to get back into."
If the rush offense's ineffectiveness puts a heavy burden on Washington and his receivers, redshirt senior wide receiver Kaleb Webb said he embraces the challenge.
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"Our run game has been struggling. I'm not naive to that," he said. "But when the run game struggles, honestly love that pressure on me and the wideouts to execute our job that much better. We've got to help everybody out. It's going to be days where sometimes our defense is off, and the offense has to step up. Sometimes the offense is off, and the defense has to step up.
"Even on the same side of the ball, if the run game isn't going, then we have to do our job and make explosive plays in the pass game. And then maybe if we're not on in the pass game, then we need to do our job and block safeties and dig out nickels and backers if we have to get the run game going just to help the team achieve a win."
Similarly, junior center Michael Hershey declined to point fingers at the running backs. He said the offensive line was as culpable for Saturday's poor showing against the Bruins.
"The main thing right now is our fundamentals and being able to move guys off on those double teams and even individual blocks, but creating those holes for the running back room," he said. "We are a little bit light in the running back room, but the offensive line should be able to carry that weight and create holes for them, and that's what we're striving to do for Nebraska."
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Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com , 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun .
