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Terps want dramatic defensive improvement vs. Northwestern

Members of Maryland’s football defense may have forgiven, but they haven’t forgotten.

On Oct. 28 of last year, Northwestern stunned the Terps, 33-27. Wildcats quarterback Brendan Sullivan enjoyed a career day in passing yards (265) and threw two touchdown passes to hand Maryland its third of four straight losses and add pressure to a potential bid for a bowl game appearance.

The game continues to resonate with players like junior quarterback Kellan Wyatt. The Terps (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) won’t want a repeat of 2023 when they welcome the Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) to SECU Stadium in College Park on Friday at 8 p.m.

“We’re just going to prepare a little better – a lot better, actually,” said the Glen Burnie native and Archbishop Spalding graduate. “This one, it kind of stuck with us, and the team couldn’t wait to play it. We’ve been doing a few things all this week and last week during the breakup. We can’t wait to play it.”

Friday night’s game is a prime opportunity for the defense to exorcise some of the ghosts from nearly two weeks ago. In a 42-28 loss at then-No. 18 Indiana on September 28, Maryland was crushed by the Hoosiers for 14 points each over the final three quarters and 510 yards. Redshirt senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

A defense that ranks in the bottom five of the Big Ten in points and yards per game should not be exposed like this. The Terps return seven starters from a group that has allowed the second fewest points per game (18.2) since 2010.

But the unit struggled this fall, especially in losses to Michigan State and Indiana. Maryland has allowed an average of 34.5 points and 497 yards and a 55.6% conversion rate on third downs in those two games.

However, Wyatt dismissed suggestions that the defense may need significant changes.

“It’s all on us. “There is no scheme that we need to change,” he said. “All we can do is continue to play hard and play our style of football.”

In the setbacks the Spartans and Hoosiers faced, the defense gave up what coach Mike Locksley called 14 explosive plays (compared to seven for the Terps) and scored a touchdown in the final minute of the second quarter to give them a halftime deficit. Locksley said the concessions undermined much-needed momentum.

“So these areas can still be improved, but there are still things we can control,” he said. “Big plays on defense come from missed tackles or missed assignments, and for me it’s about communication. We have to continue to teach techniques and develop them.”

Eye-opening performances by Rourke and Michigan State sophomore Aidan Chiles (363 yards and three touchdowns) have highlighted a secondary that has only produced one starter, senior safety Dante Trader Jr. Junior cornerback Jalen Huskey is tied with redshirt senior safety Glendon Miller for the team lead in interceptions (three), but has two of the unit’s five pass interference penalties, and four freshman cornerbacks have had to play due to injury and ineffectiveness.

Maryland defensive back Dante Trader Jr. had been a bright spot in the second half, but the Terps were concerned about how they would defend the pass in a Big Ten game. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)

Locksley said the young cornerbacks will continue to get playing time.

“If you look at our program, the kids just show up because of the way we practice,” he said. “When you put four guys in the NFL like we did in high school the last few years, it’s a natural growth. I think you’ve seen, the way we recruit that room, [it’s] very talented, and what we have to do is continue to gain playing experience, play the ball, play with confidence as a young player when you get thrown to the bottom of the pool like we had to do. .

“So the philosophy is, we’re going to continue to develop players, and as they get better in practice as we’ve seen, they’ll get opportunities in games to try to compete to see if they can create value for us on defense. .”

Although the offense ranks in the top six in the Big Ten in points and yards per game, the onus is on the defense to raise its level of play. Wyatt said the unit doesn’t shy away from expectations.

“I feel like we’re still a defense-led team,” he said. “It’s hard not to when you have so many players returning on the defensive side. Our defense, we know we want to continue to improve our offense in practice. And it’s the same for them. They push us in practice. We pushed each other, and it finally came out on Friday and Saturday night.”

Praised by Locksley as a diplomat who can cross both sides of the aisle, redshirt junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. said the attack and defense are going the team’s way so far.

Gaming Hub

A gaming hub can refer to a central platform or space dedicated to gaming, where players can access games, interact with other gamers, and enjoy related content. Here are a few different kinds of gaming hubs you might be referring to:

Physical Gaming Hubs:

Gaming Cafés: Physical locations where players can rent time on high-end gaming PCs or consoles to play popular multiplayer or single-player games.
Esports Arenas: Specialized venues for competitive gaming tournaments where players or teams face off in games like League of Legends, CS
, or Fortnite.
Digital Gaming Hubs:

Steam, Epic Games Store, or GOG: Digital storefronts where you can purchase and play games, join online communities, and access updates and patches.
Game Launchers: Platforms like Steam, Blizzard’s Battle.net, and Xbox Game Pass often act as hubs where gamers can access multiple titles and keep track of their library.
Cloud Gaming Platforms: Services like NVIDIA GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming that allow players to stream games on various devices without needing high-end hardware.
Social/Community Gaming Hubs:

Discord Servers: Dedicated communities for games where players can chat, share tips, and find others to play with.
Reddit Communities: Subreddits dedicated to specific games or gaming news.
Gaming Consoles as Hubs:

Systems like the PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch act as central hubs for playing games, interacting with friends, and even streaming content like Netflix or Twitch.
If you meant something specific by “gaming hub,” let me know and I can elaborate further!

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