5 Maryland players to watch against Bowling Green

Sep 5, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Brandon Ross (45) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Richmond Spiders at Byrd Stadium. Maryland won 50-21. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

No. 5 Brandon Ross

Brandon Ross had about as remarkable a season opener as a running back can have. The senior tailback rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown while averaging 8.3 yards-per-carry. One of the biggest question marks entered the season was whether or not Maryland could consistently run the football. With Ross’ performance against the Spiders, it showed that the Terps stayed committed to the running game with Wes Brown and freshman Ty Johnson each reaching double-digit carries as well. Obviously, Maryland isn’t going to have three backs that total 41 rushing attempts between them every week, but a commitment to the concept is huge.

Ross had trouble establishing consistency in 2014, but definitely ran with a purpose last week. The Delaware native was very patient and waited for running lanes to develop. He even ran the ball between the tackles quite a bit and seemed to be more of a north-south type of runner. His excellent vision wasn’t something that we’d seen from Ross much in his Maryland career. He was able to hold onto the football and just looked more comfortable. Bowling Green doesn’t have the best rush defense as they showed against Tennessee. The Falcons yielded a mind-blowing 399 yards on the ground with Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara gashing them for five touchdowns. If the Terps can establish the running game, it will be much easier to build a lead in the early going.