Maryland Football: What we learned from Red-White Spring Game

Walt Bell’s offense is blazing fast

When new Maryland offensive coordinator Walt Bell was hired, it was evident that the Terps were bringing in one of the brighter young offensive minds around. His success at Arkansas State led many to believe that the same type of style could work in College Park.

It certainly looked like the part on Saturday.

The Maryland quarterbacks got to the line of scrimmage quickly and didn’t hold onto the ball for too long. While none of the three signal callers did anything outlandish to distance themselves, they still looked solid. Perry Hills, Caleb Rowe, and Gage Shaffer all threw at least one touchdown and had one passing play of 40 yards or more.

Bell also mixed in the running game out of the shotgun formation and it seemed to confuse the defense at times. Sophomore Ty Johnson had a sensational afternoon in which he carried the ball 11 times for 167 yards and a touchdown.

As you can see from the above video, Johnson took a delayed handoff and ran through a gaping hole in the middle of the field for an easy 64-yard touchdown. As should come as no surprise, that was the longest play from scrimmage for the Terps on the afternoon.

Freshman Jake Funk may not have had a productive afternoon (15 carries for 46 yards), but it was good to see him out on the field and getting reps. With a crowded backfield including Wes Brown, Trey Edmunds, and Johnson, Funk will likely redshirt the 2016 season, so it’s important to get the experience while he can.

While there’s still plenty of kinks to work out, it was a strong first showing from the Terps.

Next: Levern Jacobs has big day