Defense showcases plenty of talent
Maryland took the biggest hit on the defensive side of the football this offseason. The likes of Sean Davis, Quinton Jefferson, and Yannick Ngakoue left for the NFL. Not to mention, the Terps are replacing three of their four starters in the secondary.
However, Saturday displayed the next-man-up mentality that this program has had in recent years.
Senior defensive end Roman Braglio began to build off his solid 2015 season in which he recorded 35 tackles (5.5 for loss) and three sacks. On Saturday, Braglio tallied six tackles and four sacks for a pass rush that looked strong. Junior defensive end Chandler Burkett also performed well as he had three sacks.
Maryland’s run defense always looked decent. Aside from the big run from Johnson, the Terps didn’t yield many huge plays on the ground.
Linebacker Jermaine Carter picked up right where he left off. Carter snuck his nose in and helped stopped the run on multiple occasions. He registered 4.5 tackles (three solo) on the afternoon, which was fourth on the team.
Carter is coming off a phenomenal season in which he recorded 103 tackles (66 solo), 14 tackles-for-loss, and defended three passes. The star middle linebacker was arguably Maryland’s best defensive player a season ago and that trend should continue heading into this season.