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Maryland Football: Taking a look at post-bye week success

By Chris Bengel

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 05: Lorenzo Harrison #23 of the Maryland Terrapins tries to escape the tackle of Delano Hill #44 of the Michigan Wolverines during a second half run on November 5, 2016 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 59-3. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 05: Lorenzo Harrison #23 of the Maryland Terrapins tries to escape the tackle of Delano Hill #44 of the Michigan Wolverines during a second half run on November 5, 2016 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 59-3. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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The Maryland football program is currently on their bye week portion of the 2017 season.

With that in mind, we decided to a closer look at what kind of success that the Terrapins have had following their bye in recent years.

This is the second season under coach D.J. Durkin. Ironically, Maryland defeated Central Florida on Sept. 17 prior to the bye week last season then followed it up with a 50-7 drubbing of Purdue on Oct. 1.

It’s also worth noting that the Terps were a lot more of an unknown following nonconference play last season. In 2017, Maryland has a win over a ranked Texas team under their belt.

Maryland certainly had some forgettable years under Randy Edsall in recent years. Still, it’s worth looking at how the Terps fared in these bye week scenarios.

2015

  • The 2015 season offered one of the more interesting bye weeks that the program has ever seen. Maryland fell to No. 1 Ohio State 49-28 on the road, but put up a valiant effort. Quarterback Perry Hills rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns, but did throw a pair of interceptions. Following the game, Edsall abruptly left his postgame press conference after being questioned about his job status. During the bye week, Edsall was fired and then-offensive coordinator Mike Locksley took over. In Locksley’s Maryland debut, he nearly led the Terps past Penn State in Baltimore. Maryland fell 31-30 despite 124 rushing yards from Hills. Again, his three interceptions set the Terps back in this one.

2014

  • Prior to the bye week in 2014, Maryland made their Big Ten home debut against No. 20 Ohio State. Unfortunately, quarterback J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes jumped all over the Terps from the opening whistle as they outscored Maryland 31-10 in the opening half.
  • Following the bye, Maryland turned in one of their more impressive performances of the year in a 38-31 win over Iowa in College Park. The Hawkeyes ran out to a 14-0 lead, but the Terps battled back and were able to perservere despite losing starting quarterback C.J. Brown to injury. Hills did fill in and find Stefon Diggs on a 53-yard catch-and-run.

2013

  • The 2013 campaign offered one of the more headscratching bye week stretches that you can imagine. Maryland hosted No. 9 Clemson at home, but were missing the likes of running back Wes Brown along with Diggs and fellow wideout Deon Long. Still, the Terps brushed off a three-and-out on their opening drive with quarterback Caleb Rowe finding wideout Levern Jacobs on a slant route that went for a 71-yard touchdown. Clemson did rebound to take a 16-7 into halftime, but Maryland’s defense kept them in the game. Maryland trailed only by a 19-13 deficit entering the fourth quarter, but an Albert Reid fumble seemed to seal Maryland’s fate in a 40-27 loss.
  • If there’s such a thing as a moral victory, this would be it as the Terps hung with one of the top teams in the country. However, Maryland just couldn’t put points on the board against Syracuse following the bye. A 23-yard field from Brad Craddock was the only offense the team could muster in a 20-3 loss. Four Maryland turnovers also didn’t help matters in this one.

2012

  • The 2012 season was the beginning of the Hills era in College Park. C.J. Brown went down with a torn ACL in training camp, so Hills was forced to be the starter to begin the season. Maryland faced No. 8 West Virginia on the road on Sept. 22 and performed pretty well. Diggs had one of the best games of his collegiate career as he snagged three receptions for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hills also played well as he threw for 305 yards and three scores in a 31-21 loss.
  • Maryland had Wake Forest next on the schedule following the bye week in 2012. This was a game of emotions for the Terps to say the least. The Demon Deacons took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter before a 33-yard touchdown from wideout Kevin Dorsey put the Terps ahead 13-7. Maryland trailed 14-13 late in the fourth quarter, but a 63-yard catch-and-run from Diggs set the Terps up in the red zone. Running back Justus Pickett scored the eventual game-winning touchdown from a yard out to give Maryland a 19-14 win.

2011

  • The 2011 campaign marked the first under Edsall, who had a tremendous amount of success at Connecticut. In 2011, the bye week came extremely early. The Edsall era started with the infamous game under the lights against Miami (Fla.). This was a true back-and-forth affair that saw Maryland jump out to a 7-0 lead courtesy of a 10-yard touchdown pass from Danny O’Brien to Ronnie Tyler. After exchanging leads for the majority of the contest, kicker Jake Wieclaw connected on a 30-yard field goal with 4:01 left. Maryland responded with a six-play, 60-yard drive that culminated in a 32-yard field goal from Nick Ferrara. The Hurricanes followed that up with quarterback Stephen Morris getting picked off by cornerback Cameron Chism, who returned it 54 yards to seal the 32-24 victory.

Next: Maryland Football: What we know after two games

  • Maryland followed up the bye week with an interesting tussle with No. 18 West Virginia on Sept. 17. It wasn’t a traditional two-week gap as the two teams battled under the lights on a Thursday night. The Mountaineers led 34-10 at one point in the third quarter, but the Terps didn’t throw in the towel. Maryland ripped off 21 unanswered points to cut the deficit to 34-31 with 10:29 left in the contest. West Virginia added a field goal to extend their lead to 37-31 with 4:42 remaining. Unfortunately, Maryland didn’t have any magic left and lost by that one score margin.
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