Maryland Football: Five things to watch for Maryland/Northwestern
By Chris Bengel
Finishing drives
As was mentioned previously, Maryland’s offense had their fair share of struggles a week ago.
The Terps are certainly going to have to step up in a big way in order to top Northwestern home.
In terms of red zone offense, Maryland is converting just 73.3 percent (11-of-15) of their red zone possessions into points. That’s good for 12th out of the 14-team Big Ten this season.
The Terps have found the end zone nine times (five rushing) while making a pair of field goals. They’ve also turned the ball over on downs on two other occasions.
Maryland definitely doesn’t have the luxury of leaving points on the field this time around. The offense is going to need to cash in when they get in the red zone and not settle for field goals.
The good news is that the Terps have been scoring touchdowns for the most part when they are cashing in their red zone opportunities. Maryland has some of the most dynamic athletes in the conference, so punching it in shouldn’t be a big deal.
Northwestern is yielding points on 85.7 percent (18-of-21) of the opposing team’s possessions, so that certainly should give Maryland fans something to be optimistic about.