Rarely does a team use the tape of its previous opponent to get ready for its next game. There are too many variations in terms of personnel and play-calling to help give a team the perfect feel for what it is about to face.
While Maryland is not expecting Purdue’s offense to go at the same fast pace Saturday in the Big Ten opener as Central Florida did two weeks ago in Orlando, Fla., the Terps took some lessons from how they played freshman quarterback McKenzie Milton in their preparation for David Blough.
“He scrambles out of the pocket and makes the throws the same way the UCF quarterback did,” Maryland junior linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. said about Blough Wednesday.
Making his first career start after coming into the week third on the depth chart, Milton kept Maryland confounded for most of what turned into a 30-24 double-overtime win for the Terps. Milton threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns, and made one seemingly impossible play after another.
Only his four turnovers – three of them fumbles, the last of which occurred after driving the Knights to Maryland’s 2-yard line in the second overtime – helped keep Maryland (3-0) unbeaten going into a bye week before its game with the Boilermakers (2-1).
Though Blough, a redshirt sophomore, is more experienced than Milton and, at 6 feet 1 and 200 pounds, is three inches taller and 30 pounds heavier, his ability to create when a play breaks down is a concern to Maryland coach DJ Durkin and defensive coordinator Andy Buh.
“He has a really live arm,” Durkin said Tuesday. “He can make all the throws. On tape, he’s getting hit hard in the pocket and still getting the ball out on time. He has an elite arm and he also has the ability to escape with his feet.”
Said Buh: “He’s a gunslinger. He can really rifle the ball. He has had the tendency of throwing it to other people. It’s not due to his talent, I think it’s more of his decision-making, so we’re going to try to take advantage of that. Hopefully he’ll throw us some.”
Of Blough’s seven interceptions, five came in a 38-20 loss to Cincinnati on Sept. 10. Blough, whose rise on the depth chart last season led to Austin Appleby transferring to Florida, threw his most recent interception on the opening drive of last week’s 24-14 win over Nevada in West Lafayette, Ind.
With the Boilermakers leading 17-14 after trailing 14-3 in the first half, Blough faced a third-and-7 at his team’s 49-yard line with 1:27 remaining. He turned a bootleg run into a 51-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brycen Hopkins to help Purdue survive.
“He kind of got free there and threw it to the tight end going across the field. It was a big play for them; it sealed the game,” Buh said. “We don’t want him to just sit back there with no pressure in his face. He can get full extension and whip that ball.”
Buh said Blough, who ranks second in the Big Ten in passing yards per game, has 28 plays of more than 15 yards.
“We’ve seen him make all the throws out on the field, whether it’s the long ball, the intermediate ball or the ball across the field,” Buh said. “He can do all those things when he has his feet set. … Containing him and moving him off the spot will be important against their throw game.”
Blough has only been sacked once this season, and Maryland has only eight sacks. Though the Terps sacked Milton three times, there were many other times when it appeared as if he was cornered, only to squeeze through would-be tacklers to make a big play.
“It’s definitely frustrating that we’re getting back there and we’re just not getting him,” Carter said. “Coaches have been harping on rush lanes and keeping the quarterback in the pocket, not rushing past the quarterback. Just making him make the difficult throws instead of giving him the outlet [to] scramble and dump it off.”
Said Buh, “I think our Achilles heel this year has been containing the quarterback and letting ‘em get a few extra seconds to throw the ball downfield.”
Buh said the Terps need to do a better job “disguising what we do and also just being sound in our rush lanes, and also pressuring him. He’s something like 50-something percent when pressure’s added, which is about 10 percent down from nonpressure situations.”
Senior defensive end Roman Braglio, who has yet to record a sack this season, was succinct.
“We’ve got to get to the quarterback more,” the former McDonogh star said.