Maryland football plans to run straight at Iowa’s wall of a rushing defense
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Version 0 of 1. Maryland quarterback Perry Hills is normally stoic and businesslike when he’s talking about his craft, but there was a moment during his news conference Wednesday that he couldn’t help but crack a wicked smile. It came after he was asked about his health in the wake of 51 rushing attempts in the past two games, an absurd number considering Hills runs with a no-sliding policy. “Nothing I can’t handle,” Hills said with a shrug, as if he plans on Saturday to run even harder into the teeth of Iowa’s vaunted rushing defense, which ranks third nationally and has been the centerpiece of the team’s surprising 7-0 start. Hills’s daily maintenance on his body has included more trips to the cold tub, which helps him revive the strength in his legs each day. It’s an essential practice given Maryland’s plans to ride Hills as hard as he can run in its visit to the No. 10 Hawkeyes on Saturday. [Terps want to avoid late fade vs. Hawkeyes] He will be directing an offense that is dealing with a number of medical issues in the wake of a 31-30 loss to Penn State , including right tackle Damian Prince (ankle) and right guard Andrew Zeller (shoulder). While Zeller is listed as probable to play against Iowa, Prince was in a walking boot earlier this week and his availability is questionable. Though Maryland has already shuffled its rotation on the offensive line after losing starting left guard Mike Minter to a season-ending shoulder injury, the unit has found a comfort level with interim coach Mike Locksley’s new approach on offense. Behind Hills’s ability to run and set up the zone-read attack, the offense finally has an identity and won’t stray from its plan to establish the run against Iowa, senior left guard Ryan Doyle said on Wednesday. “They’re coming in and saying, ‘Okay, try and run the ball,’ ” Doyle said of Iowa, which is limiting opponents to 74.1 yards rushing per game. “We’re going to do just that. We want to run the ball. We want to prove these guys wrong that they’re not this stout run defense that they keep claiming to be.” [Feinstein: Leach on rebuilding Washington State, looking back at U-Md.] Maryland is among the worst in the country in a number of statistical categories, including passing yards per game (tied for 109th out of 127 teams in the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision), total yards per game (93rd) and turnover margin (126th). But the Terrapins sit third in the Big Ten, 43rd nationally, in rushing with 186.7 yards per game. That production has been bolstered heavily by Hills, the first Terrapins player with consecutive 100-yard rushing games since C.J. Brown in 2011. After rushing for a 170 yards against Ohio State, the most ever by a Maryland quarterback in a game, he posted 124 yards on 26 carries against Penn State. Known more for his physical running approach, a byproduct of being a high school wrestler, Hills has surprised his teammates and coaches with his speed, captured with a 75-yard scramble against Ohio State and a 36-yard pickup on a designed run against Penn State. But Hills has also been turnover prone. He lost two fumbles against Penn State, including one in the red zone in the first half and inside Penn State territory in the fourth quarter, and he was intercepted three times. He said he’s received input from Maryland running backs coach Terry Richardson on ball security, and vowed Wednesday to improve his decision-making as a passer. While Maryland’s offense is run-heavy, Locksley said earlier this week that success against Iowa will largely be dictated by Hills’s efficiency as a passer. That includes on what Locksley calls “shot” plays, which are often set up with Hills’s running ability. Maryland (2-5, 0-3 Big Ten) was able to use play-action passes for huge gains last week, including a 43-yard pass to Taivon Jacobs and a 48-yard toss to Malcolm Culmer. “What Perry’s skill set brings to the table typically will allow us to be able to run the football because now it forces the defense to play sound football. It helps neutralize some of the weaknesses we have from a size and strength standpoint,” Locksley said. “For us, the passing game is going to have to continue to come along because we need to have the balance on offense, and if you look at Iowa, their defense is balanced in the run and passing game.” Maryland added a number of wrinkles to its offense last week, which included defensive back Will Likely receiving carries and fullback-turned-quarterback Shane Cockerille running a version of the Wildcat formation. Those moves have helped energize an offense that has been banged up in recent weeks — aside from Prince and Zeller, Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore left the Penn State loss with a right knee injury. Moore returned to practice this week, where everyone seemed to be nursing lumps and bruises. Doyle broke his nose against Michigan earlier this month, and it was still black and blue as he talked with reporters Wednesday. He’s been “rolling with it ever since” he said, and he can relate with the amount of punishment Hills has taken as Maryland’s offense has changed over the past two weeks. “He, to me, is my quarterback. I love Caleb [Rowe], I love Daxx [Garman], but Perry was always my guy,” Doyle said. “To know that he is back there and he’s the kind of guy that is going to fight for that extra yard, and you can see that as he’s taking on defenders, it makes me really confident in our offense.” |