UCLA Football Preview: Maryland's Defense Will Be a Tough Test for Bruin Offense
Maryland is 18th in the nation in scoring defense and they have held opponents to an average of less than 17 points per game.
The Maryland base defense is almost as much of a mystery as the Maryland offense was, at least based on the starting lineups the Terrapins have fielded this season.
Against Florida Atlantic, defensive coordinator Ted Monachino started a 4-1-6 Dime defense, but that starting lineup has only been used against the Owls. Against Northern Illinois, Monachino switched the starting lineup to a 5-2-4 defense which is almost never seen in college football these days. The Terrapins used a similar lineup albeit with slightly different personnel against Towson the following week. The starting lineup switched again against Wisconsin. They used a 4-2-5 Nickel defense as their starting lineup against the Badgers. But they went back to a starting lineup identical to NIU against Washington. Then, last week against Nebraska, they went back to the Nickel starting lineup they used against Wisconsin.
Whew! Talk about whiplash.
So, which lineup will the Maryland defense put on the field first tomorrow? Your guess is as good as mine. I’m sure it will come down to a question as to which lineup Monachino thinks will be able to stop Jerry Neuheisel’s offense.
That means that Monachino will likely utilize the scheme he thinks will work best against what the Bruins have done these past two weeks. If they put a bigger emphasis on trying to stop the UCLA rushing attack since it performed so well against Michigan State last weekend, they may start a lineup with five defensive lineman. On the other hand, I think we could also see them start their nickel defense to give them some flexibility to guard against the pass while still keeping six men in the box.
To make things even more confusing, Maryland’s game notes describe their game-by-game starters differently than they identify their last game’s starters. For instance, in the game-by-game starter list, they identify their fourth defensive lineman as “Stewart”, but their Last Game’s Starters list shows one defense end, one defensive tackle, a Jack, a Mike, a Will and a Sam where the Sam is listed as Sidney Stewart.
Now, traditionally, the Sam is the strongside linebacker, but Sidney Stewart is listed on the team roster as a defensive lineman. So, what is Monachino doing?
I’m thinking that, maybe, the Jack and the Sam are stand-up defensive ends and the guy labeled as a “defensive end” in the Last Game’s Starters list is one of those interior defensive ends which are really renamed defensive tackles.
So, having explained, or tried to explain the differences from one page of Maryland’s Game Notes to the next, let’s look at Maryland’s defensive personnel.
Defensive Line
West Virginia grad transfer Cam Rice is the team’s starting defensive tackle. He’s made 16 tackles this season including 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. He also has three quarterback hurries.
Junior “defensive end” Dillan Fontus is the guy who’s likely really a defensive tackle. He’s made 11 tackles including 3.5 TFLs and a sack. He also has a quarterback hurry.
Freshman Zahir Mathis is a defensive lineman listed as the “Jack.” So, he’s likely an edge rusher/defensive end playing on the outside of the defensive line. Mathis is sixth on the team in tackles with 23 including 6.5 TFLs. He is tied for team lead in sacks with 4.5. He also has two QB hurries and a pass breakup.
Freshman Sidney Stewart is a defensive lineman listed as the “Sam.” So, like Mathis, he’s likely an edge rusher/defensive end playing on the outside. Stewart has made 16 tackles with 7 TFLs and he’s tied with Mathis for the team lead in sacks with 4.5. He also has five quarterback hurries and he’s recorded one safety.
Redshirt sophomore Eyan Thomas has started three games as the team’s fifth defensive lineman. Where exactly he will lineup remains to be seen, but if I had to guess, I’d say probably on the side of Rice which is the opposite of Fontus. Thomas has made 12 tackles this season with 1.5 TFLs and half a sack. He also has two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.
Linebackers
Maryland has started two linebackers in every game except their season opener. While junior Daniel Wingate has started all six, sophomore Trey Reddick has started the last five games next to Wingate.
Wingate leads the Terps in tackles with 56 including three TFLs and a sack. He’s picked off one pass, broken up another and had one QB hurry. Meanwhile, Reddick is second on the team in tackles behind Wingate with 34 including 3.5 TFLs and two sacks. Reddick has also broken up a pass.
Secondary
Senior Jalen Huskey and junior Lavain Scruggs will be the starting safeties. Huskey is third on the team in tackles with 33 including a TFL. He’s also intercepted two passes and broken up one more.
Scruggs is fifth on the team in tackles with 24. He’s intercepted a pass and broken up two more. He also has a quarterback hurry.
The starting corners will be redshirt junior Jamare Glasker and true junior Dontay Joyner. Glasker has made 16 tackles including three TFLs. He has also intercepted a pass and broken up two more. Joyner has made 15 tackles and he’s tied with Huskey and La’khi Roland for the team lead in interceptions with two. Glasker’s four pass breakups leads the team in that category.
Maryland’s nickel back will be sophomore Kevyn Humes. He’s made 14 tackles this year with half a TFL and he has broken up one pass.
Analysis
UCLA’s Jerry Neuheisel may have his hands full this week and he may be relying on the advice of Noel Mazzone more than either of UCLA’s last two games. That’s simply because it looks like the Maryland defense looks to be more complex than what Penn State or Michigan State threw against them.
But, here’s why I think things will be just fine.
The Penn State defense was led by Jim Knowles, who is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country and who ran the national champion Ohio State defense last season, and Jerry had the UCLA offense humming.
Comparatively, Ted Monachino is a nobody next to Knowles. That isn’t to say the Terrapin defense isn’t very good. It is. They are 33rd in the nation in run defense, 18th in the country in scoring defense, and 52nd overall in total defense.
Maryland may change up their looks and run multiple defensive fronts against the Bruins tomorrow, but Jerry understands the game and I think he will have Nico Iamaleava prepared for what the Terrapins throw at them.
Go Bruins!!!
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