The Terps look for a win in their final home game of the season.
Maryland football welcomes Iowa to SECU Stadium for its final home game of the season Saturday.
The Terps are coming off another embarrassing loss, falling to Rutgers, 31-17. The Terps beat the Scarlet Knights by an average of 26.3 points per game over the last three seasons. With a 4-6 record and two games left in the regular season, Maryland needs to win out to squeak out a .500 record and bowl eligibility.
The game will kick off at noon and air on Big Ten Network.
Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten)
Kirk Ferentz is the longest-tenured Division I FBS head coach, with 2024 being his 24th year leading the program. The next closest is Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy at 19 years. During his time with the program, Ferentz has guided the Hawkeyes to more than 200 wins and 10 bowl victories.
Iowa entered the season as the No. 25-ranked team in the country, but has since slipped out of the poll. Big Ten play has been an up-and-down experience for the Hawkeyes, accumulating dominant wins over Minnesota and Northwestern — who both blew out the Terps — but falling to conference bottom-dwellers Michigan State and UCLA.
Iowa is fresh off its second bye week of the season and should be rested in preparation for the Terps.
Players to know
Kaleb Johnson, junior running back, No. 2 — Johnson is perhaps the most effective running back in the Big Ten. He leads the conference in rushing yards (1,328), rushing yards per game (132.8) and rushing touchdowns (20) with the next closest player being eight touchdowns behind. He is also second in the conference in yards per carry with 7.1.
He started in just five games last season, but is on pace to be an All-Big Ten first-team selection in 2024.
Jay Higgins, fifth-year linebacker, No. 34 — Higgins has been one of the best linebackers in the country over the last two seasons, starting in all 24 Hawkeyes games since 2023. Last year, Higgins was a All-Big Ten first-team selection and All-America second-team member by the American Football Coaches Association, CBS and the Associated Press. As a senior, Higgins posted 171 tackles (92 solo), five tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception.
This season, Higgins has taken a slight step back in run defense, but has improved his numbers against the pass. He has totaled 98 tackles (41 solo) — tied for second in the Big Ten — a tackle for loss, a sack, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and three interceptions.
Aaron Graves, junior defensive lineman, No. 95 — Graves did not start a single game in his first two seasons but has started in all 10 this year. He has more than impressed in his new role, recording five sacks — ninth in the Big Ten — 24 tackles (11 solo), six tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Jermari Harris, graduate defensive back, No. 27 — Harris has been a consistent option for the Hawkeyes on the boundary over the last three seasons, but he is having his best year yet in 2024. He is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with seven pass breakups and tied for fourth with three interceptions, including a pick-six. He is also the sixth highest-graded FBS cornerback by Pro Football Focus at 85.4.
Strength
Rushing offense. Led by Johnson, the Hawkeyes have the best rushing offense in the Big Ten, leading the conference with 208.1 yards rushing per game. They have also tallied the second-most rushing touchdowns (27) in the Big Ten with just nine fumbles, which ranks in the bottom half of the conference.
Weakness
Passing offense. Led by Cade McNamara for most of the season, Iowa has produced one of the worst passing offenses in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes rank second to last in the conference in passing yards per game (138.9) and passing touchdowns (8). They also rank 13th in completion percentage (61.5%). Maryland’s secondary has been susceptible to big plays even by bad passing offenses, but the unit might stand a chance Saturday.
Three things to watch
1. A must-win game for the Terps. There is no other way to put it: if the Terps don’t beat Iowa on Saturday, their season is essentially over, as bowl eligibility is no longer an option. Maryland needs to win its final two games of the season to hit that coveted six-win mark, and it starts this weekend.
2. What version of Billy Edwards Jr. will we see? It’s been a tale of two seasons for Maryland’s quarterback. In the first five games of the season, Edwards looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, throwing for 1,444 yards, 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions on a 72.3% completion percentage. But over the last five games, his numbers have dropped dramatically, as he has thrown four touchdowns and seven interceptions on a 59.6% completion percentage. Which version of Edwards shows up Saturday may decide the game.
3. Iowa’s starting quarterback. Ferentz indicated Tuesday that sophomore Jackson Stratton will start under center for the Hawkeyes against the Terps. Stratton has played in just one game so far this season — two weeks ago against UCLA — in which he completed 3-of-6 passes for 28 yards. Stratton replaces Brendan Sullivan, who is dealing with an ankle injury, and Cade McNamara, who is still recovering from a concussion.
Ferentz implied that another quarterback may come in for Stratton if he plays poorly, but Stratton will get an opportunity to prove himself regardless.