Boston College at Maryland: 5 Big Questions with Terrapin Station

2. It’s no secret that Maryland’s receiving corps is a little depleted right now. Who is shouldering the load and just how much of a drop-off has there been?

Fortunately, Maryland is deeper than the Mariana Trench at the one position they’ve been tested by injuries the most: wideout. The reality of football is that unless your best wide receiver is Calvin Johnson, your team can replace wide receivers. We see it all the time in football; a WR gets hurt, and someone steps up from out of the blue, dominates, and ends up on people’s watch list. First and second options get the majority of receptions, that’s why their stats are so gaudy sometimes. The other guys get the scraps.

Nigel King is only a moderate drop off from Deon Long, to be honest. He’s not as fast, but he is definitely as big and strong as Long, and very sure-handed. He also has major chemistry with CJ Brown, which helps out. Brown had thrown something like six completions to receivers (on the roster) not named Nigel King, Stefon Diggs, or Deon Long for his career heading into Syracuse. Stefon Diggs production gets replaced by a speedster like Levern Jacobs (who had 100+ yards twice this year, including one game against Clemson). After that, there’s Amba Etta-Tawo, who drops balls but also makes pretty great catches when Maryland needs it most. To be honest, wide receiver is hardly my concern for Maryland.