By Steve Habel/Senior Editor
AUSTIN, Texas — Don’t think for a minute that No. 23 Texas can afford to take Maryland lightly when the two teams square off Saturday to open the 2017 season at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
After all, it was the Terrapins, and not the Longhorns, who played in a bowl game last season.
Texas begins the 2017 campaign trying to [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]wash away the taste of three consecutive losing seasons that resulted a second coaching change in just four years and the hiring of Tom Herman away from Houston in November. The Longhorns have plenty of returning starters on their roster — seven on offense and 10 on defense — but will have to learn how to win again and be the top-tier program that was once the standard at Texas.
Herman said he and his players are ready to get the season started.
“Relief and excitement are probably the two emotions I’m feeling now that game week is finally here,” Herman said. “It’s been a long nine months. We’ve had a lot of things happen to us over the span of those nine months.
“I’m actually relieved a little bit to be back in the offensive meeting room, to be back in the staff room, to be preparing for an opponent, to doing a lot less media things, and to get back to coaching football and preparing to win a game.”
Texas’ depth chart shows a bent toward youth, with just three seniors and nine underclassmen (eight sophomores and a redshirt freshman) listed as starters.
Sophomore Shane Buechele, who started all 12 games for the Longhorns last year and set team freshman records, has captured the quarterback position and will have fellow underclassmen at all of the skilled positions on offense.
“If we continue our energy that we have out on the practice field that we’ve been having, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun this year,” Buechele said. “It’s our first game and everybody’s going to have a lot of energy. We expect everybody to be there and have our back and we have their back. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play in front of the fans and go play in our season opener.”
Maryland ended up 6-7 last season and enters year two under coach D.J. Durkin. The biggest question of the preseason was answered Monday when Durkin named sophomore Tyrell Pigrome as its starter at quarterback after a four-player battle for the position.
Pigrome saw action in 11 games last season, starting only one game, passing for 322 yards and two touchdowns while adding 254 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
It won’t matter much who’s behind center if the Terrapins’ offensive line doesn’t block better for its signalcaller. Maryland allowed a Big Ten-high 49 sacks last season, but did do well opening holes for Ty Johnson, who averaged nine yards a carry last season in a sophomore campaign in which he gained more than 1,000 yards, and Lorenzo Harrison, who had runs of 40, 44 and 62 yards last fall as a sophomore.
Defensively, the Terps return seven starters, with 57 career starts coming back to the linebacker corps that should be the unit’s strength. Senior Jermaine Carter anchors the Mike linebacker position after leading the team with 110 tackles in 2016.
Playing in defensive coordinator Andy Buh’s exotic packages, Maryland averaged 2.9 sacks per game, led by Jesse Aniebonam and his 9.0 sacks.
The Terrapins face arguably the toughest schedule in the nation, with conference games later in the season against No. 2 Ohio State, No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 11 Michigan and No. 6 Penn State.
But first, it’s the Longhorns, who — despite their recent struggles — have Maryland’s full attention.
“Our players have a great understanding of the tradition, the level of talent on the roster at Texas and so your focus tightens up a little bit, you sharpen your focus,” Durkin said. “We’re really focused on us getting better and improving every day and what we’re doing. Playing Texas forces you to be a little bit more on your game and know that you’ve got to be ready week one. There’s no like easing into the season. It’s ready to go.”
Texas leads the all-time series against Maryland, 3-0. The two programs last met in the 1978 Sun Bowl, a 42-0 Longhorns’ victory.
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