Maryland's defense might not have been the top story of the Terps' 52-13 victory against Howard Sept. 3 -- that honor fell to DJ Durkin, who won his first game as Maryland's head coach -- but the unit got a lot accomplished in holding the Bison down.
Durkin's coaching staff emptied the depth chart on both sides of the ball, and that was particularly evident on defense, as the Terps were able to mix in a lot of youth and inexperience with the game already in hand. The Bison scored 13 second-half points against Maryland's second and third stringers after barely moving the ball against the Terps' starters during the first half.
Florida International, which Maryland faces in Miami Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m., poses more of a test than Howard did. In his weekly press conference in College Park, Md., Sept. 7, Terps defensive coordinator Andy Buh pointed out Golden Panthers quarterback Alex McGough and tight end Jonnu Smith as posing a challenge to contain.
