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Maryland's Mike Locksley Previews Michigan, Talks Respect For Jim Harbaugh

The 2-2 Maryland Terrapins are set to travel to Ann Arbor for a matchup with the 2-4 Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines lost, 27-17, to Penn State last week, Maryland is coming off a 27-11 defeat to Indiana.

Both teams are hoping to regroup and follow up their setbacks with a win. Though Michigan isn't at the level it has traditionally been at over the years, second-year Maryland head coach Mike Locksley still views this weekend's matchup as a prime opportunity for his team.

"Moving forward to Michigan, obviously we’ve shifted all of our energy and effort to a great opportunity against a traditional program in Michigan that has had great success as an organization," Locksley said Tuesday.

"Saturday is another great opportunity for our team. As I’ve said before, being in the growth phase, every opportunity that we get to compete, to go out and play, is a step in the right direction for our program. The type of young players that we play with ... we don’t take it lightly. And I know our players are excited, as yesterday’s energy at practice was good."

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Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley and his team won two-straight games after dropping the opener, but suffered a setback against Indiana last week.
Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley and his team won two-straight games after dropping the opener, but suffered a setback against Indiana last week. (AP Images)
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Locksley also said that even though playing in Michigan Stadium and other historic venues across the Big Ten is not the same this season — with a limited number of fans allowed in and none in the state of Michigan for the time being — his group is still excited about making their way to The Big House, the largest stadium in college football.

"We’re all excited for preparing and getting ready to go to Ann Arbor and have an opportunity to compete against a really good Michigan football team," Locksley said.

"Obviously, these environments that these storied programs that we get to face with being a member in the Big Ten in 2020 are a little different than what they normally are. But we do have great respect for the tradition and history of what Michigan’s all about and The Big House.

"But for us, those are external things that we always talk about, really we don’t concern ourselves with. Once we make the decision of who we play, everything is more about Maryland than it is our opponent. And it’s about our mindset, it’s about our preparation, it’s about our execution.

"Michigan is a traditional, storied program that has had great success. It’s one of those blue blood programs that, year in and year out, is well-respected, well-coached. [Head] Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and all the other great coaches that have come through that program, I’ve had a chance to compete against them since 2005, and just have so much respect for their tradition and what they stand for."

The Terrapins missed two games in November due to COVID-19, against Ohio State Nov. 14 and Michigan State Nov. 21, so they know what Michigan is going through this week, with the Maize and Blue pausing all in-person team activities Monday and Tuesday while proceeding virtually.

"I know Coach Harbaugh announced yesterday that they paused their activities and went virtual yesterday," Locksley said. "I know from us, our prayers and our thoughts are with them that all their players and staff are well, having gone through it. We hope they’re doing well."

Maryland Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa Looking To Bounce Back

Maryland sophomore quarterback and Alabama transfer Taulia Tagovailoa has been inconsistent this season while completing 61.5 percent of his passes for 1,011 yards and seven touchdowns. In the team's two wins, he's thrown for six touchdowns and rushed for two with just one interception. In losses, he's tossed only one score and has been picked off six times.

However, facing the Michigan defense is not as stiff of a challenge as it was going up against Indiana, with the Wolverines only having three takeaways through six games, which is tied with Nevada for the least in the nation among teams that have played six contests. Michigan is also allowing 255.5 passing yards per game (91st in the country).

After going 17-for-36 last week with three interceptions, Tagovailoa has worked with the coaching staff early this week to correct some of the mistakes.

"Obviously, was not happy with his production and the turnovers, and having watched the film, there’s something from a coaching standpoint that we could’ve done better to help our quarterback," Locksley explained. "To throw three interceptions in a game is not acceptable at any point.

"But I also feel like there were some things that we could’ve done better as a coaching staff, in an effort to make sure that our quarterback has a place to go with the football if his primary reads aren’t here. These are things that we’ve addressed, these are things we’ve kinda gotten cleaned up after reviewing the Indiana game, and hopefully we’ll always, moving forward, have the ability to make sure our quarterback has a place to go with the football."

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