In addition to the money from coach Mike Locksley’s desk, the suspect is also accused of stealing $1,000 more in cash and a pair of Oakley sunglasses from the office of the football program’s chief of staff, Brian Griffin, according to an indictment handed down in late August.

The suspect, a 48-year-old from Reisterstown, had also been accused four years ago of stealing from offices at different schools’ athletic departments over the course of several months. In multiple theft cases, including the one in College Park, investigators noted that he dressed up to blend in on campus, sometimes carrying props to solidify the act.

It was not clear in court records if the suspect had been served with the Aug. 20 indictment, and a spokesperson for the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office was not able to immediately answer when asked about his status on Monday afternoon. A call to a phone number associated with the suspect was not returned.

The indictment, which charges the 48-year-old with four burglary and theft offenses, replaces a shorter set of charges issued in early July in connection with the June 16 thefts, though authorities never served him with an arrest warrant issued for those offenses, according to court records.

Surveillance footage from June showed the suspect following a couple into the Jones-Hill House, the football program’s training complex and administrative headquarters, at around noon, a campus police detective wrote in charging documents.

An employee opened the front door for the couple, and the suspect followed from behind while pretending to be on his phone, according to the charging documents. He was clad in a button-down shirt and dress pants, and also wore a camera with an extended lens around his neck “as if he was there to take photographs,” the officer wrote.

The suspect lingered around a staircase while the couple and the employee proceeded into the building. Then, he stopped using his phone “as soon as they left his view,” darting up the stairs to the football program’s administrative offices, which were unoccupied, the investigator wrote.

He “quickly went into multiple offices,” eventually entering Locksley’s through an open door and then proceeding to Griffin’s, where he exited with a gray pair of sunglasses, according to charging papers. The suspect left the building and waited for an Uber, which police said took him to a nearby parking lot, where he got into a BMW.

Baltimore Police stopped the BMW the next week, leading to campus investigators identifying the suspect and getting the warrant for his arrest.

Police noted that the same suspect was seen on surveillance footage “sneaking” into the university’s Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center earlier in June, though he was “spooked by an employee” who passed him in the office area.

The campus police investigators’ description of how the suspect carried out the June burglary appears strikingly similar to what Baltimore County Police wrote in a 2020 application for theft charges against the same man. The Reisterstown resident was charged that year in connection with a series of thefts from athletic offices at Stevenson University and the nearby Jemicy School.

County police investigators wrote that a set of keys belonging to the private institution’s head baseball coach were stolen from an unlocked office during a 2019 open house event. They pointed to footage of a “well-dressed male, carrying a folder” seen wandering the halls of the school’s sports complex “as if he belonged there” before entering the coach’s office and leaving with a set of keys.

A month later, the same person was seen taking $200 of student government money from the desk of a Jemicy School coach, charging papers say. In February 2020, he was again seen entering a different Stevenson coach’s office — $120 was taken from her purse that night.

He was identified as the suspect in that string of thefts after a Stevenson employee confronted him in a player locker room. The charges against him — four misdemeanor theft counts — were ultimately shelved, or placed on the inactive docket, in a 2022 agreement with county prosecutors, according to court records.

Quarterback Blake Horvath led another impressive offensive performance while inside linebacker Colin Ramos spearheaded a dominant display by the defense. Even punter Riley Riethman sparked a solid outing by the special teams.

Horvath accounted for 234 yards of offense, making plays with both his arm and feet. The talented junior had career highs for rushing (122) and passing (112) yards.

Through two games, Horvath has shown a strong grasp of the new Wing-T offense and the ability to make all the plays asked of the quarterback. He’s always been a smooth runner with great instincts and looks comfortable taking off on option keepers.

Horvath, a triple-option quarterback at Hilliard Darby High in Ohio, showed he has the speed to go the distance during a 65-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He’s equally effective running inside or outside and has the quickness to make defenders miss.

Navy coaches challenged Horvath to improve as a passer during the offseason to effectively run first-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic’s “millennial” Wing-T attack. So far, so good, as Horvath has completed 12 of 21 passes (57%) for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

It helps to have a big-time playmaker to target, and snipe Eli Heidenreich has quickly emerged as the primary guy in the passing game. He was a slot receiver at Mount Lebanon High in Pittsburgh and it shows with his route-running and pass-catching skills. Heidenreich has the speed and acceleration to get separation and extremely sure hands.

Heidenreich already has eight catches for 172 yards and three scores because Cronic has designed pass plays to get him in space. Another example came Saturday when Horvath connected with Heidenreich for a 31-yard touchdown strike.

It came off a play that looked like a triple-option with Horvath faking to the fullback then carrying the ball down the line of scrimmage with a trailing back. Temple’s linebackers and safeties rushed up in run support just as Horvath pulled up and set to throw. Heidenreich, who was wide-open downfield, caught the ball in stride and waltzed into the end zone.

Millennial, indeed.

“I think the biggest thing is the wrinkles you can add off the plays you run already. We want to make as many plays look as similar as possible,” Horvath said of the play. “We run option off that look and [Brandon Chatman] had a long run. We ran it to the left and I had a solid gain. They were really flying downhill. You reel them in a little bit and lull them to sleep.”

Cronic also used a simple play to get the ball into Heidenreich’s hands, having him run a short route into the right flat for an easy pitch and catch. It is the type of high-percentage short passing concept that is almost guaranteed to pick up a few yards and has the potential for a big gain because of Heidenreich’s speed, quickness and elusiveness.

Cronic still has plenty left to show from the Wing-T playbook. It’s going to be fun and exciting as the veteran play-caller unveils more of the diverse package.

Navy has piled up 87 points and 846 total yards through two games, which means the offensive line is getting the job done. Following Saturday’s game, Horvath made sure to give credit to the unit composed of left tackle Connor McMahon, left guard Ben Purvis, center Brent Self, right guard Cam Nichols and right tackle Javan Bouton.

Temple had a highly touted defensive line, but Navy dominated the line of scrimmage on the way to amassing 297 rushing yards. The Midshipmen currently rank 10th nationally in rushing offense with 280.5 yards per game on the ground. That’s more like it after some underwhelming offensive performances in recent seasons.

“[The Owls] give the toughest players single-digit numbers, so when you see a bunch of those guys on the defensive line you know they are going to try to make some plays,” Horvath said. “A big point of emphasis was winning the game up front, and I thought we did that.”

Temple quarterback E.J. Warner torched Navy last year to the tune of 402 yards and four touchdown passes in a stunning upset. Ramos, the defensive captain, said the Midshipmen were determined to make amends, and they did so convincingly. Ramos recorded 15 tackles as Navy shut down the running game and made Temple one-dimensional with quarterback Forrest Brock completing 30 of 46 passes for 277 yards. He missed a lot of throws, however, and routinely settled for short passes. The Mids had two interceptions and five pass breakups.

Cornerback Ira Oniha set the tone on the first play of the game, drilling a wideout for a 3-yard loss.

“We knew we basically had to punch them in the face,” Ramos said, “and Ira did that on the first play.”

That was a theme throughout the game as Navy was aggressive in coverage and refused to allow Temple receivers to turn short passes into big gains. The Mids tackled well in open space and had multiple defenders rally to the ball.

Give credit to defensive coordinator P.J. Volker, too, for creating a game plan that prevented the nickel-and-dime approach Temple implemented so successfully last season.

“I think they tried to make the screens an extension of their run game and we handled the perimeter pretty well. I thought we fit things up outside,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said.

When Newberry was hired as Navy defensive coordinator in 2019 he brought a “get six” mantra he believes is key to success. The Mids’ defense has met that challenge in a big way so far this season, totaling nine points against both Bucknell and Temple.

On Saturday, the defense recorded a trio of three-and-outs, a pair of turnovers on downs, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a safety.

Newberry was upset about how the special teams performed in the season opener as there was a kickoff out of bounds, a missed extra point, and too many yards allowed on returns.

Navy was much better with the specialty units against Temple with Riethman repeatedly pinning the visitors deep with three punts that were downed inside the 20-yard line. He boomed a 51-yard punt early in the first quarter that was downed at the 2-yard line. He followed with a high punt that was fair caught at the 9-yard line and led to the safety.

Temple’s average starting field position for the game was its 22-yard line, which was an important factor in the game.

“We played really well on special teams. Field position was really critical, especially in the first half, and we dominated that area,” Newberry said. “I just thought the overall effort and execution were much better. The attention to detail was much better.”

One of the few bright spots in Saturday’s shocking 27-24 setback to visiting Michigan State on Saturday was the growing connection between quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and wide receiver Tai Felton.

With 11 catches for 152 yards and one touchdown against the Spartans and seven receptions for 178 yards and two scores in a 50-7 victory over UConn on Aug. 31, Felton became the first Terps receiver to collect 100 yards in each of his first two games since Dontay Demus Jr. in 2021 and the first player to amass 150 yards in back-to-back games since Jermaine Lewis in 1995. With 330 yards in two games, the senior has already exceeded the 309 yards he compiled in 13 games in 2022 and is halfway to his career high of six touchdown catches last year.

Edwards Jr., a redshirt junior, acknowledged his rapport with Felton but emphasized that he wants to develop chemistry with more of his wide receivers.

“The past two games, it’s been a little bit more with Tai inside with just so many teams playing Cover 2 and trying to take away shots,” he said. “So we’ll continue to build on that connection and just me with all of the receivers — whether that’s with [junior] Shaleak Knotts, [junior] Octavian Smith [Jr.], [senior] Kaden Prather. We’ll continue to build on that. They have the confidence in me, and I have the confidence in them that regardless of who’s in the game, we can make stuff happen.”

Here are three observations from Saturday night’s loss:

The Big Ten remains too big for Maryland

For all of the talk about contending for a conference title last season and upsetting the status quo this fall, the Terps continue to lay eggs at critical junctures.

Last year’s team had a chance to rebound from a 37-17 setback at then-No. 4 Ohio State after a 5-0 start, but dropped back-to-back games to Illinois (27-24 on Oct. 14) and Northwestern (33-27 on Oct. 28). On Saturday, Maryland faced a Spartans roster filled with 61 newcomers (tied for seventh-most at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level) and coming off of an unimpressive 16-10 win against Florida Atlantic.

But the offense couldn’t run the ball, the defense got gashed through the air, and redshirt junior kicker Jack Howes missed a 41-yard field goal that would have inflated the Terps’ lead to 10 points with less than five minutes left. After the game, coach Mike Locksley conceded that Saturday’s matchup was “one we should’ve won,” which sounds nice but spotlights the blemish of a 0-1 start in the Big Ten and heightens the magnitude of an upcoming four-game stretch that includes games against Indiana (2-0) and Northwestern (1-1).

Even so, Locksley refused to sound the alarm after the loss to Michigan State.

“It’s early in the year. So I’m not in here telling you that the season is lost because we took a tough loss here at home against a good team,” he said. “But I think and expect this team to respond in the right way. They’ve done the work, they continue to do things the way we need them done in practice, but it has to translate to games. When we have opportunities to win Big Ten games like we had with this one, we have to seize the opportunity.”

Senior safety Dante Trader Jr. expressed confidence in what Locksley has consistently described as a “player-led culture.”

“Guys like me, guys like the leaders, we’ve got to do our jobs,” the McDonogh graduate said. “This is where the leadership comes like we’ve been talking about and preaching about the whole time. It’s not all lost. We’ve got to get back to the drawing board.”

Let the second-guessing commence

Armchair quarterbacks will have a field day reviewing Locksley’s decisions in that pivotal fourth quarter.

Howes’ 41-yarder that he pushed right occurred on fourth-and-1 at Michigan State’s 23-yard line. On the ensuing play, sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles hurled a deep throw to freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh for a 77-yard touchdown that allowed the Spartans to tie the score at 24.

Locksley had no qualms about sending in Howes, who had converted all four of his field goals before that miss — including a 45-yarder in the third quarter.

“Jack’s our kicker,” he said. “We had a chance to go up two scores. If I do kick it and we don’t score, you’re going to say, ‘Why didn’t you go for it?’ If I kick it and we make it, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t from that standpoint. But the smart play is to go up by two possessions, 10 points.”

On Maryland’s next series, the offense faced fourth-and-1 at its own 44, but Locksley chose to send in redshirt sophomore Bryce McFerson, who punted the ball to Michigan State’s 16 with 2:12 remaining. The Spartans capitalized with a 13-play, 65-yard drive culminating in graduate student kicker Jonathan Kim’s 37-yard field goal with one second left on the clock.

Locksley could have called a play for Edwards Jr., who excelled at short-yardage and goal-line situations last season when he scored a team-high seven rushing touchdowns. But Locksley said the goal was to pin Michigan State inside the 10 and rely on the defense.

Edwards Jr. wasn’t going to contradict Locksley and said opponents are more likely to be aware of his running ability in short-yardage situations.

“I think we’re just trying to get creative with things,” he said. “I’ve got the utmost confidence in our game plans as a whole and specifically our short-yardage and stuff like that. At the end of the day, it just comes down to mindset and going out there and taking it.”

The experienced defense that was supposed to be a strength looked lost

Michigan State outlasted Florida Atlantic despite a sluggish performance from Chiles, who went 10-for-24 for 114 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

On Saturday, Chiles looked like the second coming of Kirk Cousins, completing 24 of 39 throws for 363 yards and three touchdowns that offset the three interceptions Maryland came away with.

Locksley said the plan was to force the Spartans to veer away from the run game and rely on Chiles to use his arm. With only one returning starter in the secondary (Trader), that strategy failed, and Locksley acknowledged that the coaches might have to keep one safety deep or use more players to rush opposing quarterbacks and force them to make quicker decisions.

“Some of the times, it didn’t look like we were in good coverage, and we gave up some big plays,” he said. “Those are some growing pains that I hate that we have to go through now. And I know for the people who support us, they don’t like to hear it, but those are necessary growing pains that some of these inexperienced players are going to have to go through. We’ve got to help them as coaches by figuring out how to protect them a little bit more.”

Trader said he and fellow safety Glendon Miller, who collected two interceptions in the game and has three in the first two games, have to support a young cornerback corps that includes freshmen Brandon Jacob and Kevyn Humes.

“I’ve got to do better, Glen has to do better to help these young corners gain confidence,” Trader said. “Not a lot of them have played the amount of ball we’ve played, and the speed of the game is really different. You will see a big difference from this loss to next week in terms of our secondary play.”

The game could not have started better for Morgan State, as Bears defensive back Carlvainsky Decius intercepted a pass from quarterback Carlos Davis on the Tigers’ opening play from scrimmage. But Morgan State’s drive stalled at the Towson 23-yard-line, leading to a 40-yard field goal by Beckett Leary.

That 3-0 lead was short-lived, as Towson wide receiver Sam Reynolds caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Davis with 7:06 left in the first quarter to put the Tigers up 7-3. Davis, a Mervo graduate and UMass transfer, started the drive with a 45-yard pass to receiver Jaceon Doss.

Morgan State (1-1) had a chance to go into the locker room trailing by just one possession, but the Tigers added to their lead when running back Christopher Watkins scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 33 seconds left in the half.

It did not take long for the Bears to answer after the break. On the second play of the third quarter, quarterback Tahj Smith threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joseph Kennerly Jr., cutting the deficit to 14-9 after the extra point attempt was blocked.

Morgan State threatened to pull even closer, but Rion Roseborough blocked Leary’s 39-yard field goal attempt with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter.

Both teams struggled with penalties, as Morgan State was penalized nine times for 58 yards and Towson earned six flags for 70 yards. The Tigers (1-1) also fumbled three times but lost only one, while the Bears recovered their only fumble. With Towson looking to extend its lead early in the fourth quarter after a 44-yard run by Devin Matthews, wide receiver Da’Kendall James fumbled at the Morgan State 18, and the Bears recovered.

“We just left too much out there on offense,” Towson second-year coach Pete Shinnick told reporters after the game. “I thought we easily could have gotten in the end zone a couple more times, but credit to Morgan. They played really tough.”

In his home debut after losing, 38-20, at Cincinnati last week, Davis finished 21-for-28 for 209 yards. Matthews had 11 carries for 95 yards and Doss finished with three catches for 67 yards for Towson, which leads the all-time series 23-6.

Smith, who was sacked five times, completed 13 of 20 passes for 163 yards and added 11 carries for 24 yards, while Jason Collins led the Bears with 34 yards on six carries.

Arturo Mattocks recorded a game-high nine tackles and Elijah Williams had two sacks for Morgan State.

Division II

Lenoir-Rhyne 32, Bowie State 19: The host Bears (1-0) outscored the Bulldogs (0-1) 16-6 in the second half and never trailed. Bowie State safety Samuel Graham (North County) intercepted a pass from Lenoir-Rhyne quarterback Jalen Ferguson and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 16-6 with 17 seconds left in the first half. The Bulldogs’ Curtis Murray (Towson University) had a 62-yard touchdown run with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.

Division III

Johns Hopkins 27, Ithaca 23: Bay Harvey completed a second-half comeback with a 15-yard touchdown pass to EJ Talarico with 8:44 left in the game to lift the visiting Blue Jays (1-0) over the Bombers (0-1). Ithaca opened with a 17-0 lead in the first half. Hopkins strung together four scoring plays to take a 20-17 lead near the end of the third quarter. The Bombers took the lead back, 23-20, with 14:53 left before the Blue Jays’ game-winning drive. Harvey completed 17 of 28 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 21 carries for 132 yards and two scores.

Salisbury 48, Washington & Lee 26: The host Sea Gulls (1-0) took a 28-0 lead over the Generals (0-1) and rolled to victory. Dario Belizaire (four carries for 137 yards) and Archbishop Curley graduate Ronald Clark (13 for 134) each had two rushing touchdowns for Salisbury. Gage Katzenell-Hall completed 6 of 12 passes for 269 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown pass to Micah Brubaker. Katzenell-Hall also had an 8-yard rushing touchdown. Salisbury will host Muhlenberg at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

McDaniel 7, Catholic 3: Micajah Cobbs had a 17-yard touchdown run and Braylon Johnson added the extra point to lift the host Green Terror (1-0) over the Cardinals (0-1) on Friday night. Catholic took a 3-0 lead on a 23-yard field goal by Andrew Petrino (Calvert Hall) with 4:43 left in the third quarter, but McDaniel answered with 25 seconds left in the quarter to take the lead for good. Cobbs had 20 carries for 83 yards. The win ended an 11-game losing streak overall, a three-game slide to Catholic and a three-game losing streak in season openers.

Haberman blocked the kick by Notre Dame’s Mitch Jeter, allowing the jubilant Huskies to claim their first nonconference victory against a ranked opponent since a 19-16 upset of No. 21 Alabama in 2003.

It was the Huskies’ first victory over a top-10 opponent, drawing emotion from coach Thomas Hammock afterward.

“We didn’t need luck,” Hammock said. “That was our theme. I didn’t think we needed luck. We just need to play our best. It wasn’t the cleanest for us, but we played hard for four quarters and stayed together. They worked together, they believed and they made enough plays to win a game.

“This is a program-changing-type win, no different than when we beat Alabama a while ago.”

Hammond said his Huskies measured up to Notre Dame.

“I think we were bigger than what they thought,” Hammock said. “We’re not a normal MAC team, in my opinion. We’re big on the offensive and defensive lines and we’re physical. I didn’t look at it as a mismatch in that capacity.”

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said the loss was disappointing, especially on the heels of an impressive road win over then-No. 20 Texas A&M.

“You know, it’s our job as coaches to make sure these guys are ready to go,” Freeman said. “You go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a tale of two weeks, but we’ve got to own this thing. As coaches and players, we’ve got to own it, and we’ve got to fix it.”

Notre Dame (1-1) looked like it was in position to get some separation from Northern Illinois (2-0) as it clung to a 14-13 lead in the fourth quarter. The Fighting Irish gained possession after a punt with 7:49 left and drove from their 25 to the NIU 49.

Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard launched a pass deep down the middle intended for Kris Mitchell, but Amariyun Knighten made the interception and returned it 33 yards to the 50-yard line with 5:55 to play.

“It was a completely bad read,” Leonard said of the interception. “That single-high safety was attached to the inside post. I thought he wouldn’t attach again. Bad eyes, bad feet, bad ball. That resulted in a pick. Can’t happen. Completely my fault.”

The Huskies worked the clock and drove to the Notre Dame 19, setting the stage for Woodill’s field goal. A key play on the drive was converting a fourth-and-2 with a 3-yard run from quarterback Ethan Hampton to the Notre Dame 28.

The first-down conversion from Hampton, who was 10 of 19 for 198 yards and a touchdown, set up the winning field goal from Woodill, his third made kick of the day.

“It’s amazing,” Hampton said of the victory. “It’s something I’ll remember forever. I grew up a Huskie fan. Playing here has been a dream for me.”

Notre Dame struck first as Leonard sidestepped the defense for an 11-yard touchdown run with 8:28 left in the first quarter.

It took only five plays for Northern Illinois to answer. Antario Brown broke loose between two defensive backs for an 83-yard touchdown reception.

A pair of Woodill field goals from 42 and 21 yards gave the Huskies a 13-7 halftime lead. Notre Dame had the chance to make it 13-10 before half, but Haberman blocked Jeter’s 48-yard attempt.

Woodill missed a 53-yard attempt on the first possession of the second half, and Notre Dame took advantage.

Jeremiyah Love broke loose for a 34-yard touchdown run, hurdling a defender on the way to the end zone. Jeter’s extra point gave Notre Dame a 14-13 lead with 8:34 left in the third quarter.

Leonard finished 20 of 32 for 163 yards and two interceptions.

The takeaway

Notre Dame has plenty of work to do on the offensive side as a young line struggled to establish command.

A veteran Northern Illinois team has firmly established itself as a contender in the Mid-American Conference.

Up next

Notre Dame: Travels to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue on Saturday.

Northern Illinois: Gets a week off and then hosts Buffalo on Sept. 21.

After enjoying a 43-point demolition of UConn a week ago, the Terps failed to protect a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter and watched helplessly as graduate student kicker Jonathan Kim’s 37-yard field goal with one second left cemented a 27-24 win for Michigan State on Saturday evening before an announced 34,819 at SECU Stadium.

Maryland missed out on an opportunity to win its first two games for the ninth time in the past 10 years and its third consecutive Big Ten home opener. The program lost for only the second time in 15 games in September over the past four seasons.

“We had one taken,” coach Mike Locksley said. “You’ve got to give Michigan State credit. They took the game. They drove it down, and they kicked the winning field goal. They did what we didn’t do, and that to me, that’s the part — as a player-led team and me as the head coach — we’ve got to get fixed.”

As disappointed as he was, senior safety Dante Trader Jr. chose to cling to a silver lining.

“It’s kind of good that it happened early,” said the McDonogh graduate, who had three tackles. “We didn’t want it to happen at all, but it’s life. It’s the game of football. It’s always taking something away. It’s not a game that always gives. But we’ll figure it out.”

After a slow start, redshirt junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. found his rhythm in the second half and finished 26-for-34 with 253 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 13 yards and one score.

For the second consecutive game, Edwards’ favorite target was Tai Felton, who caught 11 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown. The senior wide receiver became the first Terps receiver to reach 100 yards in each of his first two games since Dontay Demus Jr. in 2021 and the first player to compile 150 yards in back-to-back games since Jermaine Lewis in 1995.

But that duo was outplayed by the Spartans’ pair of Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh. Chiles, a sophomore transfer from Oregon State, connected on 24 of 39 throws for 363 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Marsh, a freshman, amassed 194 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions.

Michigan State (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten) exposed a Maryland defense that returned seven starters and appeared to be the team’s strength after limiting the Huskies to 88 rushing yards and forcing either a punt or turnover on 11 of 15 offensive possessions. The Spartans rolled to 493 yards, including 363 through the air, averaged 7.1 yards per play and converted 8 of 14 third-down chances.

“The game plan was to make them beat us throwing the ball, and Aidan Chiles and those receivers did a good job of winning,” Locksley said. “We had our chances. We just didn’t take advantage of them, and to me, we’ve got to get that part fixed.”

If there was a bright spot for the Terps, they came away with three interceptions, including two by redshirt senior safety Glendon Miller. With at least one interception in four straight games, Miller just needs an interception at Virginia on Saturday night to tie the school record of five straight games with an interception set by Lewis Sanders in 1999.

Trailing 17-14 at halftime, Maryland tied the score thanks to a 45-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Jack Howes midway through the third quarter. The Terps regained the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when Edwards found sophomore tight end Dylan Wade along the left sideline for a 28-yard touchdown.

But one play after Howes pushed a 41-yard field goal attempt wide right, Michigan State knotted the score at 24 when Chiles launched a deep pass to Marsh to complete a 77-yard touchdown with 4:11 remaining.

While acknowledging that freshman cornerback Kevyn Humes, a Baltimore native and St. Frances graduate, slipped in the defensive backfield, Trader said he and Miller have to provide better support.

“We were in a certain coverage where it was really one-on-one,” Trader said. “It’s kind of hard, but we knew they were going to give us the race route. That quarterback did a good job of finding his playmakers to make explosive plays. So we’ve got to go back to the drawing board because we will get that upcoming since we showed we couldn’t cover that today.”

The Spartans defense forced the Terps to punt. Michigan State took advantage of a pass interference penalty on junior cornerback Jalen Huskey to extend its final series and end the game courtesy of Kim’s 37-yard field goal.

The Terps opened the game as if they were still living off the high of last Saturday’s 50-7 rout of UConn. They marched 75 yards in 14 plays, and although Edwards missed senior wide receivers Kaden Prather and Felton three times for potential touchdowns, the quarterback connected with Felton on a 15-yard corner route to the back left corner of the end zone for the early 7-0 lead nearly halfway through the first quarter.

Michigan State replied on its first possession. Aided by an unnecessary roughness call by redshirt sophomore cornerback Perry Fisher and a 30-yard run by junior running back Nathan Carter, Chiles found senior wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. for a 9-yard score with less than six minutes remaining.

On the Spartans’ next offensive series, Chiles wildly overthrew Marsh, and the ball landed in Miller’s waiting arms. He returned the ball 28 yards to Michigan State’s 17-yard line, and two plays later, Edwards carried the ball seven yards off left tackle for a touchdown that gave Maryland a 14-7 lead with 47 seconds left in the frame.

Again, the Spartans had a response. They drove to the Terps’ 21 before junior right guard Gavin Broscious was flagged for an illegal blindside block. But on second down-and-23, junior wide receiver Jaron Glover faked outside and sprinted inside past Huskey to catch a 34-yard touchdown that tied the score at 14 with less than 11 minutes left in the second quarter.

Michigan State pounced on another Maryland error to end the first half. Kim’s 55-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left as time expired, but Huskey had jumped offsides. Kim made his second chance count with a 50-yarder on an untimed play to give the Spartans the 17-14 lead at intermission.

Locksley’s message to the players in the locker room was that there are 10 more games on the schedule — beginning with Saturday night’s road game against Virginia — and Edwards echoed that sentiment.

“Like Coach Locks said in the locker room, the season is not a loss, it’s not a wipeout,” he said. “We’ve got to correct the things we’ve got to correct. We’ve got a really tough game coming on the road down to Charlottesville next week against UVA, and we’ve got to get this stuff correct and be ready for the rest of the season and so on. It’ll be tough, but we’ve got the right group of guys in the locker room. I think we’re all ready to get back in here tomorrow and Monday and watch the tape and most importantly learn from it and rally the guys and move on.”

Maryland at Virginia

Saturday, 8 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Radio: 105.7 FM

However, the defense deserves as much or more credit for the Midshipmen posting another convincing victory Saturday before an announced crowd of 28,889 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Inside linebacker Colin Ramos spearheaded a dominant defensive effort as Navy routed visiting Temple, 38-11, in the American Athletic Conference opener for both programs. Ramos, the senior defensive captain, recorded 15 tackles and the defense made a ton of big plays in totally shutting down the Owls.

Cornerback Ira Oniha had six tackles, a clutch pass breakup that prevented a touchdown and a forced fumble for Navy (2-0), which held Temple three points until there were 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Outside linebackers Jaxson Campbell and Kenneth McShan notched interceptions for the Mids, who limited the Owls to 193 total yards through three quarters.

“I thought defensively we really flew around and competed. We gave up some stuff underneath, but we didn’t give up any explosive plays. The plan was to make them earn it and I thought we did that today,” said Navy coach Brian Newberry, noting that Temple’s run game was “nonexistent.”

Navy avenged last season’s embarrassing 32-18 loss to Temple in Philadelphia. Members of the Midshipmen’s defense in particular said they had this contest circled after getting picked apart by quarterback E.J. Warner.

“It was pretty personal because of last year, so this was a big one,” Ramos said. “The main focus was on ourselves and coming out the right way as a defense, and I think we did that.”

Newberry said defensive coordinator P.J. Volker beat himself up about the game plan against Temple a year ago.

“I thought [Volker] called a brilliant game today. He put our guys in the right positions and we executed well for the most part,” Newberry said.

Quarterback Blake Horvath was the sparkplug of a Navy offense that amassed 409 total yards. Horvath rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries before leaving the game late in the third quarter. He also completed 5 of 9 passes for 112 yards and a score.

Horvath became the first Navy quarterback to surpass 100 rushing and passing yards since Tai Lavatai accomplished the feat against SMU in 2022.

“I thought Blake did a nice job and played really well. He threw some nice balls,” Newberry said. “One thing about Blake — as he gets more and more confident, he’s going to get better and better.”

Snipe Eli Heidenreich had another big game with four receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Alex Tecza made his presence known with 92 rushing yards on just nine carries.

Horvath took an option keeper 62 yards for a touchdown on a first down play early in the second quarter. On Navy’s next possession, Tecza broke a fullback dive 65 yards for a score on first down. Heidenreich later added a 51-yard reception that got Navy off its own goal line.

“We have a bunch of skill players that when they get the ball they can go to the house with it,” Newberry said.

It’s been an explosive start to the season for the Wing-T offense brought to Annapolis by first-year coordinator Drew Cronic as Navy is averaging 43.5 points and 423 total yards through two games.

“I knew Drew was going to do a great job. He’s a proven winner whose had success everywhere he’s been, scored a lot of points everywhere he’s been,” Newberry said. “Just a really good football coach and a really good person. He’s got these guys believing in what we’re doing.”

Temple’s Forrest Brock completed 30 of 46 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown to lead Temple (0-2), which has been outscored 90-13 in two games this season. The Owls were completely one-dimensional, managing only 35 rushing yards against the stout front seven of the Midshipmen.

Navy’s defense put the first points on the board. With the Owls backed up inside their 10, Brock could not handle the shotgun snap and the ball rolled into the end zone. Brock was able to recover, but was drilled by Justin Reed and knocked out of bounds for a safety.

Isaiah Bryant returned the subsequent free kick 21 yards to give Navy great field position. Horvath then directed an efficient 11-play, 58-yard touchdown drive the quarterback capped himself with a 2-yard plunge into the end zone.

Things got worse for Temple on its third possession as Navy outside linebacker Jaxson Campbell made a great read and jumped in front of an attempted slant pass to record his first career interception. Navy needed only one play to capitalize on the turnover with Horvath taking an option keeper around the left side, picking up a great block by tight end Jake Norris and racing down the sideline 62 yards to paydirt. Kicker Nathan Kirkwood made his second extra point to increase the lead to 16-0 .

After a Temple three-and-out, Navy produced its second straight one-play touchdown drive. Tecza did an impressive job of maintaining balance and staying on his feet while shaking off a tackle attempt on a dive play. Tecza broke loose and found no defenders between himself and the goal line, racing 65 yards to the end zone to make it 23-0.

Temple mounted a late drive that produced a 36-yard field goal by Maddux Trujillo and went into halftime trailing 23-3.

Navy got the ball to start the second half and promptly mounted an impressive nine-play, 81-yard touchdown drive that featured a nice mixture of plays. It started with a reverse that wide receiver Nathan Kent took 17 yards for a quick first down. Horvath gained another 17 yards on consecutive keepers to bring the ball into Temple territory.

Three plays later, Cronic made a great call that produced a 31-yard scoring strike. Horvath faked to the fullback and carried the ball outside with a pitch man trailing on what looked like a triple-option play. However, Horvath abruptly pulled up, set his feet and found Heidenreich racing wide-open down the seam.

Heidenreich caught the pass in stride and waltzed into the end zone. Newberry called for the two-point conversion and Horvath completed a swing pass to Chatman to give Navy a commanding 31-3 lead.

There were more heroics from the Navy defense on the ensuing possession after Temple converted on fourth down in its own territory. Brock completed a pass to speedy wide receiver Ashton Allen and cornerback Mbiti Williams missed the tackle attempt.

Allen, an Odenton resident who initially attended USC on a track and field scholarship, raced down the sideline and seemed headed for the end zone, but cornerback Ira Oniha made a great hustle play and knocked him out of bounds at the 7-yard line after a 47-yard gain.

However, Navy held and forced a turnover on downs.

Horvath later iced the game with an 18-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Memphis at Navy

Saturday, Sept. 21, 3:30 p.m.

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: 1430 AM

Jaxson Campbell, a first-year starter at striker, led the Midshipmen with 10 tackles, including 1½ for loss. He also had half a sack and a pass breakup.

“Jaxson played the way I hoped and expected he would,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said after the game. “That’s a critical position that needs to be productive. Typically, when that guy is productive we’re doing pretty good on defense.”

Luke Pirris, in his second season as the starting raider, recorded eight tackles with 2½ for losses. Pirris notched 1 ½ sacks and forced a fumble that he recovered himself.

“I love Luke Pirris and the way he plays football. He had a couple really nice pass rush moves in the game and was very disruptive,” Navy defensive coordinator P.J. Volker said. “Luke just keeps getting better, keeps getting bigger, stronger and faster. You can tell the game is starting to slow down for him quite a bit.”

Campbell and Pirris got most of the defensive repetitions while the Bucknell game was in doubt, but Brown feels very comfortable with replacing them at any time with backups Kenneth McShan (striker) and Dylan Spelios (raider).

Brown said Spelios gets his vote for most improved player on defense, while McShan has adapted well after being moved from inside linebacker.

“We’ve had really, really healthy competition at both positions,” Brown said. “Dylan Spelios has shown that he’s ready to be a key member of this dark side defense. Kenny McShan has come really far in such a short time and is playing at a high level as well.”

Pirris was pressed into the starting lineup five games into last season after Jordan Sanders suffered an injury and played so well he kept the job even once Sanders was healthy.

Pirris wound up leading Navy with 10 tackles for loss and tying for the team lead with 4 ½ sacks. He ranked fifth with 62 total tackles and also had three pass breakups, three forced fumbles.

“You don’t really experience what playing in a game is like until you’re thrown into one,” Pirris said. “I grew a lot last year as far as seeing the pace of the game with how fast things move and how talented the players we go against are.”

Brown praised Pirris for working hard during the offseason with strength and conditioning coordinator Jim Kiritsy to “totally transform his body.” Pirris put on 15 pounds of primarily muscle and believes the increased size and strength has allowed the junior to “take my game to another level.”

Both Brown and Volker pushed Pirris to improve as a pass rusher and the production in the opener showed that he did. “I feel like I’ve taken a big step forward in that department and I’m looking forward to showcasing that this season,” he said.

While Pirris was impressive in the opener, he was nowhere near flawless and Volker pinpointed several fundamental mistakes while reviewing the game tape.

“Luke’s got to be more consistent with some of the techniques we’re looking for,” Volker said.

Volker says this is the deepest Navy has been at the raider position during his six years with the program and that is evidenced by the fact Sanders, who has played in 29 career games with four starts, is third on the depth chart. However, Volker is not surprised Spelios has made a move because he was the best defensive player at the Naval Academy Prep School in 2021.

“Dylan Spelios has really come on and is developing into the type of player we thought he would be when we recruited him,” Volker said. “Jordan has started games and is a tremendous talent as well. He brings some pass rush ability and is sturdy in the run game.”

Campbell was given every opportunity to earn the starting striker spot in August 2023 and was unable to do so. He too often played outside the parameters of the defense and got caught out of position. Senior Xavier McDonald wound up starting all 12 games and the coaching staff switched classmate Eavan Gibbons from safety to be the backup. Campbell was forced to prove himself on special teams.

“Jaxson probably got humbled a bit last year for the first time in his football career,” Volker said. “It was probably a little surprising for him, as it was for the coaches.”

One year later, Campbell is a completely different player with a better understanding of the defense and his role within it.

“Jaxson has matured a lot and made a ton of progress. The thing he’s improved the most is his discipline and not trying to make every play,” Volker said. “The level of detail with him has gotten so much better.”

Campbell agrees with that assessment and took to heart the Navy defensive mantra of having a high fixation to details.

“I know my job and where I’m supposed to be, so the coaches are now able to trust me. I’m not just relying on my athleticism to just run into plays and kind of be lucky,” Campbell said. “I’m so excited that I’m finally getting released and have the opportunity to go out and showcase what I can do for my football team. I’m excited to cause a lot of havoc.”

Brown said Campbell attacked spring camp like a consummate professional and saw the light bulb come on in terms of executing what the coaching staff demands from the striker. Newberry said Campbell’s “motor runs hot” at all times and noted he’s learned how to properly channel that intensity.

“Jaxson loves football and is hungry to improve. I love his work ethic and the way he attacks every day with amazing energy and enthusiasm,” Volker said. “We need that position to be a game wrecker and Jaxson has shown he can do that. He’s a very versatile athlete who can win off the edge or drop into coverage.”

McShan is another talented player who has been the victim of the injury bug. He earned a spot on special teams as a plebe and suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game against Memphis. He worked hard to rehabilitate and was back in the mix at inside linebacker during preseason camp a year ago when the right knee blew out and required another surgery.

“It speaks volumes about Kenny’s mental toughness and character to battle back and be primed to make an impact for this football team,” Volker said. “Kenny brings a level of physicality to the striker position that we haven’t had in the past. He is a very sudden, violent hitter.”

Navy Outside Linebackers

Position coach: Ricky Brown, second year

Current starters: Jaxson Campbell (Junior, 5-10, 202) at striker; Luke Pirris (Junior, 6-4, 217) at raider

Top backups: Kenneth McShan (Junior, 6-1, 207) at striker; Dylan Spelios (Junior, 6-4, 225) at raider

Starters lost: Striker Xavier McDonald (graduated)

Other lettermen lost: Striker Eavan Gibbons (graduated)

The legendary former Navy coach will be back in Annapolis on Saturday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of being named the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year.

Johnson reached the pinnacle of the profession in 2004 when he lead Navy to a 10-2 record. It was the first 10-win season for the Midshipmen since 1905 and caught the attention of the entire college football world.

Navy beat service academy rivals Army and Air Force to capture the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and capped the memorable campaign by defeating New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl. It was the culmination of a remarkable turnaround for the Midshipmen, who went 2-10 in Johnson’s first season at the helm in 2002.

“That was the cherry on top of a very special season. It was great to see Coach Johnson recognized for what he accomplished that year,” said Aaron Polanco, starting quarterback and offensive captain of that 2004 Navy squad. “That was something we as players could be very proud of — having the coach of the year for the entire country.”

Johnson will be recognized during Saturday’s game against Temple for the 20th anniversary of his award.

Johnson totally transformed Navy football during his six-year tenure, turning around a downtrodden program and leading it to a 45-29 overall record. The Midshipmen went 11-1 combined against the other two service academies and claimed the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy five times.

“I think the biggest thing we did at Navy was change the expectation level and do away with some of the preconceived notions on what could happen there,” Johnson told The Capital. “Everyone had all sorts of excuses for why you couldn’t be successful and we changed that whole mindset.”

Navy football hit rock bottom toward the end of coach Charlie Weatherbie’s tenure, going 1-20 in his last two seasons. Johnson, who was Weatherbie’s offensive coordinator in 1996 when Navy went 9-3 and upset California in the Aloha Bowl, was coaching at Georgia Southern, where he went 62-10 and won two 1-AA national championships.

Athletic director Chet Gladchuk lured Johnson back to the Naval Academy and it did not take long for him to resurrect the program. In just his second season at the helm, Johnson led Navy to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Houston Bowl. That set the stage for even greater success in 2004.

“What we were able to do the year before gave the players a lot of confidence and set a new standard for what we could accomplish,” said Mick Yokitis, a starting wide receiver on the 2004 team. “It was a bunch of  guys coming together and wanting to change the culture of the program and obviously it started at the top with Coach Johnson.”

Polanco, a senior, replaced graduated starter Craig Candeto at quarterback. He rushed for 980 yards and a team-high 16 touchdowns and passed for another 1,131 yards and eight scores.

Standout fullback Kyle Eckel, one of the greatest offensive players of the triple-option era, ran for 1,147 yards and 11 touchdowns. Slotback Eric Roberts accounted for 700 yards from scrimmage.

Safety Josh Smith recorded 119 tackles to spearhead a defense that only allowed an average 17 points per game in the 10 wins. Inside linebackers Bobby McClarin (107 tackles) and Lane Jackson (102 tackles) were other key figures on that side of the ball.

“I think a big part of that season was that we had a player-oriented team. Once we got the culture right, the players took ownership of the program and they expected to win,” Johnson said. “We had some good players that meshed well together. Once we got rolling, things kind of steamrolled that season. It was a really fun team to coach because it was player-driven.”

Memorable campaign

Navy got off to a great start and showed its potential by dominating Duke, 27-12, in the season opener. Polanco and Eckel led an offense that amassed 430 rushing yards, while the defense held the Blue Devils to 265 total yards.

Surprisingly, one of Navy’s toughest opponents proved to be Division I-AA Northeastern, which pushed the home team to the limit before falling, 28-24.

“That game was a good reminder that Navy cannot take anyone lightly,” Johnson said. “We could never roll our helmets out there and out-athlete any team we played.”

Navy posted a 29-0 shutout of Tulsa in its first road game of the season, then edged Vanderbilt, 29-26. The Midshipmen were brimming with confidence going into the opening leg of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy series.

Eckel and Polanco combined to rush for 168 yards and three touchdowns as Navy beat Air Force, 24-21, at Falcon Stadium. It was a Thursday night game broadcast nationally on ESPN and kicker Geoff Blumenfeld was the hero, booting a 30-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in regulation.

“Geoff always had a great leg and he handled the pressure in that big moment when he needed to make a big kick,” said Polanco, who was the holder for the huge field goal. “That was an unforgettable game that we still talk about to this day.”

Johnson said the seeds for that momentous win were sown during his first season when Navy lost to Air Force, 48-7, in Colorado Springs.

“I’ll never forget picking up the local paper on Sunday morning and [Air Force coach] Fisher DeBerry said they wanted to send us a message,” Johnson said. “I put that newspaper in my desk and kept it there the entire time I coached at Navy. When we beat them for five years in a row, I felt like saying: ‘Message delivered. Right back at you!’”

Navy suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Notre Dame, 27-9, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. However, the Midshipmen rebounded the following week to become bowl eligible.

Riding high with a 6-1 record, Navy laid an egg in New Orleans when it got routed by Tulane, 42-10. The Green Wave, who finished 5-6 that season, had plenty of offensive talent as running back Matt Forte and wide receiver Roydell Williams both played in the NFL. Quarterback Lester Ricard was on fire that day, completing 18 of 19 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns.

Yokitis, now in his 14th season as Navy wide receivers coach, thinks overconfidence was the reason for that lopsided loss. “That Tulane game still haunts me to this day. They were talented, but we should never have lost to that team. We just didn’t show up that day.”

Navy closed the epic campaign with consecutive blowouts, beating Rutgers, 54-21, and Army, 42-13. Eckel ran for a career-high 179 yards and the triple-option offense was clicking on all cylinders in totaling 405 yards against the Black Knights.

“Our coaching staff called Kyle Eckel the academy killer. Our defense couldn’t tackle him and neither could Army or Air Force,” Johnson said.

Navy went 6-0 against its archrival during Johnson’s tenure, a period that saw Army have three different head coaches (Todd Berry, Bobby Ross, Stan Brock). Johnson’s patented triple-option system so confounded the Black Knights the administration ultimately hired one of his disciples, Jeff Monken,  as head coach.

“I remember playing Army one year and at halftime I stepped out of the locker room just as Army was walking through the tunnel on the way back to the field,” Johnson recalled. “One of their defensive linemen looked at me and said: ‘Coach, we don’t have a freaking clue.’ I tried not to laugh, but it was just too funny and I couldn’t help myself.”

Bowl champions

Navy capped the 2004 season by beating New Mexico, 34-19, in the Emerald Bowl at SBC Park in San Francisco. Polanco accounted for 237 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as the Mids earned just the fifth bowl victory in program history and the first since 1996.

That game is still remembered for the epic drive that enabled Navy to salt away almost the entire fourth quarter. The Mids set NCAA records with 26 plays and 14:26 time of possession while marching 94 yards to set up a 22-yard field goal by Blumenfeld.

“We kept converting third and fourth downs. We were barely picking up first downs and just chipping away,” Polanco recalled. “You could see that our superior conditioning showed through. We steadily wore down the defense and they were tired. Halfway through the drive you could see their guys were sucking wind.”

What Johnson remembers most about that remarkable drive was that he twice called for a throwback to the quarterback on fourth down. Polanco pitched the ball to slotback Frank Divis, then snuck out the back door to catch passes of 6 and 17 yards.

“They were playing man-to-man and had no one assigned to cover the quarterback,” Johnson said.

When all was said and done, Johnson was the winner of the Bobby Dodd Trophy, which boosted his candidacy for the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

“Considering all of what Coach Johnson did during his career, it’s a very deserving honor. I think all the intangible things he brings to a program are what made him a Hall of Fame coach,” Polanco said. “Coach Johnson brought a winning mentality to Navy an left an incredible legacy. We learned that the triple-option was basically unstoppable at times when you’re running the right plays and making the right reads.”

Yokitis said Johnson was never satisfied and established a high standard at Navy that was maintained for most of the 15-year tenure of successor Ken Niumatalolo.

“Coach Johnson never told us we were any good. He was relentless about always getting better and stayed on us all the time,” Yokitis said. “He was a master of staying on your butt and making sure you reached your potential.”

Johnson left Navy to become head coach at Georgia Tech, which he led to an 82-61 record over 11 seasons. The Yellow Jackets won the Coastal Division and played in the ACC Championship Game four times under his direction. Johnson said leaving Navy was “probably the hardest career decision I ever made.”

“I coached at a lot of places, but nowhere were the guys tougher than they were at the Naval Academy; We challenged them in a lot of ways and they always responded,” Johnson said. “I enjoyed coaching every day I was there and look back on those days fondly.”

But now is not the time to feel satisfied, according to the redshirt junior quarterback.

“It definitely was a special moment — one that I tried to soak in,” he said Tuesday afternoon during the team’s weekly media availability. “Probably when it’s all said and done, I’ll go back and be able to take it all in, but it means a lot.”

Edwards’ performance might have meant just as much to Terps fans who wondered if anyone could succeed four-year starter and Big Ten career passing leader Taulia Tagovailoa. Edwards completed 20 of 27 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball five times for 39 yards in one of the more impressive season debuts in recent memory.

Edwards’ play was applauded by teammates on both sides of the ball.

“He’s a guy,” said senior wide receiver Tai Felton, who emerged as Edwards’ favorite target with seven catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns. “I was telling him on the sideline how proud I was of him, just seeing him work and how he put his head down and always stayed down and worked. It was great, and we’re going to keep pushing forward 100%.”

Added fifth-year senior outside linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II: “Just Billy winning the job and going out there and being efficient like he always is, that was great to see. He put a lot of work in from January to now, and everybody is now seeing that come to fruition.”

To those who know Edwards well, confidence has never been an issue — even if he had to outplay redshirt sophomores MJ Morris and Cameron Edge in the preseason to earn coach Mike Locksley’s blessing. Mike Dougherty, Edwards’ coach at Lake Braddock High in Burke, Virginia, recalled Edwards approaching the coach at a team interest meeting and introducing himself as “a Division I quarterback.”

“You could tell that it took some courage for him to come up to the coach who just got hired to let him know, ‘Hey, I’m your next DI quarterback,’” Dougherty recalled. “It was wholesome. He was letting me know that I was going to get to work with him, and it’s been a funny story ever since.”

Dougherty said Edwards ate lunch in the coaches’ office every weekday for two years and asked the coaches to help him fortify his understanding of playing the quarterback position.

“He wanted to come in and get on the board,” Dougherty said. “He wanted to get better at drawing plays and understanding, ‘What is a Y? What is an X? How do I draw up a Cover 2?’ That just snowballed. We run a heavy [run-pass option] scheme, and I never had any idea what was going to happen once the ball was snapped. He was either grippin’ and rippin’ or he was handing it off or he was taking off. He just understood the offense better than we did.”

As mobile as he is, Edwards was tutored as a pocket passer. Dougherty pointed out that Edwards threw 30 touchdown passes while becoming the first sophomore quarterback to start for him in 27 years of coaching.

Edwards, who nearly matched his career passing yardage total of 436 in Saturday’s game, said he didn’t give questions about his passing ability much traction.

“I think I’ve always had it in me,” he said. “I think it was just about getting more comfortable in it. Obviously in two seasons and the nature of the games I went in, there was not much time to get comfortable whether it was a sporadic start here or there or coming in for a short-yardage, goal-line package, whatever the case may be. But I think the biggest thing for me this offseason was more mental and trusting the fact that I can throw the football.”

Edwards is a favorite among his teammates and coaches. Locksley noted that the quarterback is genuine and doesn’t have any pretenses.

“Who Billy is when you meet him is who he is as a player,” Locksley said. “Very rarely do you see him get excitable. I think he has emotion. He’s one of those guys that he’s on both sides of the aisle. You’ll see him hanging out with the running backs and then with the big O-linemen. He gets along with everybody. To me, when you think of a quarterback, it’s a person who elevates the play of his teammates.”

Redshirt freshman running back Nolan Ray said Edwards is a constant source of encouragement for his teammates.

“He’s going to pick you up,” said Ray, who gained 60 yards and one touchdown on six attempts against the Huskies. “If you get down on yourself, he won’t allow you to do that. That’s important to have in the huddle. When you face that adversity in the tough games, you need a guy that’s going to be able to pick the team up and keep everybody’s spirits up, and he’s good at that.”

Whether Maryland (1-0) can defeat visiting Michigan State (1-0) in Saturday’s Big Ten opener at 3:30 p.m. at SECU Stadium might rely on another strong outing by Edwards. Spartans coach Jonathan Smith took note of the task that awaits his defense.

“It is a challenge because they’ve got talent on the outside and can make you miss and a quarterback with a strong arm who is a willing runner,” he said. “Coach Locksley has done it at a high level on that offensive side for a long time. It’s a serious challenge.”

Edwards is quick to remind everyone that any team success is a cooperative effort.

“I’m excited with what we have inside the locker room, what we have going,” he said. “This season’s a fun time. Everyone in that locker room is putting 55-plus hours per week into the game plan and putting in their time and effort for us to go out there and have a chance to succeed on Saturday. So that’s what keeps me motivated, to keep the main thing the main thing right now.”

Big Ten opener

Michigan State at Maryland

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: BTN

Radio: 105.7 FM