Goosebumps for the opening weekend in college football; the Michael Locksley era exploded Saturday afternoon when the Maryland Terrapins put down the Howard University Bison on Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium 79-0.
The matchup featured the debut head coaches Locksley (Maryland) and Ron Price (Howard). This game is the second time these schools have played, with Maryland winning the previous matchup 52-13. Maryland Stadium seats over 50,000; so, the question is, where was everyone?
The Terrapins performance was spotless. Transfer quarterback Josh Jackson completed 15 of 24 for 245 yards with four touchdowns. Stud running back Anthony McFarland scored twice on only six carries. The dismantling Maryland put on Howard was the second-largest margin of victory in school history since defeating Maryland College 80-0 in 1927. Maryland’s offense outgained Howard by nearly tenfold with 623 yards with 648 returns yards on top. However, the question remains, where was everyone?
The Terrapin defense mobbed Howard quarterback Caylin Newton, 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, stymied to 3 of 11 for 23 Yards, sacked him five times with negative 13 yards rushing. Howard only accumulated 67 yards on offense and only one-yard rushing. Where was everyone?
The Bison’s football team was physically there, their acclaimed marching band put on a show, and the dance squad and cheerleaders brought passion. Howard fans did not commute the seven miles from Georgia Avenue to support their team — the Bison play at Greene Stadium that seats just over 7,000. If Howard brought every fan that would fill there stadium, there would still be thousands of seats empty at Maryland Stadium. Where was everyone?
It Is Labor Day weekend, the last official weekend of summer. The students do not have to be back for class until Tuesday. The weather was near perfect for an afternoon football game. In all of the parking lots, there was a limited number of the student and non-student body tailgating. Where was everyone?
Maryland hired Locksley, the former offensive coordinator from Alabama, praised for his recruiting. The university is investing in its football program. Maryland wants to play big boy football but only has two-thirds of the formula. The most significant piece missing is the fan. Maryland wants to play big boy football with the likes of Ohio State and Michigan? Two programs that compete for national titles and prominent bowl games; that fill much larger stadiums effortlessly every Saturday.
Red, black, and gold in the seats mean you are playing big boy football. Maryland’s will not be a legit football presence until those bleachers are full. The luxury boxes must sell out and not permit the opposing team’s fans buying unsold tickets. That is how it is in playing college football on an elite level. Maryland has taken its first few steps, but fans need to take their first steps as well. Where is everyone?
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