Confident Edwards leads Maryland into early Big Ten matchup with Michigan State

The Maryland Terrapins are Billy Edwards Jr.’s to lead at quarterback, and he’ll face a bit of a change-up this week as Michigan State visits for the earliest Big Ten opener in program history.

Edwards’ 20-of-27, 311 yard and two touchdown performance in Maryland’s 50-7 win over Connecticut graded as the fifth-highest Week 1 performance by a Power Four quarterback according to Pro Football Focus.

“Last week in practice, I got after it, and I was very calm going into Saturday's game,” Edwards said Tuesday. “I told myself it was like a Tuesday practice where, I had made those throws countless times, I had felt my feet on time, and made the right checks, made the right reads.

After taking the long road from Lake Braddock High in Burke, Virginia, to Wake Forest, and now to Maryland, the performance reinforced his belief that he can be a starting quarterback at this level.

“I think I've always had it in me. I think it was just about getting more comfortable in it,” Edwards said. “The biggest thing for me this offseason was more mental and knowing the fact — trusting the fact — that I can throw the football.”

The quirks of the new 18-team Big Ten now lead Edwards and the Terrapins into a home matchup with Michigan State, the league’s only intraconference game in Week 2. Saturday’s date with the Spartans is the earliest conference game for the program dating back to a 2011 ACC matchup with Miami, three years before Maryland joined the Big Ten.

“There's no easing into conference play,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. “And we know the value and what conference wins mean, because when you start running your mouth about competing for championships, it starts with being able to win in conference.”

Michigan State (1-0) is a familiar foe, with the two programs matched up annually under the old East division banner. “Historically, they were a ranked opponent,” Locksley reminded, but these Spartans are a far departure from that not-too-long-ago period.

New coach Jonathan Smith is left to put together the pieces after Mel Tucker was fired a year ago following sexual harassment accusations that became public.

Preseason expectations were low for the Spartans, not helped by a paltry 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic that featured a 2-0 lead after the first quarter due to a safety and no MSU points in the second half.

Still, Maryland is concerned with what the Spartans have shown, primarily on the defensive line.

“I think they've got a pretty good understanding of what they want to get accomplished, but it starts with their front seven, and the physicality will create a different kind of challenge for us this week,” Locksley said.

Smith brought in six-year Minnesota assistant Joe Rossi as defensive coordinator, where his units ranked in the top 10 in total defense nationwide three times, most recently in 2022.

“They're a tough team,” said running back Nolan Ray. “So we're going to have to put last week behind us. Just get better technically, be tough, physical, upfront, on the perimeter, everywhere.”