COLLEGE PARK — The University of Maryland football team is gearing up for the season’s first foray under the lights and a reunion on the sidelines.
Head coach Mike Locksley's squad hosts University of North Carolina Charlotte (1-0) on Saturday night. The 49ers are led by a guy very familiar to football fans in Baltimore - Biff Poggi. One of the all-time great high school coaches in the area formerly coached at Gilman and St. Frances. He is now the head coach at Charlotte.
Locksley’s relationship with Poggi is about more than football. He called him a dear friend.
"He coached my son in high school. My son Kai played for Biff there at Gilman. So, I’ve known Biff for a long, long time and got a lot of respect for him and the job he does as a coach and developing young men," said Locksley. "This is kind of a homecoming for him and some of the players on his roster. We expect him to come up and give us his best and he can expect to get ours."
Poggi brought in around 50 transfers in his first year at Charlotte, including a handful of former Terps and St. Frances grads.
The Terrapins (1-0) are coming off a 38-6 season-opening win over Towson. All-time Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was 22-33 passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns. He added one TD rushing in a little over two quarters of work.
Kickoff inside SECU Stadium on Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m.
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