COLLEGE PARK, Md. — As Mike Locksley embarks on his fifth year as head coach of the University of Maryland football team he knows the time is now for his best season yet.
"We’ve got the bus loaded up. We’ve got the players in the right positions. We’ve got the destination set. Now we’ve got to start our trip," he said.
That trip begins Saturday when the Terps open the 2023 season hosting Locksley's alma mater, Towson University.
"Pretty cool to kick off the 2023 season against my alma mater," he said. "I look back at my time there at Towson and very thankful for that opportunity. A young kid from the southwest section of D.C. ended up going to school up the road. It changed my life. [I was] the first person in my family to go to college."
That’s about all of the looking back Locksley will do this week. It’s now all about what’s ahead for a program coming off an 8-5 season, the Terps' most successful since 2010.
Taulia Tagovailoa is back for a fourth year. The starting quarterback is the program record holder in every major career and single-season passing category and wants to add to those numbers in a big way in game one.
"We want to put on a show for our fans and for our team," he said. "Just seeing how everything is coming together and stuff like that, I feel very confident about it."
So does Clarksville native Beau Brade. The senior safety is one of the leaders on defense.
"We’re pretty confident. But also we know we have a lot to prove," said Brade. "We’ll always have doubters, especially being Maryland in the Big Ten."
As for the Tigers of Towson, new head coach Pete Shinnick brings a new voice and a new attitude to the FCS program. The Terps certainly aren’t taking them lightly.
"A game like this can make their careers, make their season and the type of coaching staff and the type of program that they have, they are not going to come in here and just lay down," said Locksley.
Maryland has won eleven consecutive non-conference openers. Kickoff Saturday at SECU Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
