COLLEGE PARK — Kellan Wyatt remembered watching old Maryland football games when pass rushers Shawne Merriman and Yannick Ngakoue terrorized opposing quarterbacks. Now he’s trying his best to mimic them.

The outside linebacker, who was born and raised in Severn and graduated from Archbishop Spalding, leads the Terps in sacks (4 1/2) and tackles for loss (6 1/2) and ranks sixth in total tackles (34) in his first season as a full-time starter. As pleased as he is with his play this fall, Wyatt said there is room for improvement.

“I feel like I could do better,” he said. “I feel like I left a lot of meat on the bone, and there were a lot of opportunities I could have come up with. So I’m kind of looking forward to the offseason to train and get better so that I can get those next year.”

The 6-foot-3, 262-pound sophomore was a spot contributor for much of last season before replacing Durell Nchami and starting the final four games. Wyatt capped that stretch making at the time a career-high four tackles in the team’s upset of No. 23 North Carolina State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and then made it his objective to refine his skills as a pass rusher.

“That was just one of the things I wanted to work on in the offseason,” he said. “I did get better at it, and I think I can still get better at it. That’s why I felt like I left a lot of meat on the bone with a lot of missed opportunities. Any play I feel like I can make, I’m going to make it.”

Coach Mike Locksley said Wyatt is developing into a leader within the team. He pointed out that Wyatt is a byproduct of a Spalding program helmed by former Maryland interior offensive lineman Kyle Schmitt, who recently guided the Cavaliers to their second straight Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference title and coaches one of the Terps’ most sought-after recruits in 2025 four-star quarterback Malik Washington.

“He’s a tremendous competitor,” Locksley said of Wyatt. “He loves football. He’s a football guy. We talk about guys that play the game the right way, and he’s one of those guys. But when you look at Spalding and the job Kyle has done there with his program, it’s not surprising why they win championships and why a guy like Kellen ends up being the type of player he is for us.”

Wyatt said he is happy his play is productive for the school he grew up watching on television.

“I always wanted to play for the hometown team,” he said. “There’s nothing like being a hometown hero. You’ve already got a lot of role models. This is a dream come true, and I want to finish off the year the right way.”

Playing like WR1

Wide receiver Kaden Prather wore the No. 3 jersey for most of his career. But with fifth-year senior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa donning that number, Prather shifted to No. 1.

It’s been a suitable fit for the 6-4, 212-pound junior, who is tied with sophomore wide receiver Tai Felton for the team lead in touchdown catches (five) and ranks second in receiving yards (604) and fourth in receptions (40). Prather said he welcomed the pressure associated with wearing the No. 1 jersey previously worn by Stefon Diggs, DJ Moore and Rakim Jarrett.

“I knew a lot came with it,” he said. “In this situation, you don’t make that number. That number makes you. So there was definitely a little bit of pressure.”

Locksley said Prather has filled the void created after wide receivers Dontay Demus Jr., Jacob Copeland and Jarrett left for the NFL.

“To be able to go get a guy like Kaden which we knew a lot about — we recruited him pretty heavily out of high school — he’s come in and really done a good job,” Locksley said. “He’s one of those guys that I talked about earlier, one of these guys we brought in from the portal and has really bought into the culture that we have here. It’s not surprising that you’ll see him get better and better and continue to develop because of the type of program that we have, and it’s great to have a player like him and having him in position to make these types of plays because he’s capable.”

Nearing the finish line

Both Maryland and Rutgers have cemented bowl berths. While the Terps will make their third straight appearance in the postseason, the Scarlet Knights will play in only their second bowl since 2015.

Since both teams have identical records, Saturday’s winner will likely earn a spot in a bowl closer to New Year’s Day, which is a more coveted time. For that reason, Locksley said Maryland should have plenty of motivation to polish off the regular season with a victory.

“For us, it’s all about finishing the right way and finding a way,” he said. “Most books, movies, relationships, what you remember most is the end, and for this 2023 iteration of Maryland football family, this is the end of the regular season. As you guys know, the bowl game is the start of next year. So this is the crescendo for us. This is us needing to find a way to win on the road. Huge difference between 7-5 and 6-6, and it definitely plays a huge role in where we go bowling. So still a lot to play for.”

Outlook

There’s not really much at stake for either side considering both teams are eligible for bowls with one game left in the regular season. But bragging rights might be enough of a motivation. Maryland has won six of nine meetings since joining the Big Ten in 2014, including the past two games.

Meanwhile, Rutgers might remember getting shut out by the Terps, 37-0, on Nov. 26, 2022 — the second time that season the team had been held scoreless. And another victory would give the Scarlet Knights their most wins in the conference, eclipsing the previous benchmark of three set in 2014 and matched in 2017 and 2020.

A victory for either program might result in some much-needed momentum heading into that bowl game to be determined after conference championships are decided on Dec. 2.

Key for Maryland

A run defense that fared decently on Saturday in limiting No. 3 Michigan to 3.3 yards per carry won’t get much relief. Rutgers ranks fifth in the Big Ten in rushing (163.2 yards) and is tied for third in touchdown runs (19).

Running back Kyle Monangai and quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, both juniors, have combined for 79.2% of the Scarlet Knights’ yards on the ground and 73.7% of their rushing touchdowns.

“They want to run the football, and they want to control the time of possession,” Locksley said. “They’re going to make you make the plays.”

Key for Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights rank fifth in the nation in pass defense, giving up only 159.1 yards per game. They have limited eight opponents to fewer than 200 passing yards and five to under 150.

Tagovailoa has fallen back down to earth in his last six starts, averaging 258.7 passing yards and throwing nine touchdowns against seven interceptions. But Rutgers coach Greg Schiano isn’t about to underestimate Tagovailoa.

“He runs the offense with precision and ease,” Schiano said. “He looks very, very comfortable doing it.”