Richmond vs. Maryland: 3 most important matchups

Tomorrow is game day for the Maryland Terrapins. The 2015 football season kicks off for them as they will play their first home game against the Richmond Spiders. There are several key matchups to discuss as the season opener approaches:

1. Richmond's top two wide receivers vs. Maryland's top two cornerbacks

Richmond had two wide receivers last season in Reggie Diggs and Brian Brown who put up more than 1,000 receiving yards. They combined for 11 touchdowns. They will be going up against Maryland's Will Likely and Sean Davis, who are slated as the starting cornerbacks on Maryland's first two-deep depth chart.

Diggs and Brown are 6'4 and 6'1, respectively, and they may go up against the 5'7 and 6'1 frames of Likely and Davis. Last season, Likely had 83 tackles (66 solo), four tackles for loss, one sack, six interceptions (two touchdowns), nine passes defensed, two special teams touchdowns and one forced fumble. Likely is currently on the Bednarik, Nagurski, Hornung and Thorpe Award watch lists for the 2015 season and received First Team All-Big Ten honors among others.

Davis made Phil Steele's 2015 Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team and in 2014 he started all 13 games, with two starts at cornerback. He finished second on the team in tackles with 115, ranked fourth nationally and first in the Big Ten among defensive backs in tackles.

2. Maryland's revamped O-Line vs. Richmond's Pass Rush

Due to Damian Prince getting hurt in camp last week, he became a backup to senior Ryan Doyle who was moved from left guard to starting right tackle.  Sophomore Mike Minter will start at left guard ahead of Stephen Grommer and left tackle Michael Dunn and right guard Andrew Zeller are also listed as starters . I'd be interested to see if Richmond's defensive coordinator Bob Trott decides to mess with the offensive line by piling up each side of the line on blitzes and use different stunts to test its ability.

3. Maryland's Quarterback vs Richmond Secondary

The main wide receivers Perry Hills will have along aside him are Amba Etta-Tawo, Levern Jacobs, Taivon Jacobs and Malcolm Culmer. Etta-Tawo played in all 13 games (six starts) last season and recorded 10 receptions for 222 yards (22.2 yards per catch) and a touchdown. That lone touchdown was a 71 yarder vs Rutgers. The year prior, he recorded 31 receptions, 500 yards (16.1 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.

Levern Jacobs didn't play last season due to suspension but he did earn offensive scout team player of the week in preparation for James Madison. In 2013, he led the team in receptions with 47 and added 690 yards and three touchdowns to his stat line. His brother, Taivon Jacobs, was a former Ohio State pledge who flipped to Maryland on Signing Day but has been oft-injured so far in his career.

Culmer appeared in nine games last season but only caught one pass for five yards against James Madison. Hopefully the Terps will get more production out of him as the third option at wide receiver.

Perry Hills and the Terps offense will be facing a Richmond secondary that had only 15 interceptions in 2014.