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The Big Ten announced its weekly honors on Monday, and Maryland football landed a player on the regular season’s inaugural list.
For his part in the Terps 51-41 upset of Texas, sophomore defensive back Antoine Brooks was named co-Big Ten Specialist of the Week. He’ll share the honor with Michigan kicker Quinn Nordin, who went 4-of-6, with two kicks from beyond 50 yards, in the Wolverines’ 33-17 win over Florida.
Brooks earns his first conference honor after making a name for himself on a national stage, turning a blocked Longhorns field goal into a 71-yard return touchdown for the Terps. The return was a huge momentum boost for the Terps, who went up 21-7 on the play.
It easily marks Brooks’ biggest play on this type of stage, but he’s shown his playmaking ability before, albeit in a more intimate setting. He gave Terps fans a glimpse back at Maryland’s spring game, making a diving interception on a perfectly played ball.
Special teams looks to be a point of emphasis for Maryland this season, and the Terps will count on Brooks to keep making big plays.
In other news
After the upset, the Terps must turn their attention to Towson for this weekend’s home opener.
Men’s soccer enters Big Ten play undefeated after beating Cal Poly 1-0, behind a Gordon Wild penalty kick.
At least one publication is taking the Terps much more seriously since the win, as CBS Sports ranked Maryland the No. 20 team in the country following its season-opening upset.
The Terps exposed some flaws in Texas’ defense, and SB Nation’s Bill Connelly looked what the Longhorns have to fix on that side of the ball.
Our old friend Alex Kirshner took a look at the tape on the touchdown that lifted UCLA over Texas A&M on Sunday, and Josh Rosen’s fake spike was totally unnecessary.
In some sobering news, the son of former Terps offensive coordinator and interim coach Mike Locksley was pronounced dead in Baltimore Sunday night. Our hearts go out to the Locksley family as they deal with this tragedy.