Maryland Football: Davin Meggett Angling for Bigger Role in Backfield

Nobody ever wants to be the odd man out. 

The Ray Jackson. The Angelina. The Around The Horn. The third tenor whose name I can’t remember.

Heading into Maryland football’s summer practice season, Davin Meggett seemed poised to take a number at the back of that long and undistinguished line. With Da’rel Scott returning to form and redshirt freshman wrecking ball D.J. Adams winning fans and a role as the team’s touchdown vulture, fans and coaches went about the process (perhaps unwittingly) of relegating Meggett to change-of-pace status.

But don’t break out the therapy couch just yet. Meggett isn’t going quietly into that good night, and is making his case to remain a major cog in the Maryland attack.

To be sure, things looked bleak after last season, in which Dave’s son eked out only 338 yards rushing—for a 3.4 yards-per-carry average—and 175 yards receiving on 14 receptions. In the five games Scott missed with injury, Meggett managed to average a scant 28 rushing and 17 receiving yards per game in very limited touches.

But so far this year, it’s been a different story for the junior out of nearby Clinton, Md. In a scrimmage this past weekend, he ran for two scores and earned rave reviews from coaches and observers for harder, more decisive running. In fact, Ralph Friedgen noted to Terrapins Insider that Meggett is playing the best ball of his college career, which is saying something if you remember his freshman year, when he ran for 457 yards and four touchdowns.

Meggett stands out for his pass-catching ability, but he has some power behind those legs, too. And he’s putting it to good use by hitting the holes quicker and harder. So far this summer, he is dancing less behind the line and more frequently in the end zone, and if he can put it all together once the proverbial bullets start flying, Meggett could be a major shot in the arm for the Terps, which ranked 105th in the nation in rushing offense last season.

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