Tua’s little brother Taulia Tagovailoa making a name for himself at Maryland

Taulia Tagovailoa began to step out his older brother’s shadow.

It sounds nuts, but Taulia Tagovailoa is making Maryland football a very interesting watch.

Though the Maryland Terrapins didn’t do much of anything last week vs. the Northwestern Wildcats, they showed they belonged vs. the Minnesota Golden Gophers the night before Halloween. Maryland may not be ready for the big dogs in the Big Ten East, but then again, Minnesota is seen as one of the five best teams in the Big Ten. Tagovailoa sure was excellent.

There is a lot to like about Taulia Tagovailoa at Maryland

Tagovailoa completed 26-of-35 passes for 394 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also had eight carries for 64 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He outplayed his counterpart Tanner Morgan, who leaned on his running back Mohamed Ibrahim to put up points. While Ibrahim was incredible on Friday night too, the Big Ten will all be talking about Tagovailoa.

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Because Tagovailoa is only a sophomore, he has three more years worth of great nights like this. His team may be at a talent disparity in most games, but he has dynamic traits of his older brother to get the most out of his college teammates. Ultimately, it may not be as much about winning at Maryland as it is playing competitive football. People will take notice of Maryland’s elevated play.

What is important for Maryland now and going forward is for the coaching staff of head coach Mike Locksley and offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery to put Tagovailoa in advantageous offensive situations to succeed. The defense may not ever be up to snuff, but devising an offensive game plan catered to Tagovailoa’s strengths will bring out the very best in this team.

This will take time, as Maryland was in horrendous shape when Locksley arrived in College Park from Tuscaloosa. He may have a bad reputation for not winning games as a college head coach, but he does have credibility as a quality play caller and elevating the play of his quarterbacks. This is a partnership we are all hoping can succeed in the next three years or so. We will be watching.

Though Tua will be in the spotlight again on Sunday, Taulia made the most of his night on Friday.

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