Maryland

Five Things We Learned from Northwestern-Maryland

Published

1 month ago

October 13, 2024

Five Things We Learned from Northwestern-Maryland

Coming into Friday night on a short week of rest and with Maryland favored by 10.5 points, Northwestern upset Maryland 37-10 and claimed its first Big Ten win of the season. Never trailing once, the Wildcats dominated the Terps’ on both sides of the ball as Jack Lausch seemed to find his offensive rhythm. Here are five things we learned from a game that no one thought NU could win.

Northwestern has Maryland’s number

This is the second year in a row where the Wildcats upset the Terrapins in surprising fashion. Last October, Northwestern again entered their contest against Maryland as the underdogs. Every InsideNU score prediction saw Maryland rolling through the Cats. However, Northwestern kept up with the Terrapins through the entire game, putting up 33 points. It all came down to the last Maryland drive where an interception deep in NU territory by Coco Azema put the Terrapins away for good.

History tends to repeat itself with Northwestern again entering their game against Maryland as the underdog. Again, every InsideNU score prediction saw the Terrapins outpacing the Wildcats offensively. This year, however, the game did not come down to the wire as it did last year. From the end of the first quarter, it was evident that Northwestern had found an offensive rhythm and that the defense would continue to pressure Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. all night. NU entered halftime up 17-7. Both teams went scoreless in the third, but Northwestern got back into their groove in the fourth outscoring Maryland 20-3 to end the game. In the past two years, no matter the situation, the betting odds, who’s healthy, who’s not, or anything else, as long as Northwestern is playing Maryland, the Cats are sure to show out.

Luke Akers thrives in expanded role

Starting kicker Jack Olsen is currently week-to-week dealing with a lower-body injury and was listed as out for Friday’s game. This meant kicking duties fell on Luke Akers, the Wildcats’ punter. An NU senior, Akers has never handled kicking duties before. But that didn’t stop him from putting on a kicking spectacle. Akers was perfect on three field goal attempts — with his longest being from 43 yards out — and four extra points, singlehandedly outscoring the Terrapins. Luke Akers is the son of six-time Pro Bowl kicker David Akers, so it is no wonder he rose to the kicking occasion.

Akers still punted spectacularly throughout the game. The Wildcats punted five times, two of which Akers was able to land within the Maryland 20-yard line. His kicking masterclass also set up a few electrifying special teams plays.

Lausch continues to improve every week (and he can run?!)

When Jack Lausch has time in the pocket, it’s easy to see that he has true arm talent. The key word there is “time”. To start the game against Maryland, the O-line continually collapsed on Lausch, forcing him to scramble or rush his passes for little to no gain. This can partially be attributed to the fact that Northwestern has been without its starting center Jack Bailey since the Washington game. As time passed though, the O-line seemed to find a system and got Lausch some time, resulting in a few beautiful deep balls over the middle to Kirtz and Henning. Lausch ended the game 10/18 with 203 air yards. When the O-line holds up, Lausch throws a good ball.

Lausch also put his running skills on full display, rushing eight times fora total of 24 yards and a touchdown. What the stats don’t say though is that he looked athletic and competent as a run threat, outpacing defenders and not avoiding contact when necessary. As the season progresses, he can absolutely cement himself as a competent and productive dual-threat QB in the Big Ten.

Forget a Wildcat Offense, let’s talk about this Wildcat Defense

It’s hard to name an MVP for the Maryland game. Lausch made the right plays and the right reads when necessary. Bryce Kirtz converted on third down and made some big plays. Our vote, however, would have to go to the entirety of the Wildcat Defensive line. It feels like cheating to name the entire D-line the MVP, but they looked insane Friday night. Three fumble recoveries. Three sacks. One touchdown. All night, Northwestern’s defense made these big plays and profited off them. Even moving away from the stats, just the eye test could tell you everything you need to know. Billy Edwards Jr. was traumatized all night by a ferocious defensive line that swarmed him every play. The ‘Cats essentially removed Maryland’s run game from the face of the Earth, giving up only 59 rushing yards on 33 attempts (and even that mostly came from a single 20-yard run).

The secondary is still a point of weakness in this Wildcat defense though, allowing nearly 300 passing yards. Thankfully, on multiple occasions, the D-line pressured Billy Edwards Jr. into some rushed passes. This is exactly what happened when Edwards Jr. threw his first interception in his last 88 passes late in the fourth quarter, as Damon Walters came down with it. For the rest of the season, this defensive line should remain a strong point for Northwestern and force a substantial number turnovers. But if that D-line wasn’t cooking like they were Friday night, that NU secondary would not have been able to effectively guard against that Terrapin passing game, and the score would have looked much more like the predictions than what actually happened. Against a good O-line, this secondary is really going to have to step up.

Crazy Kirtz Connection

Bryce Kirtz has to be Jack Lausch’s favorite target at this point in the season, and he can do a whole lot with very little. Kirtz only caught three balls all night but notched 123 receiving yards. That’s an average of 41 yards per catch! The Wildcats remain a non-pass-heavy offense, only attempting 18 passes Friday night. But if their receivers can average over 20 yards per catch like they did on Friday, they don’t need to attempt 50 passes a night. As Lausch gets more comfortable in NU’s offensive scheme and gains more confidence in his throwing ability through impressive games like this, those passing attempts will steadily go up. After all, he has the weapons (Kirtz, Henning, Gordon) to do that. Northwestern will go on to face Wisconsin this Saturday, October 19th, in another Big Ten matchup, and Lausch is will need Kirtz and crew to keep up with the Badgers’ offense.

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Maryland

November 21 Colder Winds Bring Snow To Central Maryland And Winter Storm Warning In The Mountains – Just In Weather

Published

60 mins ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

November 21 Colder Winds Bring Snow To Central Maryland And Winter Storm Warning In The Mountains – Just In Weather

November 21, 2024

Thursday Morning Report

The squall line last night validated and even overachieved expectations. Winds gusted over 50 mph in many areas AND much needed rainfall added up to 0.94” in Baltimore through midnight. More was added afterward.

Colder air and a large upper-level trough will settle in Pennsylvania on Friday. This will bring in a taste of winter. The expectations for snow have now expanded to Central Maryland, and yes, it might be cold enough for some stickage on grassy areas.

A Winter Storm Warning is in place for the high mountains of far Western Maryland and West Virginia. Snow is still expected to reach 1-foot accumulation along with 50 mph winds.

Let’s take a look……

Morning Surface Weather

Storm 1, which brought us rain and wind, is moving away and sending much-needed rain to the drought areas of Metro New York and New England.

Storm 2 is the main event that will pivot from the Great Lakes and nearly stall in Pennsylvania on Friday. This will include a strong upper-level source of cold air and instability. Snow will spread our way and enhance over the Appalachian mountains.

Weather Preview

Storm Animation Today through Saturday Night

Watch the main storm spin in PA and pivot the next wave of energy that will enhance the snow on Friday, then pull away this weekend.

November 21 weather snow rain storm

Jet Stream Friday Morning

The core of the cold air will be over our region. There is a trough swinging through the Southeast US with enough enhanced energy to develop snow.

November 21 weather jet stream cold Friday

Snow and Rain Mix Friday

Notice the blue shading (snow) into metro Baltimore. A closer look is below.

TODAY

Wind Forecast 7 AM to 7 PM

November 21 weather wind forecast Thursday

Wind Gusts at Noon

The stronger winds will be moving east, so it will be less windy this afternoon.

November 21 weather wind forecast Thursday noon

Radar Simulation: Noon to Midnight

There will be some showers with rain and maybe flakes after dark.

Heavy snow will get going in the mountains.

November 21 weather rain snow radar Thursday

Afternoon Temperatures

November 21 weather temperatures Thursday afternoon

Radar Simulation Tonight

7 PM Wed to 7 AM Thu

CLIMATE DATA: Baltimore

TODAY November 21

Sunrise at 6:57 AM

Sunset at 4:48 PM

Normal Low in Baltimore: 35ºF

Record 16ºF in 1951

Normal High in Baltimore: 55ºF

Record 79ºF 1900

Baltimore Drought Update

0.94” of rain fell Thursday… The updated deficit:
6.66 inches BELOW AVERAGE rainfall since September 1st
7.12 inches BELOW AVERAGE rainfall since January 1st
THE BURN BAN REMAINS IN PLACE

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 22

Turning colder with developing snow from the North, and it will reach the northern suburbs during the morning.

Snow will mix with rain near and south of Baltimore.

Heavy snow will be raging in the mountains.

Morning Temperatures

November 21 weather temperatures Friday morning

Morning Radar Simulation

November 21 weather snow radar Friday morning

Radar Forecast 7 AM to Midnight

November 21 weather snow radar Friday

Winds At Noon

November 21 weather wind forecast Friday noon

Afternoon Radar

November 21 weather snow radar Friday afternoon

Afternoon Temperatures

November 21 weather temperatures Friday afternoon

WINTER STORM WARNING

This includes Garrett County, MD, and the high mountains of PA and WV.

Snow 6 to 12+ inches with wind gusts to 50 mph.

Note this is over the extreme drought region and is much needed.

November 21 Winter Storm Warning Snow

Snow Roads Profile

November 21 snow forecast Maryland road profile

Snow Forecast Models

There is a lot of agreement between the GFS and ECMWF.

Yes, I see a dusting or more on the grassy areas north of Baltimore.

GFS

November 21 weather snow forecast GFS

ECMWF

November 21 weather snow forecast ECMWF

NAM 3Km

November 21 weather snow forecast NAM

In Case You Missed It

My Winter Outlook Report

Winter 2024 to 2025 Snow Forecast Maryland Pennsylvania Virginia West Virginia Delaware

7 Day Forecast

Colder air will continue to spill in through Saturday.
Some rain showers later today with a mix of flakes.
Heavy snow develops in the mountains.
Snow and mixed showers will expand into Central Maryland on Friday.
Briefly mild early next week. Then, rain on Wednesday may set up a colder Thanksgiving storm.

November 21 weather forecast 7 day Friday

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SCHEDULE A WEATHER BASED STEM ASSEMBLY

Severe Weather: Storm Smart October and next spring

Winter Weather FITF (Faith in the Flakes): November To March

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THANK YOU:

Baltimore Magazine Readers Choice Best Of Baltimore

Maryland Trek 11 Day 7 Completed Sat August 10

We raised OVER $104,000 for Just In Power Kids – AND Still Collecting More

The annual event: Hiking and biking 329 miles in 7 days between The Summit of Wisp to Ocean City.

Each day, we honor a kid and their family’s cancer journey.

Fundraising is for Just In Power Kids: Funding Free Holistic Programs. I never have and never will take a penny. It is all for our nonprofit to operate.

Click here or the image to donate:

RESTATING MY MESSAGE ABOUT DYSLEXIA

I am aware there are some spelling and grammar typos and occasional other glitches. I take responsibility for my mistakes and even the computer glitches I may miss. I have made a few public statements over the years, but if you are new here, you may have missed it: I have dyslexia and found out during my second year at Cornell University. It didn’t stop me from getting my meteorology degree and being the first to get the AMS CBM in the Baltimore/Washington region.

One of my professors told me that I had made it that far without knowing and to not let it be a crutch going forward. That was Mark Wysocki, and he was absolutely correct! I do miss my mistakes in my own proofreading. The autocorrect spell check on my computer sometimes does an injustice to make it worse. I also can make mistakes in forecasting. No one is perfect at predicting the future. All of the maps and information are accurate. The ‘wordy’ stuff can get sticky.

There has been no editor who can check my work while writing and to have it ready to send out in a newsworthy timeline. Barbara Werner is a member of the web team that helps me maintain this site. She has taken it upon herself to edit typos when she is available. That could be AFTER you read this. I accept this and perhaps proves what you read is really from me… It’s part of my charm. #FITF

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Maryland

Damp and cold end to Maryland’s week

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Damp and cold end to Maryland’s week – CBS Baltimore

Watch CBS News

Damp and cold end to Maryland’s week

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Maryland

Ex-teacher who sexually abused 14-year-old Maryland student to serve fraction of 30-year sentence

Published

16 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

$Ex-teacher who sexually abused 14-year-old Maryland student to serve fraction of 30-year sentence$

A former middle school teacher who repeatedly sexually abused a 14-year-old student in Maryland has been sentenced to three decades in prison, but she’ll only serve one year, a judge ruled.

Melissa Marie Curtis, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of a third-degree sex offense on June 20, according to information from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and District Court of Maryland court papers obtained by USA TODAY on Wednesday.

The Montgomery County Police Department initiated an investigation in early October 2023 when the eighth-grade victim, now an adult, reported he was sexually abused by Curtis who was a teacher at Montgomery Village Middle School, according to a previous news release from the agency.

At the time of the offenses, detectives reported, the student was 14 years old and Curtis was 22.

Judge: Teacher to serve 12 months in jail

Curtis, who is from the town of Upper Marlboro in Prince George’s County, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office told USA TODAY Wednesday.

But Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Theresa Chernosky suspended most of Curtis’ sentence, allowing her to serve 12 months year in jail followed by five years of supervised probation, the spokesperson said.

When she is released, Curtis must register as a sex offender, the spokesperson said, and will not be permitted to have unsupervised contact with minors other than her children.

The prosecutors office did not respond to a request for comment about the sentencing.

Teacher abused 14-year-old in classroom, car, at home

The victim told detectives the abuse began in 2015, the spokesperson said, when he volunteered for an after-school program that Curtis was running and “they were often alone together”

Charging documents show the victim told detectives Curtis sexually abused him in a classroom, in a car, at his home, and as well as Curtis’ home “more than 20 times” when he was in middle school. The complaint goes onto say Curtis also gave the boy drugs and alcohol multiple times.

A warrant for Curtis’s arrest was obtained on Oct. 31, 2023 and Curtis turned herself in on Nov. 7, 2023, officials reported.

At the time, Curtis had been a teacher for about two years in Montgomery County and taught at Lakelands Park Middle School as well.

A spokesperson told Fox 5 Curtis left Montgomery County Public Schools in 2017.

USA TODAY has reached out to Montgomery County Public Schools.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

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