Richmond @ Maryland preview

After a three-year wait, Perry Hills will be once again be the starting quarterback when Maryland hosts Richmond in the season opener for both teams Saturday. In 2012, Hills became the first true freshman in program history to start a season opener for the Terps but he tore his ACL later in the season and has played sparingly ever since.

Hills won the job with a confident performance in the preseason over presumed starter Caleb Rowe and Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman. How long he keeps it, however, is anyone’s guess as Maryland looks to contend in the powerhouse East Division of the Big Ten Conference after finishing a distant third (4-4) a year ago. Richmond should serve as an appetizer for the hungry Terrapins, who capped an uneven 2014 campaign with a blowout loss at the hands of Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl. The Spiders enter Saturday’s contest ranked 18th nationally in the preseason FCS poll after finishing 9-5 last season and reaching the second round of the FCS playoffs.

TV: Noon ET, ESPNU. LINE: NL

ABOUT RICHMOND (2014: 9-5): Richmond is led by head coach Danny Rocco, who guided the team to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Spiders defeated Morgan State 46-24 in the first round of the playoffs before falling at No. 6 Coastal Carolina. Richmond has an explosive offense led by WR Reggie Diggs, who was second in the Colonial Athletic Association with 1,157 yards on 85 receptions, and running back Seth Fisher, who scored 16 touchdowns and rushed for 777 yards.

ABOUT MARYLAND (2014: 7-6): While Hills will get the start, Saturday’s opponent may give coach Randy Edsall an opportunity to play all three quarterbacks including Garman, who started eight games for Oklahoma State last season. The Terps brought in coordinator Keith Dudzinski to help fix a unit that ranked 97th out of 128 teams in total defense and returns just one starter among the front seven. Running back Brandon Ross, who ranks 20th in school history with 1,585 career rushing yards, has led Terps running backs in rushing three straight seasons.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Maryland leads the all-time series 12-5-1 but the teams haven’t played since 1977.

2. Richmond’s last win over an FBS school was in 2011 when it beat Duke 23-21.

3. Maryland has won 11 straight season openers at home.

PREDICTION: Maryland 44, Richmond 12