Durkin’s team remains perfect

Associated Press

It’s not often Maryland can say it has something in common with Ohio State, Michigan and Nebraska.

Like those standard bearers of college football, the Terrapins are still unbeaten this season. Since Maryland’s 7-0 start in 2001, the Terrapins have taken a perfect record into their fifth game only in 2013 and this season.

No one is pulling harder for first-year coach DJ Durkin — at least until their teams meet Nov. 5 — than Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. Durkin (Boardman)was a Harbaugh assistant for three years at Stanford and was his defensive coordinator with the Wolverines last season.

Harbaugh said Tuesday he’s been following the Terps’ progress and has watched three of their games. He said he’s spoken with Durkin a couple times since the season started, usually on matters only coaches would find interesting.

“He’s busy doing his duties and I’m busy doing mine,” Harbaugh said, “but we’re watching with a lot of pride what he’s doing and very proud of the job he’s doing.”

Maryland, which puts its 4-0 record on the line this week at Penn State, already has one more win than it had all of last season. Two more wins will make the Terps bowl eligible. Their 173 points are a program record for four games, and their 50-7 win over Purdue last week was their most lopsided conference victory since 2010.

The biggest difference from 2015 to 2016?

The Terps have turned over the ball twice. Last year at this point they had 14 turnovers, including 12 interceptions.