Maryland’s Likely changes games

CHICAGO - What William Likely lacks in literal stature, he makes up for in figurative numbers.

The Maryland cornerback stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 175 pounds, but his statistics stand tall among his Big Ten contemporaries. Likely, a junior, picked off six passes for 170 yards and led the Big Ten in both categories. He defended 15 passes, also the league's best. He returned two interceptions for scores, tying the most nationally.

'Will is one of those rare and unique young men,” Maryland Coach Randy Edsall said. 'He's just got some special attributes about himself. He might be 5-8, but he plays like he's 6-4.”

Likely tipped the balance in a tight game against Iowa last October. The Terrapins led 24-21 with 12:38 remaining. Iowa faced third-and-6 at its 38 and went with an empty backfield. Running back Damon Bullock lined up to the far left on the line of scrimmage and Likely opposed him.

Bullock ran a stick route at about five yards. Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock underthrew Bullock, and Likely jumped it.

'That was one of the plays that I knew in the back of my head, just watching tape over and over throughout the week, leading to gameday,” Likely said. 'I won't say always (the outside receiver ran a stick route), but in certain situations they did.

'Once they got in that formation, I kind of new what it was, especially down and distance. It was (one of) only two plays they ran out of that. So, taking chances. I knew what it was, I took my chance and made a play.”

Likely sprinted 45 yards for a score to put Maryland up 10 points. The Terrapins beat Iowa 38-31.

Plays like that are nothing new for Likely. He returned an interception 88 yards for a score in a non-conference game against Syracuse. He's also a terror on special teams. He led the Big Ten and ranked fourth nationally in kickoff return yards at 31.0, and he returned a kickoff 100 yards against Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl.

In two consecutive seasons, Likely returned punts for touchdowns. As a freshman he was third in the ACC at 12.8 yards per return, and last year he was third with 11.2 yards. He's also a hitter with 8.5 tackles for loss and 153 tackles in two seasons.

Likely's instincts and physical attributes help set him apart from other defensive backs. On his interception against Iowa, Likely said he read Rudock's eyes 'and everything was telling me the ball was going that way.” But he's also devout in his video study and was an academic all-ACC student his freshman year.

'It's like coming to a test and you know what's going to be on the test,” he said. 'You've just got to study. It's instincts, too. Some stuff you're not going to see all the time on the field, you've got to have a sense of urgency.

'You've got to have awareness on the football field. Everything's not going to be picture perfect. (Players are) not going to stand in one spot all the time, so you've got to be able to think fast.”

Intangibles - like preparation - are what Edsall raves about his cornerback. Likely's voice carries more weight in the locker room, Edsall says, and he ranks among the team's hardest workers.

'I don't know if I've been around a guy that's so competitive,” Edsall said. 'You see what he does for us on special teams as a punt returner, as a kick returner. You know, he's very valuable. But the other thing is he's a very humble kid. But his leadership, his work ethic really rubs off on everybody else in our program.”

Edsall might describe Likely as humble in their encounters, but Likely's words tell another story. With nary a second to think about it, Likely said he's the best cornerback in the Big Ten. But with his statistics and game-changing plays, it's hard to argue otherwise.

'I kind of got my own style of play. I tend to make plays a lot,” Likely said. 'I'm comfortable in myself, too. You check the numbers. I'm not really a numbers guy, but it speaks loud, right?”

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