The Falcon rugby team will be on the road Sunday to take on an unfamiliar Maryland squad.

BG and Maryland have only played each other twice in the programs’ history. The Falcons won both of the games in 2009 with scores of 62-5 and 45-0.

The Terrapins have upgraded since that year. Maryland went 6-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and eventually lost to Tennessee in the playoffs.

Maryland is currently 2-0 with a 26-19 victory over James Madison and a 34-21 win over North Carolina. They will be playing Virginia Tech the day before the BG match.

The Falcons will have to contain Maryland’s Trevor Tanifum. He is a native of Southampton, England and plays wing for the Terrapins.

Tanifum was the leading scorer in the College Rugby Championship in Philadelphia this past summer. He scored 10 times in the tournament, which is one shy of the record of 11 held by BG’s Rocco Mauer.

With the knowledge of the game acquired from growing up in England coupled with his sprinter speed, Tanifum is going to create some problems every time he catches the ball.

“This trip is going to be an important warm-up for the Nationals in late April,” said coach Roger Mazzarella. “We need to play as many games as we can to get back into the same rhythm we closed the fall season with.”

BG will look for newcomer Lucas Smith to fill the absence of Dominic Mauer. Smith is a transfer from Ohio State and knows the realistic expectations for this year.

“I can’t fill [Mauer’s] shoes, but I will obviously give 100 percent,” Smith said. “I fit in well with this team, and the guys are more welcoming here.”

Smith played with current fullback Matt Marquette in high school, so it will be good news for the Falcons to have that previous chemistry on the field this season.

The game will kick off this Sunday at 2 p.m. in College Park, Md.