Catch up on some takeaways from the Terps’ near-upset of the Wolverines.
Maryland football narrowly fell Saturday to No. 3 Michigan, 31-24. The Terps gave Michigan quite the scare in the second half, but could not overcome three turnovers and two safeties.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
An abundance of miscues created an early deficit
Maryland started the game strong, forcing a three-and-out before marching down the field with ease en route to a 35-yard field goal.
Then came the miscues.
Attempting to regain Maryland’s three-point lead, Tagovailoa scrambled away from a blitz, but the ball was poked out of his hands and returned for a touchdown.
On the following drive, Tagovailoa was sacked for a loss of nine yards, which eventually forced a fourth-and-17. Brenden Segovia’s ensuing punt was blocked and resulted in a safety.
On Michigan’s next drive, Tarheeb Still was called for a pass interference, albeit questionable, on fourth-and-8, which led to the Wolverines’ third touchdown of the first half.
Maryland could not completely climb out of its self-created hole.
“We kind of beat ourselves today,” Beau Brade said. “We gave them a lot of points. We had three turnovers and we only got one takeaway … when we play those guys, you can’t do that. You got to, you know, beat them up from start to finish.”
Corum rushed to a program record
Michigan running back Blake Corum came into Saturday having scored a rushing touchdown in every game this season. That streak is still alive.
The senior recorded two rushing touchdowns against Maryland to go along with 94 rushing yards on 3.4 yards per carry. He also hauled in a reception for nine yards.
Corum’s 20 rushing touchdowns tied the Michigan record for a single season. He has at least two more games to break that record.
Maryland’s run defense has been solid this year – allowing 121.5 rushing yards per game – but the Wolverines, led by Corum, totaled 157 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, the Terps have not been able to run the ball all year, and that continued Saturday. Roman Hemby led the way with 35 rushing yards, as Maryland ran the ball 29 times for 68 yards.
Maryland refused to give up
Michigan scored 23 unanswered points to take a 20-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half. Reminiscent of Penn State’s 21-7 first-half lead two weeks ago, Maryland seemed destined for another blowout loss.
However, the Terps did not go quietly this time around. They fought until the final whistle, no matter how grim it looked.
“There is no moral victory,” head coach Mike Locksley said, “but I can tell you that, you know what, this team showed up today and fought the champion until the end.”
Maryland gave the home crowd some hope before halftime. Billy Edwards Jr. fell forward for a 1-yard rushing touchdown and then Jaishawn Barham recorded his first career interception.
In the third quarter, Edwards tacked on two more rushing touchdowns — all on quarterback sneaks — cutting Michigan’s lead to five. The Terps’ comeback hopes were diminished on an intentional grounding penalty that led to a safety, though.
Maryland lost to Michigan by seven for the second consecutive year, but when will the Terps finally finish off a victory?
“We have the same amount of talent as, you know, these ranked … teams in the nation, but we don’t practice, we don’t play like it really in the game,” Brade said. “We just got to play to our potential, and if we do that, you know, we can beat anybody.”