The Terps were without their starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who was carted off the field in the team’s previous match against Indiana. In his absence, Maryland needed someone to step up.
That “someone” was freshman running back Roman Hemby, who finished the game with 179 yards and 3 TDs. He became the first Terp to post three rushing touchdowns since 2018 as Maryland won, 31-24.
“We knew that running the ball was going to be very important to getting the win,” Hemby said. “[We] came through when we needed it the most.”
The win puts the Terps as bowl eligible for the second straight year.
“We’ve been able to achieve one goal, but we still have a lot of work to do,” coach Mike Locksley said. “We’re still in that development stage of our program, but it’s great to see us be able to bear the fruits of the hard work.”
On homecoming weekend, Maryland turned to redshirt-freshman quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. in his first-ever start. Coincidentally, Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan also made his first collegiate start over the struggling Ryan Hilinski.
The first few drives for Edwards were shaky, including a designed group of short passes, which Northwestern contained.. In the instances where he tried to throw deep, he often overthrew the receiver.
While the Terps struggled to get the deep ball to work, Northwestern found success in it. A 46-yard pass to wide receiver Malik Washington led to a quarterback sneak a few plays later to give the Wildcats the first score.
Maryland appeared to wake up following Northwestern’s drive, at least for one drive. Right after, the team went on a 12-play, 87-yard drive, which concluded with a powerful Roman Hemby touchdown from 14-yards out..
“When we flipped the field at the end of the first quarter, I felt that was when I got my most comfortable,” Edwards said. “I got my feet underneath me, started seeing things a bit better, and then was able to kind of put a little drive together there right before the half.”
However, whether it be committing multiple pass interference calls or struggling to contain Sullivan’s elusive scrambling, the Terps’ defense continued to struggle.
In addition, special teams struggles meant that when Maryland did get the ball, they had a long way to go. Five of the team’s first six drives started from within the 16-yard line. The Wildcats never started a single drive from inside the 16. By halftime, the Terps trailed, 17-10.
The start of the second half was better for Maryland, however. Defensively, the Terps’defense forced turnovers over twice in Northwestern’s first three second-half drives – one by interception and one turnover on downs. On the other side, the offense scored a touchdown on the first two drives of the half, which included a power run by Hemby and a 30-yard pass to an open Rakim Jarrett, who beat his man on the left side of the field into the endzone, giving Maryland the first lead of the night.
“I don’t think there was a defender within 10 yards,” Edwards said about the play. “I just tried to give a nice little air [and] not throw him out of bounds. Let him catch it, turn, and get in the endzone like he did.”
The Terps had the opportunity to take a two-possession lead on their next drive, but a Chad Ryland 46-yard field goal missed wide right. After leading the nation in consecutive field goals made, Ryland has missed a field goal in his last four games.
To make matters worse, Northwestern answered with a touchdown drive to tie the game, but it only took one play for Hemby to rush past all eleven defenders up the middle for a 75-yard touchdown – the longest Maryland rushing touchdown since 2019.
With only a few minutes left, the defense needed a stop. It only took two plays to get it. As Sullivan launched a ball down the left side of the field, it landed right in the hands of safety Beau Brade. The Wildcats never got the ball back.
Maryland is now bowl eligible for its second straight year – its earliest at being bowl eligible since 2010.
“I’m proud of the way this team continues to show the culture and the ability to persevere,” Locksley said.
Although beaten and bruised, the Terps are now 6-2 as they head into a bye week.
“We had a lot of drives during the season where our back was against the wall and we came through,” Hemby said. “I feel like that was another way of us persevering and getting the job done. It wasn’t pretty, but down the stretch, when we needed a big play, we were able to get it done.”
