The yellow numbers counting down the time on the SECU Stadium scoreboard registered zeroes. The Terps slowly jogged under the giant turtle shell and into the locker room. 

A stadium that should’ve felt somber was instead filled with rambunctious cheering by a remaining crowd composed mostly of Hawkeye fans. 

Amidst a fleeting number of Maryland fans, the Terps lost to Iowa, 29-13. Saturday afternoon’s defeat ended any hope the Terps had at going bowling this winter, as they fell to 4-6 with just one game remaining. 

“Tough loss, particularly for our seniors,” said head coach Michael Locksley. “… This group is a group of guys that made a decision to come here before we started winning … This is a group that has left a runway for the next few years that I promise you will be what we expect them to be.” 

Iowa dominated on Saturday from the initial snap. Its offense ate up virtually the entire first quarter with two drives that lasted a combined 12 minutes and 38 seconds.

The Hawkeyes fumbled to end the first drive, but the Terps failed to take advantage as they punted the ball away after five plays. 

Iowa’s second drive ended with a 27-yard field goal by junior kicker Drew Stevens. Hawkeye running back Kaleb Johnson then scored the only touchdown of the first half on Iowa’s ensuing drive. 

Johnson ran the ball two yards through the right side of his offensive line for the score, giving Iowa a ten point advantage midway through the second quarter. 

In stark contrast to Iowa, Maryland’s offense was non-existent in the first 30 minutes. 

The Terps ran 22 offensive plays and possessed the ball for a little over seven minutes, severely trailing the Hawkeyes who ran 48 plays while holding possession for just under 23 minutes.  

“When you talk about the run game it takes just one breakdown and now it looks like ‘hey it’s not working’,” said Locksley. “We had a few of those.”

Iowa ended the first half with 200 total yards of offense. Maryland had 65, and failed to cross midfield.   

The Terps finally put together a competent offensive drive in the third quarter. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. — who left the game temporarily with a throwing-hand injury — led the Terps into the redzone, where misfortune struck once more. 

Maryland’s quarterback was forced to turn up field and scramble for 13-yards on the first play within the 20. A swarm of Hawkeye tacklers hit Edwards Jr., knocking him out of the game, permanently.   

Edwards Jr. exited the game under his own power, giving words of encouragement to the offense as he walked off. 

“That guy’s a fighter,” said senior receiver Tai Felton. “I appreciate him so much and he did a lot for this program in his three, four years he’s been here so just the fighter he is.”

Backup quarterback MJ Morris capped the drive for Maryland by throwing an eight yard touchdown pass to Felton in the back left corner of the endzone. 

Morris finished the game behind center. In the fourth quarter, he led the Terps on their second scoring drive to pull within six as 11 minutes remained in the contest. The Terps never got closer.  

All hope of a Maryland comeback disappeared on the subsequent Iowa drive. Redshirt freshman Kamari Moulton took a hand-off through the middle before coasting down the left sideline for a 68-yard rushing touchdown — his second of the season.

“It was just one of those ‘damn’ moments,” said senior linebacker Donnell Brown. “We should’ve had him but, you know, things happen and my thing is it’s like they get a long run, cool, but alright know we got to bounce back. I felt like we did.” 

Iowa finished the game with 268 rushing yards. The running back duo of Johnson and Moulton combined for 278 yards on the ground, a sizable portion of Iowa’s 344 yards of total offense. 

Maryland ended the game with 227 yards of total offense, scoring under 20 points for the fourth time this season. The Terps failed to surpass the 20-point threshold just three times last season.

Felton was the Terps’s lone bright spot — a theme that’s become quite familiar this year. The senior receiver caught both of Maryland’s touchdowns, placing him in a three-way tie for second place in school history with nine receiving touchdowns in a single season.  

Maryland plays No. 4 Penn State at Beaver Stadium next Saturday, in what will be the Terps’ final game of the 2024 campaign.