Boos echoed across Capital One Field on Saturday night. The fans were not happy, and neither was Maryland. Flags flew through the air in favor of the Mustangs, but the Terps managed to stay focused and on pace with a productive Southern Methodist University offense to find a victory.
Despite Maryland accumulating 15 penalties for over 140 yards, Maryland football overcame its miscues as they squeaked past SMU, 34-27.
Maryland hunted for its third straight out-of-conference win this weekend against SMU. Both teams were 2-0 headed into the matchup, making this Maryland’s most challenging matchup.
“SMU was one of the teams that’s really highly thought of,” said head coach Mike Locksley in his post-game presser. “But to find a way to win, we needed a game like that.”
Big things were expected from QB Taulia Tagovailoa this week after his dominant performance against Charlotte in Week 2, which he threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns. Tagovailoa also took home Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
Offside penalties almost led to a touchdown in SMU’s opening drive, but a fourth down stop on the eight-yard line saved Maryland from an early takeover.
RB Roman Hemby’s 49-yard run on Maryland’s opening drive set the Terps up nicely for their first score. SMU held Maryland to a field goal, bringing the score to 3-0.
A pair of field goals from Collin Rogers put SMU on top in the first. Tagovailoa struggled early in the matchup, connecting on just three out of four attempts for 27 yards in the first quarter. Maryland’s possession in the first only lasted a mere 4 minutes and 45 seconds, not nearly enough time to reach the endzone.
On the first play of the second quarter, QB Tanner Mordecai connected a 51-yard dart with TE RJ Maryland, hindering Maryland’s chances at success with a 13-3 lead.
A pair of penalties backed up SMU’s punt later in the second, giving Maryland enough leeway for its first touchdown. RB Antwain Littleton II managed to slip through with a 2-yard run, bringing Maryland within 3 points with only five minutes left in the half.
Beau Brade quickly became the star of Maryland’s defense with an interception in the second quarter that put Maryland on SMU’s 48-yard line. He led the team on Saturday with 15 tackles.
“We play for the standards we have,” Brade said. “And that’s perfection. So we chase perfection every game and every day of practice. That’s really what our mindset is.”
Tagovailoa connected with WR Rakim Jarrett on the first play following the interception, putting the Terps on top for the second time with a 17-13 lead. It didn’t last long, as SMU responded with a touchdown from WR Austin Upshaw.
The Terps trailed at half, 17-20.
An apparent struggle, once again, for Maryland, was converting on third-down.
The Terps were successful on just one of five attempts in the first half. Penalties were also in abundance.
Five flags in the first half caused a loss of 35 yards for the Terps. Maryland almost had a touchdown to start off the second half, but a pair of penalties called back the play to force a 41-yard field goal.
“Obviously, we got a lot of things to get cleaned up on offense,” said Coach Locksley. “[It] starts with me with the penalties; I’ll get that corrected.”
A pass interference call nearly gave SMU its third touchdown, but a fumble recovery from LB Ahmad McCullough stopped the Mustangs from taking the lead. Still, on SMU’s next drive, Mordecai connected with WR Kelvontay Dixon to break the tie.
Hemby got his first touchdown of the night in the second play of the fourth quarter. A 1-yard run brought the score to 27-27.
An interception from safety Dante Trader Jr. slowed SMU’s momentum in the fourth. Tagovailoa darted a pass to TE Corey Dyches to give Maryland a seven-point lead. A fourth-down stop in the red zone secured the win, handing the Mustangs their first loss.
Maryland finished the game with a whopping 15 penalties for 141 yards. When the team travels to fellow Big Ten opponent Michigan next week, they will desperately need to reduce those numbers for any chance of winning.
