By Ethan Cadeaux (@Ethan_301)
The Maryland Terrapins lost for the first time Saturday in the DJ Durkin era, falling to Penn State 38-14.
The loss gave the Terps’ program a reality check after the hype of a 4-0 start.
The Nittany Lions were the Terps first true test of the season, after the Terps beat Howard, FIU, UCF, and Purdue to start the season.
In 2014, the Terps beat Penn State by just one point. In 2015, Penn State returned the favor, beating Maryland 31-30. After Saturday’s dominating performance over the Terps, Penn State now leads the series 37-2-1.
From the start, Penn State had a plan: get the ball to sophomore running back Saquon Barkley as much as possible. The Terps couldn’t stop him.
Barkley finished with a career high 202 yards on 31 carries to go along with one rushing touchdown.
Late in the second quarter, the Terps’ offense suffered a major blow. Down 17-7, the Terps were driving down the field when starting quarterback Perry Hills injured his throwing shoulder. Hills was sidelined for the remainder of the game.
Freshman Tyrell Pigrome came in for Hills. Pigrome finished the drive with a rushing touchdown, cutting the Penn State lead to just three with 52 seconds left in the half.
The Terps couldn’t stop Penn State’s offense. With 15 seconds left in the half, Barkley busted out a 45-yard touchdown run, and put the Nittany Lions back up by 10 before halftime.
The Terps offense wasn’t able to put a scoring drive together in the second half. Penn State added two more touchdowns, cruising to a 38-14 victory.
Three Takeaways
- Despite the fast start, the Terps still have a long way to go.
Head coach D.J. Durkin has done a great job turning around the Maryland football program in his first year. He has already surpassed last season’s win total, and only needs two more wins for his team to be bowl eligible.
After a 4-0 start, including a thrashing of Purdue, many called for the Terps to be ranked. Their résumé was solid. It made sense.
But the loss to Penn State shows that the Terps still have a long way to go. They are on the right track, but it doesn’t happen overnight.
- How hurt is Perry Hills?
Hills has been an effective quarterback all season, catching defenses off guard with both his arm and his legs. If the redshirt senior is out for an extended period of time, the Terps’ offense could be in trouble.
Pigrome has looked solid in certain spots, but didn’t impress much in the second half against Penn State – his first opportunity for extended playing time.
As a whole, the Terps passing attack only threw for a measly 100 yards. That will need to change if the Terps want to become a real Big Ten threat.
- Ty Johnson needs more touches.
After rushing for a career high 204 yards just a week ago, the sophomore was only able to record 11 yards on five carries.
Johnson is one of the Terps’ best offensive weapons. Having him touch the ball less than 10 times per game is unacceptable.
Johnson caught two passes for 69 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown for the Terps first score of the game.
While it looked like Johnson was going to breakout for a second straight game, the lack of touches prevented that from happening.
What’s next?
Can the Terps rebound?
After suffering their first loss of the season, the Terps have an excellent chance to rebound with a win. Maryland hosts the 3-2 Minnesota Golden Gophers next Saturday at noon.
The Terps need this win. Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State, and Michigan are Maryland’s next four foes after Minnesota. A 5-1 record would look good for the Terps before they enter this tough four-game slate.
