By Sebastian Obando
Redshirt junior quarterback Caleb Rowe took the snap and immediately stepped up into the pocket to avoid pressure from the outside. After creating a small space of separation from the other defensive lineman, Rowe spotted a receiver cutting through the middle of the field. The ensuing pass was intercepted by Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis and returned to the Maryland 31-yard line, where Michigan drove down the field for the game’s first touchdown. A quarterback switch in the next series proved little for Maryland, as the Terps dropped their Big 10 opener 28-0.
“We’ll be making a change. What direction we go in, we’ll wait to see what happens there,” Maryland head coach Randy Edsall said regarding the quarterback situation. “At that position, you can’t have the turnovers that we’re having. That’s something that you have to address and we will address.”
Maryland’s passing attack struggled against the Michigan defense, as the team finished with only 76 yards through the air. Rowe, who was making his second start of the season after replacing quarterback Perry Hills two weeks ago, finished 8 of 27 for 47 yards with three interceptions, including a third quarter turnover that saw him benched for senior quarterback Daxx Garman. Garman added 29 yards on two completions and was sacked on three occasions.
“Our defense gave us a lot of opportunities to do more than we did,” Rowe said after the game. “I’m a little bit at a loss of words right now, but it’s just a matter of we need to get better this week. We have a big challenge this coming week and we just need to make the most of our opportunities.”
Unlike the offense, the Maryland defense made several plays in the first half, forcing two fumbles and holding the Wolverines to only a pair of field goals after two quarters. However, the offense’s woes eventually carried over to the defense in the second half, as two long third quarter touchdowns halted any chance for a Terp upset.
“I felt like our defense played well enough to be able to win today. They played hard, aggressive and physical. Offensively, we just can’t turn the ball over the way we did,” Edsall said. “Against a really good Michigan defense, you have to be able to take advantage of those opportunities. We just weren’t able to do that today.”
The Terps (2-3, 0-1) will be looking to turn around their season this Saturday when they travel to Columbus to take on No. 1 Ohio State.
