Coming out of the bye weekend, Maryland had every chance to turn the page from a humbling Illinois loss. Instead, Maryland dropped its third consecutive game, losing 33-27 vs. Northwestern and dropping to 5-3 (2-3) on the season. Instant reactions from Saturday’s puzzling loss:
Northwestern exposes Maryland’s first-half defense
It was a long, long first half for Maryland’s defense.
Northwestern entered Saturday averaging just under 300 yards and 20 points per game. By halftime, Northwestern already had 24 points and 236 total yards as QB Brendan Sullivan was 12-of-14 for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Maryland’s defense would show up on the first drive of the game, though, as Taizse Johnson then Ruben Hyppolite teamed up for consecutive sacks to force an opening punt. That would be the first glimmer of hope for a while as the ‘Cats put together four consecutive scoring drives, including two drives over 80 yards, to give them a 24-17 lead at halftime.
Even with Dante Trader Jr. and Tarheeb Still back, the big plays through the air continued to hamper Maryland’s defense. QB Brendan Sullivan connected with Bryce Kirtz for 51 yards on a 69-yard drive that gave the ‘Cats their second score of the game, while seven of Northwestern’s 13 big plays came through the air. The secondary allowed 20+ yards on six plays and 30+ yards on three plays, but the run defense didn’t fare much better.
Locksley made it clear that with the expectation that Sullivan would start, there’d be an emphasis on stopping the rushing attack. Instead, Sullivan accounted for four of the ‘Cats six rushes over ten yards as the Terps’ front seven struggled nearly all 60 minutes. Northwestern finished averaging just over three yards per carry on a sack-adjusted rate, but it was enough to provide balance as four consecutive scoring drives put Maryland into a puzzling deficit heading into the break.
The second half yielded better results, forcing three three-and-outs and holding the ‘Cats to nine points on six possessions. Maryland finished with nine TFLs, a big reason why Northwestern also finished 2-of-10 on 3rd-downs including 0-of-6 in the second half. Tre Colbert led the way with a pair of sacks while Hyppolite, Donnell Brown and Johnson recorded one each, but the offense couldn’t convert as they punted on three of their first four drives.
Offense starts hot, finds sporadic success
Maryland opened the game with the ball and put together another efficient opening drive as Taulia Tagovailoa opened a perfect 3-for-3, while a 36-yard gain by Kaden Prather pushed Maryland into the redzone. An eight-yard touchdown catch by Tai Felton would end the five-play, 66-yard drive, but it’d be the last bit of success the offense would enjoy in the half.
Maryland began the next drive at its own 30, but an unforced error gave the ball right back as the ball appeared to slip out of Taulia’s hand on the second drive, leading to a Northwestern interception that they turned into a score.
After using Billy Edwards Jr. on clear short yardage plays earlier in the season, the Terps opted against that on 3rd down as Taulia ran the Terps’ version the Philly ‘Tush Push’ but were humbled at the LOS, gaining half a yard. Maryland would go for it on 4th, opting for a play action before Taulia Tagovailoa’s pass intended for TE Rico Walker was deflected at the LOS.
The second half brought out Colby McDonald, who was undeniably the most efficient back of the day. Colby tallied a 19-yard gain, then a 12-yard gain two carries later. McDonald would take all but two carries in the second half until the final drive, finishing with team-highs in rushing yards (43) and attempts (5). His ten-yard run to end the third quarter took Maryland to midfield, giving fans some hope for an eventual fourth-quarter turnaround, but a third-down sack took the air out of Maryland’s hope to comeback on the road. To make matters worse, Gottlieb Ayedze went down with an apparent lower leg injury, vaulting Conor Fagan as his replacement.
Down ten in the fourth quarter, Taulia turned to Jeshaun Jones for what could’ve been a 33-yard gain, but a light offensive PI call brought the ball back. Still, the offense couldn’t do anything as they amassed -13 yards on a pivotal drive, bringing out the punt team for the third time in the half.
A 53-yard screen setting Northwestern up inside the Maryland 10 with eight minutes remaining appeared to be the nail in the coffin, but a redzone stop gave Maryland one last chance.
Maryland would respond by going 61 yards on a four-play, 80-second drive to give them hope. Maryland’s defense would come up with its biggest stop of the game, forcing the ‘Cats to a three-and-out as the Terps took over at their own 41. A combined 34 yards from Hemby and Dyches set Maryland at the Northwestern 31, but after Octavian Smith was stopped at the line of scrimmage, fans would watch its final two plays of heartbreak in a frustrating road loss.
Taulia would finish the day just shy of 300 yards while completing 64% of his passes, with Jones among four players with at least four catches in the loss. Yet still, the efficiency was off once again with a lack of vertical threat in the current state of the offense. The drops haven’t made things any better, which rightfully brings us to:
Careless errors, penalties resurface in puzzling performance
If Northwestern didn’t find enough success on its own, the inexcusable penalties from the defense and missed opportunities from the receivers would help give the ‘Cats a consistent edge.
Taulia had a chance to connect with Jeshaun Jones for a possible fourth touchdown before the ball went through Jones’s hands. Down 33-27 with under a minute left, Taulia also found Tai Felton streaking along the sideline for an easy catch, possibly setting up the offense. Instead, the ball went through Felton’s hands. One play later, Taulia’s pass sailed over the head of Corey Dyches for a game-sealing interception.
On the other end, Maryland was able to overcome an early unsportsmanlike on Fa’Najae Gotay, but a late hit by Riyad Wilmot in the second quarter hit pushed Northwestern into Maryland territory, part of a ten-play, 97-yard scoring drive. Maryland wouldn’t be able to figure it out until the final series of the next drive, where a tackle at the line of scrimmage by Beau Brade on a third-down stop led to a 33-yard field goal to end a 12-play, 84-yard.
Between the drops and unforced penalties resurfacing for the second consecutive game, Maryland has a lot they need to self-correct before facing its second top-ten opponent of the regular season. The only problem, Maryland had a chance to do so during the bye week.
How does this happen?
Excluding the COVID season, Maryland now falls to 0-4 in games following the bye week under Michael Locksley.
Maryland had a chance to prove the Illinois loss, as puzzling as it was, was the outlier in a season full of hope—in a season where reps from the Citrus Bowl were frequent guests inside the press box of SECU Stadium. Fans will point to the loss against Penn State in 2019, or against Iowa in 2021 as a reason for pessimism. While understandable, those losses came early in the Locksley tenure.
It’s now year five.
In an offseason where every coach and player made clear that Big Ten championships was the new goal for the program, the third consecutive loss proves that this 2023 Maryland squad is the same as in years past. The Ohio State game proves to be the ‘what-if’ performance thus far, the Illinois loss was humbling, the news coming out of the bye week was troubling while Saturday’s loss vs. Northwestern was deflating–and may be the gut punch for fan support.
The season took a turn for the worst after Maryland’s opening score of the second half in Columbus. With Penn State headed to College Park next weekend, what can Maryland do to instill confidence and hope to end the slide? And what’s the honest level of fan support that Maryland can expect with two home games remaining?
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