It was an unimpressive showing for Maryland coming out of the bye week as the Terps move to 4-3 (1-3) on the season. The Terps were outmatched as the Gophers picked up their second win in five matchups, leading to our instant reactions from Saturday:
Gophers run all day…even without Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts, the Gophers made it a point of emphasis to ride the offensive line and establish the run behind a three-headed attack. After Bryce Williams eclipsed the 100-yard mark against Nebraska last week, the Gophers had a new 100-yard rusher by halftime after freshman Kye Thomas broke free for 101 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. He finished the day with 139 yards, but the Gophers found another 100-yard rusher after Mar’Keise Irving registered 105 yards on 15 carries. Three different running backs and quarterback Cole Kramer all scored a rushing touchdown on Saturday as the Terps’ front seven had no answer. It didn’t help that missed tackles ran rampant through the Terps’ defense to help the Gophers tally 326 yards on the ground, but a lackluster showing considering the Terps are coming out of a bye week.
Discipline questions arise…it’s not the first time this has fallen under the instant reactions in a game this season, but yet again, miscues and unforced errors plagued Maryland on Saturday. The Terps accounted for eight penalties for 79 yards as both sides of the ball struggled. Maryland had one penalty declined after being called for an illegal man downfield in the final minutes of the third quarter after the Gophers’ defense was prepared, forcing Tagovailoa to throw. After the Terps were pinned to a 3rd-and-10, Tagovailoa threw another incompletion after WR Carlos Carriere fell. Maryland had one poor penalty after two players were flagged for both wearing ‘99’ on a 4th down punt, resulting in a five-yard penalty. Maryland also had a chance to get the ball back with one and a half minutes left in the first half, but a defensive holding call on Tarheeb Still gave the Gophers another opportunity. Still redeemed himself after forcing a field goal block in the final second of the half, but several missed opportunities early on. The Terps also survived an early game scare after Tagovailoa fumbled on the third play of the game, the first and only turnover
One-sided offense…Maryland knew they had a tough test against a strong Minnesota defensive line coached by Chad Wilt, the Terps’ former position coach, but Maryland had minimal success on the ground. Maryland was able to improve their yards per carry during the final offensive drive of the game, but the Terps amassed just 52 yards on the ground through the first 50 minutes as Tayon Fleet-Davis, Peny Boone, and Challen Faamatau shared the workload. Trailing for much of the game, Maryland ran the ball just four times through the first 25 minutes of the second half and routinely turned to the aerial attack to move the ball as Rakim Jarrett and Marcus Fleming made the most of their opportunities. Maryland also worked to find Darryl Jones the ball but the veteran struggled to capitalize on his three targets. Outside of the fumble, Tagovailoa was efficient but off-target on a handful of throws that could’ve moved the chains. Maryland finished 5-of-11 on third down, an improvement compared to the rest of the season, but had a chance to convert possibly one or two more key plays.
Entering crunch time…Saturday was a concerning performance given that Maryland is just coming out of the bye week. Cornerback Kenny Bennett did not travel with the team and missed his third consecutive game, while cornerback Jakorian Bennett and linebacker Branden Jennings returned though Jennings played sparingly. In the midst of a three-game losing streak, Maryland now steps into a must-win game entering next weekend’s homecoming game against Indiana. A bowl game has always been the most important end goal for the 2021 Terrapins and with a missed opportunity on Saturday, Maryland’s game next week became that much more important.