Maryland football falls flat again, close non-conference with 35-26 loss vs. Virginia Tech

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Maryland football’s first power-conference opponent and a sold-out crowd at SECU Stadium awaited the Terps.

The matchup against Virginia Tech, a regional opponent led by former Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin, was slated to be one of the defining games of coach Michael Locksley’s tenure in College Park.

It will likely be remembered as one of the lowest points.

Maryland football (2-1) looked overmatched in a 35-26 loss to the Hokies, delivering a disappointment in one of the most hyped games at SECU Stadium in recent years. Virginia Tech totaled 451 yards and led scoring drives with little resistance.

“We got to do a better job, obviously, all of us,” Locksley said. “Whether it’s the tackling, whether it’s us getting off blocks, a lot of those things showed up.”

Missed tackles were one of the glaring issues for the Terps.

“Bad angles, you know, just missing tackles,” senior linebacker Daniel Wingate said. “We got to be able to get the ball on the ground on third down and just get off the field, and that was a problem for us tonight.”

Maryland’s secondary struggled to wrap up, especially against Virginia Tech running backs Jeffrey Overton Jr. and Marcellus Hawkins Jr. Overton shrugged off several defensive backs on a short pass that turned into a 49-yard touchdown — a play that encapsulated Maryland’s defensive woes in the first half.

The sophomore racked up 42 yards after the catch and dashed up the sideline past Maryland’s secondary. Virginia Tech blocked well upfield, though several defenders had chances to prevent the score. They failed on all of them.

“Our guys got to make those plays, especially on third down,” Locksley said. “We felt going into it that we would have the ability to play man, and [Virginia Tech] executed or out-executed us at the point of attack.”

Maryland’s defensive backs also hindered the players in front of them.

The Terps largely failed to generate pressure on Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer because the junior was able to get the ball out quickly. Grunkemeyer rarely took long to progress through his reads, often zipping the ball to the first player he looked at.

The Penn State transfer finished the game 31-of-39 for 314 yards and three passing touchdowns, dissecting the Terps’ secondary on virtually all of Virginia Tech’s scoring drives. Grunkemeyer rarely, if ever, threw errant passes and hit every open man.

Tight end Luke Reynolds and senior receiver Ayden Greene were his main beneficiaries.

Reynolds posted a career day against Old Dominion on Sep. 12, posting eight catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He continued that dominance against the Terps. Maryland had no answer — neither cornerbacks nor linebackers — for Reynolds, who seemed to beat his defender nearly every snap.

The junior finished the night with 12 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Greene had a slightly quieter night, but still repeatedly beat the Terps’ defensive backs to get open. The senior totaled 58 yards on four receptions and sparked chunk plays early in the first half.

Maryland’s defense also largely precluded the offense from building momentum.

Virginia Tech led Maryland in time of possession 36:38 to 23:22 — including 12:25 to 2:35 in the first quarter — denying the Terps’ offense chances to string together long drives.

An inability to run the ball also killed Maryland’s chances of eating clock and possessing the ball. Redshirt sophomore DeJuan Williams was inactive again against Virginia Tech after missing last week’s game versus UConn.

The run game struggled in both games without Williams — largely because it lacked his explosiveness. Iverson Howard and Harry Dalton III, Maryland’s top two backs since Williams went down in the first half against Hampton, combined for 48 yards on 17 carries.

“There was opportunities there for plays to be made,” Washington said. “Some execution could have been better on everybody’s part: the receivers, offensive line, me carrying out my fake. Things that add up.”

Sophomore quarterback Malik Washington had a solid day through the air, though he missed some timely throws. Washington narrowly overthrew Chris Durr Jr. in the first half and Kaleb Webb in the second half, both of which would have gone for touchdowns.

Washington finished 30-of-43 for 359 passing yards and three touchdowns. But one of the quarterback’s most productive outings of his young career was spoiled by a stinging loss and a whimper of a showing from the defense.

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