Maryland played from behind for nearly the entirety of Saturday’s game at Michigan State as the Terps fell 40-21 in East Lansing, sending the Terps to 5-5 (2-5).
Michigan State kicked the game off with some offensive flair after a flea-flicker set up a 52-yard touchdown on just the third play of the game. With a 7-0 lead less than 90 seconds into the game, Michigan State never looked back as the Terps’ offense would punt on their ensuing three possessions despite amassing 132 yards on 19 plays. Michigan State took advantage of the Terps’ empty possessions to tack on another touchdown, but a missed extra point put the score at 13-0 after one quarter.
The Terps’ rushing attack looked a bit different on Saturday than it normally has this season. Veteran running back Challen Faamatau was unavailable against Michigan State after undergoing surgery last week and is expected to miss the remainder of the season and with Isaiah Jacobs no longer with the program, it was Peny Boone who became the go-to game out of the backfield. After the Michigan native picked up eight yards on his first carry, Boone followed it up with a strong 28 yard rush to push the Terps’ to midfield. After three consecutive punts, it was Boone who punched in a four-yard touchdown to get Maryland on the board. Still, the Terps struggled to generate any ground game as Boone finished with 42 yards on five carries, while the team finished with just 97 yards on the ground. True freshman Colby McDonald registered 38 yards on six carries while Fleet-Davis added five yards on four carries.
Michigan State would respond with touchdowns on the next two possessions to push the lead to 27-7 before Maryland’s offense quieted the Spartans crowd, turning a four-play, 80-yard drive into a touchdown after quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa found tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo for a 32-yard receiving touchdown. The touchdown helped Maryland cut the lead back to 13 just before halftime, but would be the first of two touchdowns from the standout tight end Okonkwo finished with 112 receiving yards and two touchdowns on eight catches.
Maryland put together a strong drive to open the second-half as Tagovailoa found tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo and Rakim Jarrett to push the ball downfield, but the drive came to a bitter end after Tagovailoa threw another inexplicable interception in the redzone. The self-inflicted wound eliminated a chance for Maryland to cut the lead to six and the Spartans took advantage of the Terps’ miscue, turning an eight-play, 64-yard drive in for a touchdown to extend the lead to 34-14.
Maryland turned to Chigoziem Okonkwo on the ensuing possession, reeling in his second 32-yard receiving touchdown of the day. It was on next ensuing defensive possession where Maryland would once again have a chance to cut in even closer to the Spartans’ lead after NT Ami Finau forced a fumble on the first play of the possession, leading to a recovery by Tarheeb Still. Maryland set up a 1st-and-goal opportunity at the two yard line, but a costly intentional grounding call on third down forced K Joseph Petrino into a 40-yard attempt that was wide right, keeping the score at 34-21. Maryland would drive back into Spartans territory on the next drive, but again, an intentional grounding call set the Terps back on first down. The drive ended with a missed fourth-down conversion attempt on 4th-and-4 following an incompletion to WR Carlos Carriere. The Spartans would add another fourth quarter touchdown and a failed two-point attempt put the score at 40-21 as the Terps’ miscues yet again told the story.
A positive out of Saturday’s performance were the two forced turnovers, giving Maryland their first takeaway since the win against Kent State back on September 25. Still, Maryland’s offense couldn’t find the consistency as Tagovailoa finished 29-of-48 for 350 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His interception loomed large as the pivotal miscue dampened Maryland’s chances of a comeback, but Tagovailoa proved his connections with Okonkwo and Jarrett were well alive. While Okonkwo led the team with 112 receiving yards, it was Rakim Jarrett who finished with a team-high ten catches for 105 yards as the offense found ways to get him involved.
Next: Maryland (5-5) will host ninth-ranked Michigan (9-1) next weekend for a 3:30 PM kickoff.