Maryland football entered Saturday as a touchdown favorite over Michigan State. The early-season Big Ten clash was a game the Terps were expected to win over an opponent playing for the second time under a new head coach.
But that didn’t happen.
Maryland was sloppy and lost the big-play battle as coach Michael Locksley made passive decisions. The result was a disheartening defeat.
“We had opportunities to win the game,” quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. said. “We gave this one away.”
Busted defensive coverages and untimely penalties plagued the Terps. The sloppiness started in the opening quarter.
The Terps were penalized for unnecessary roughness on a late hit after Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh connected for 13 yards and a first down on the Spartans’ first offensive drive, adding 15 yards to the play.
When Maryland’s offense was set up with a third-and-1 on its final drive in the first half, sophomore tight end Dylan Wade fell forward before the snap to result in a false start penalty.
The next play was a two-yard completion — it would’ve been enough to convert before the flag, but Wade’s blunder forced a punt.
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The Spartans took advantage with a field-goal drive before halftime. They needed another Terps miscue to do so.
Jonathan Kim attempted a 55-yard field goal for Michigan State. His kick sailed wide left, but Maryland’s Jalen Huskey jumped the snap and was offside. Kim’s second try from 50 yards was successful and gave the Spartans the lead on top of a pair of touchdowns earlier in the half.
Big plays — runs of at least 10 yards or passes of at least 15 — keyed each of the touchdown drives.
Michigan State running back Nate Carter provided the first explosion, a 30-yard rush that put the Spartans into the red zone. They scored three plays after that.
Chiles threw a pair of long passes two drives later. First was a 20-yard gain to Spartan wide receiver Jaron Glover to start the second quarter. Michigan State then scored a touchdown on a 34-yard strike to Glover and beat Huskey on a post route.
The most important explosive play came in the fourth quarter.
Immediately after redshirt junior kicker Jack Howes missed a 41-yard field goal for the Terps with just over four minutes left, Chiles launched a 77-yard touchdown pass to Marsh — beyond the entire Maryland secondary — to even the score.
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Despite needing just one yard for a first down, Locksley sent Howes, who made just 55 percent of his tries between 40 and 49 yards last season, for the field goal attempt.
“We had a chance to go up two scores,” Locksley said. “The smart play is to go up two possessions.”
Locksley said there wasn’t a thought of trying to pick up the fourth-and-1 with his offense. He attempted the field goal because he didn’t have confidence in Maryland’s run game, which averaged less than three yards a carry.
The Terps’ next drive resulted in a three-and-out as Locksley chose to punt on fourth-and-1 from their own 44-yard line. They got the ball back down three points with one second left.
Edwards had six rushing touchdowns when faced with a down-and-distance of two yards of less last season.
“Got a lot of things to clean up,” Edwards said.
Though the loss will test Maryland’s player-led culture, Locksley said he needs to figure out how the Terps can win a game like Saturday’s. They were outplayed by a seemingly inferior opponent.
“We have opportunities to win Big Ten games like we had with this one,” Locksley said. “We have to seize the opportunity.”