Maryland football improves to 4-0 in spite of more blunders

(Photograph Courtesy of Maryland Athletics.)

Just like concluding week, the mistakes by the Terps were not stopping them from adding another victory to the win cavalcade.

That was the impression when Taulia Tagovailoa orchestrated a masterful three play touchdown drive in response to his first turnover of the season. The scorer of the drive was a streaking Dontay Demus Jr, whose get-go drib stalled the Terps' opening bulldoze of the contest.

Indeed, Tagovailoa's outset interception of the flavour was not stopping him from having an otherwise flawless game and numerous penalties incurred by the Maryland defence were non stopping them from keeping Kent Land beneath 10 points for virtually all four quarters.

Meliorate discipline would have certainly helped Maryland throughout its meeting with Kent State, just it all proved to be inconsequential as the Terps marched to their first 4-0 kickoff since 2022 on a 37-16 scoreline.

"I respect winning enough that obviously I'chiliad visibly disappointed that nosotros haven't played to the standard," head coach Mike Locksley said, "but I definitely give our team credit that we're sitting here 4-0."

Things seemingly began to go awry when, in the beginning play of the 2nd drive of the game, Tagovailoa threw behind a striding Rakim Jarrett, who couldn't corral the awkwardly placed laissez passer. Instead of bobbling to the turf, the misplaced ball was tipped up into the possession of the opposing team, ending Tagovailoa'southward streak of games without an interception. It set up a brusk field for the Gilded Flashes, who used it to score their beginning three points of the game.

Simply the Terps offense proved resilient, every bit they have before, and retaliated with a specially uneven response.

In the following three offensive possessions, Maryland scored iii directly touchdowns — all while disallowing whatever more than than a field goal for the Kent State crime in the opening half.

"One of our goals is to go on opponents from scoring a touchdown in the redzone give them three points and we did that," defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu, "nosotros did that for the nigh office but it's e'er room for improvement."

The start score was an efficient 3 play drive that ended with a 33-yard touchdown connection with Tagovailoa to Demus. The 2d took x plays, simply the results were nearly the same as the drive that came before information technology; another passing touchdown for Tagovailoa and Jarrett'due south outset receiving touchdown of the afternoon.

Tagovailoa ended with 384 yards and three touchdown passes, his fourth 300 yard game of the flavor.

"I thought our quarterback really showed command," Locksley said, "he'due south been incredibly efficient at running at what nosotros wanna run on criminal offence and I think he'll continue to get better."

The third and concluding touchdown of the half, that ultimately ready Maryland upwardly for a cozy 24-9 lead at halftime, came at the end of another quick 3-play drive in which Demus added a 64-yard laissez passer take hold of that put him over 100 receiving yards and the Terps in easy scoring territory. This time, the scorer was Tayon Fleet-Davis who rushed for the showtime of two touchdowns.

Demus' catch gave him his seventh career 100-thou game, putting him in the company of NFL pro-bowlers Vernon Davis and Torrey Smith, who also had 7 career 100-yard performances while at Maryland. All three are tied for the 2d almost in program history.

The Terps added a field goal with their final possession after hit the life out of the opposition in three strong drives.

It was a lead forged in spite of a turnover that set the Gilded Flashes with promising field position, several pass interference and roughing the passer calls that kept three different drives live and back-to-back late hits in the waning seconds of the first one-half that, if fourth dimension hadn't expired, would have set up Kent State up for its fourth field goal of the game.

The 24-9 scoreline ballooned to 37-9 in but the third quarter and, while several more penalties and mistakes — from a missed extra point from kicker Joseph Petrino to a fumble by receiver Brian Cobbs — granted some life for the Golden Flashes, Maryland'southward work in the initial half was insurmountable.

The errors added up, just in this contest, like the one before it, the clock striking cypher with the Terps on tiptop. The question of bailiwick will go unanswered for 1 more than week every bit the Terps set up to face their kickoff ranked opponent.

"At some point, we gotta get this [discipline] thing fixed," Locksley said "It's been an achilles heel and an issue. I keep talking about information technology every week so nosotros'll go on to coach them through it."

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Source: http://wmucsports.net/maryland-football-improves-to-4-0-in-spite-of-more-blunders/

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