Maryland moved to 2-1 (1-1) as they shift their attention to Villanova to close out non-conference play next weekend. Maryland now moves to 46-32-2 all-time vs. Virginia after clawing back from another deficit for the second consecutive year. We break down takeaways from the win:
Tale of two halves
The storyline from Saturday night was a tale of two halves in Charlottesville.
Maryland opened the game with three consecutive punts as the offense struggled to get anything going. The Terps seemed poised to score after Dante Trader Jr. recorded the defense’s first interception to set the offense up at the UVA 35, but just one yard through three plays wasn’t enough for Jack Howes as his 52-yard attempt sailed just wide to the right. It would mark the only positive sign for the offense early after punting on five of their first six possessions.
Punter Bryce McFerson, of course, made the most of those reps yet again and proved himself as an asset yet again after averaging over 47 yards per punt to help the Terps win the field position battle during an offensively-challenged first half for both teams, including a possession that fans saw the Terps’ stall near midfield midway through the second quarter. It wasn’t for a lack of trying – while WR Tai Felton drew nearly 40% of Edwards’ pass attempts, Maryland worked to establish verticality in the offense but struggled to connect with WR Kaden Prather until late.
The final drive of the half for the Terps’ offense, though, would foreshadow the second half after Edwards led the offense on a seven-play, 47-yard drive for the first touchdown of the game.
After holding Virginia to a three-and-out on its first drive to begin the second half, the Terps put together an eight-play drive that ended in WR Kaden Prather’s first touchdown, taking a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. And when they needed to, Maryland was able to lean on the ground game as Colby McDonald and Nolan Ray combined for 61 yards on 12 attempts in the second half.
And one week after fans questioned decisions down the stretch at home, fans saw a pair of aggressive calls late that showed trust in the offense.
The first came on the final play of the third quarter staring at a 4th-and-2, turning to Roman Hemby for a three-yard gain in a pickup that proved pivotal. After Edwards took the offense into the redzone, Jack Howes set up for a 33-yard field goal to make it a seven-point game. The second came with just under nine minutes left facing a 4th-and-1 as offensive coordinator Josh Gattis turned back to Edwards for a second straight QB keeper, picking up enough for the first down before Edwards ran for his second rushing TD this season and tenth in his career.
Both calls came when the Terps were in the midst of dominating the trenches, a development that fans have been waiting to see from its revamped starting five. And when it mattered, it was the trenches who helped seal the win.
It wasn’t all sunshine, though, as penalties loomed large in the win. Maryland finished with eight penalties for 66 yards in the win as all but one came in the first half and only two were attributed to the defense. A holding on the opening drive negated a third-down conversation after WR Shaleak Knotts was called for holding, while four false starts by the offensive line – including three by OT Andre Roye – dealt a blow to the offense in multiple short yardage situations.
Defense steps up
The dual-threat ability of Virginia QB Anthony Colandrea was a talking point all week, and the Terps were able to do enough to contain him and the ‘Hoos offense for 60 minutes.
Virginia found the holes in the Terps’ front seven to create the chunk plays on the ground through the first half, averaging just shy of five yards per carry, but the takeaways loomed large. On their second drive of the game, it was the ‘Hoos who threatened first as UVA QB Anthony Colandrea drove the offense on a seven-play drive into the redzone for the first time before LB Donnell Brown registered his first forced fumble of the season as the defense picked up its first of four takeaways on the night. One highlight from the first half was the defense holding star WR Malachi Fields without a catch, especially considering the secondary’s performances in the Big Ten opener.
Just when Maryland’s offense showed signs of life, though, the defense collapsed as Virginia stormed down the field in five plays and 53 seconds as QB Anthony Colandrea ran into the endzone in the closing seconds to give the ‘Hoos the lead right back. It was a drive that highlighted the Terps’ team efforts in the first half – close, but not good enough.
But the second half was a different story as Maryland outscored Virginia the rest of the way, 20-0. That included holding Virginia to three three-and-outs and two takeaways with a turnover on downs to cement the road win. And the chunk plays that fans saw through the first two weeks of the season into the first half vanished after Virginia averaged just 1.3 yards per carry in the third quarter, turning the ‘Hoos into a one-dimensional offense.
The icing on the cake came in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when DT Tommy Akingbesote registered his first forced fumble of the year, setting the offense up near midfield on a near four-minute drive to put the Terps ahead two touchdowns.
Felton shines again
After entering Saturday leading the country in receiving yards, Tai Felton will have to adjust to opposing defense’s best coverage, but in Charlottesville, he had no problems.
Felton eclipsed 1,500 career receiving yards in the win and finished the night with 117 yards on nine catches and 16 targets, becoming the first Terp to record at least 100 receiving yards in each of the first three games of the season. He wasn’t the only wideout to find the endzone as WR Kaden Prather recorded his first touchdown of the season, connecting on a deep ball attempt, this time a 26-yard reception to open the second half.
The veteran duo accounted for both touchdowns and 165 of the team’s 263 receiving yards in the win, while Octavian Smith made the most of his reps after a pair of six-yard receptions gave the offense short yardage situations on third down late in the game.
Felton’s 27 catches, 447 receiving yards and four touchdowns place him among the nation’s leaders in all three categories while his yardage is the fourth-most among Big ten players since 1996.
Meanwhile, TE Preston Howard returned from his one-week absence to register three catches for five yards, but arguably none were bigger than his five-yard contested catch along the sideline on third-down in what proved to be a momentum-building drive. Dylan Wade, meanwhile, connected with Edwards on a 36-yard pass to set the offense up in the redzone on the eventual game-sealing score.
While eight different receivers caught at least one pass in the win, WR Shaleak Knotts didn’t record a stat after recording one catch in each of the first two games.
Turnover margin
For the third consecutive game this season, Maryland won the turnover margin and unlike week two, it proved to be the difference in the win.
While the Terps failed to turn the first three turnovers into points, the fourth and final takeaway of the day set the Terps’ offense up with prime field position before Billy Edwards drove them down the field to cement the game. Jalen Huskey also recorded his second interception as a Terp and in as many weeks, teaming up with Trader to give the defense six picks through the first three games. The six interceptions mark the most by the program since 2013.
Trader didn’t just leave his mark in takeaways, though as his team-high 11 tackles also marked a new career-high.
Notes & stats:
- OT Andre Roye was helped off the field in the closing minutes of the game
- Maryland has now recorded at least one takeaway in seven consecutive games
- Only Georgia (24) has won more consecutive non-conference games than Maryland.
- Maryland’s 14 consecutive non-conference win streak is the longest such streak for the program in 40 years
- Maryland now moves to 16-1 in non-conference games under Mike Locksley
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