[Baltimore Sun] Maryland football’s bowl hopes dim after 31-17 loss to Rutgers
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COLLEGE PARK — It’s fourth down on Maryland football’s season.
Needing a win to keep afloat their hopes of reaching the postseason, the Terps instead were crippled by dropped passes, penalties and questionable decisions that contributed to a 31-17 defeat to visiting Rutgers on Saturday night before an announced 31,433 at SECU Stadium.
The loss was the fifth in the past six games for Maryland (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten). More importantly, the team must get two victories in its final two games of the regular season to earn an invite to what would be its fourth consecutive bowl, which would be a first for the program since a four-year stretch from 1982 to 1985.
The Terps must beat Iowa (6-4, 4-3) on Saturday at noon at SECU Stadium and No. 4 Penn State (9-1, 6-1) on Nov. 30 in State College at a time to be announced to gain bowl eligibility. That prospect seems unlikely considering the program’s 3-42-1 record against the Nittany Lions.
Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights sealed their path to the postseason for the second straight year by improving to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten. Senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis completed 20 of 30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, senior wide receiver Dymere Miller caught eight balls for 107 yards and a score and senior running back Kyle Monangai ran 25 times for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
In one of the few bright spots for the Terps, senior wide receiver Tai Felton caught six passes on 14 targets for 61 yards and one touchdown. With 86 catches this fall, he broke DJ Moore’s single-season record of 80 receptions in 2017 and moved into a tie for fifth place in career touchdown catches with his 15th.
Redshirt junior running back Roman Hemby carried the ball 15 times for 86 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run and caught five balls for 59 yards. The Edgewood native and John Carroll graduate moved into a tie for fourth place with Louis Carter in total touchdowns (27) and eighth in touchdown runs (22).
But when the team gathers to review film of the game Sunday, the players will see they stumbled over their own self-inflicted errors.
On their first possession of the game, redshirt junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and Felton failed to connect on a play that could have resulted in a touchdown. On the next play, senior wide receiver Kaden Prather couldn’t hang onto a pass in the back right corner of the end zone, and the series ended with redshirt junior kicker Jack Howes pushing a 44-yard field-goal attempt wide right.
On Maryland’s next drive, Prather dropped another pass — this time, in the back left corner of the end zone — and coach Mike Locksley’s challenge was denied, costing the team a timeout. Fortunately for the offense, Howes successfully converted a 48-yard field goal — his longest of the season and 1 yard shy of tying his career best — to give the team a 3-0 lead with 2:06 left in the first quarter.
Rutgers replied with a 17-play, 75-yard drive that included four third-down conversions and one fourth-down conversion. That possession ended with Kaliakmanis’ 13-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Ian Strong to give the Scarlet Knights a 7-3 advantage with 8:21 left in the second quarter.
The Terps answered back by marching 75 yards in eight plays and Edwards finding Felton in the back left corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. They reclaimed a 10-7 lead with 4:37 remaining.
That respite was short-lived, however. Rutgers capitalized on penalties on junior safety Jalen Huskey (horse collar tackle) and sophomore cornerback Kevis Thomas (pass interference) and converted another third down and a fourth down to set the table for Monangai’s touchdown run that lifted the team to a 14-10 advantage with 1:01 to go.
Maryland tried to trim the deficit with some points before halftime, but the offense was stopped on fourth-and-5 at the Scarlet Knights’ 42, and Rutgers took the lead into halftime.
As effective as Hemby was in the first half when he averaged 6.9 yards per carry (76 yards on 11 rushes), he got only four more attempts for nine yards in the second half.
The Terps opened the second half by marching 75 yards in eight plays and getting Hemby’s touchdown run. Hemby, who had a 32-yard catch on that drive, briefly gave Maryland a 17-14 lead with 11:16 left in the third quarter.
But the Scarlet Knights pounced on Thomas’ second pass interference infraction of the game, used conversions on third and fourth down, and watched Monangai register his second touchdown run of the game on a 6-yard scamper to regain a 21-17 advantage with 5:14 remaining.
Rutgers widened the gap with its fourth scoring drive of at least 70 yards with Miller’s 32-yard touchdown catch capping an eight-play, 71-yard march just five seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Terps tried to respond and moved the ball to the Scarlet Knights’ 30. But Edwards’ pass glanced off the hands of junior wide receiver Octavian Smith Jr., and senior defensive lineman Jordan Thompson dove to snatch the ball out of mid-air and return possession to Rutgers.
Maryland turned the ball over on downs twice in the fourth quarter. The offense was 2 of 5 on fourth downs, while the Scarlet Knights were 3 of 3.
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
Iowa at Maryland
Saturday, noon
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: 105.7 FM
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