The Maryland Terrapins Start off the Season 5-0

On September 23, the Maryland Terrapins played the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium.  The Terps came into this game 3-0, while the Spartans were 2-1 coming off a loss against Washington.  The Terps defense dominated the first half, only allowing a field goal, while their offense was clicking, as well, scoring 21 points.  By the end of the game, the Terps had two interceptions against the Spartans and only allowed 190 passing yards.  The Terps quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa, had a great game throwing for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns, and added a rushing touchdown. 

“He played outstandingly well, it’s like he had an eagle eye view of the field,” said Maryland fan Nathan White when referring to Taulia’s performance.  He also had great protection from his offensive line, which have only allowed 3 sacks this season.  Maryland averages 37.3 points per game which is the 18th most in college football. Tagovailoa has 1,464 passing yards and is “a great leader” according to sophomore Landon Williams. Kick returner Octavian Smith Jr. is averaging 18.3 yards per return, which is the third most in the Big Ten.

Maryland’s most recent game took place in SECU Stadium, which gave Maryland a slight advantage over Indiana. Unlike Maryland, Indiana was 2-2 coming into this game after a win against Akron. Tagovailoa had another great game, throwing for 352 yards and 5 touchdowns.  He completed 24 out of his 34 pass attempts (70.6%) and threw no interceptions. These stats gave him a quarterback rating of 95.0.

The Terps wide receiver Tai Felton had a career game, scoring three touchdowns in just the first quarter.  He had 7 receptions for 134 yards, averaging 19.4 yards per catch.  The Terps defense was all over Indiana’s offense.  They only allowed 17 points and 113 passing yards, and they also intercepted Indiana’s quarterback Tayven Jackson.  The Terps ended up defeating Indiana 44-17.

This win puts Maryland at 5-0 for the first time since 2001. Penn State won their conference game against Northwestern to improve to 4-0 in conference play, so Maryland is in second place in the Big 10 with a 3-0 conference record.

Next Saturday the Terps play the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are the #4 ranked team in college football.  The Buckeyes are the favorite heading into the game with a 90.6% chance to win according to ESPN.  If the Terps do win this game, they have a good chance of becoming one of the 25 teams that are ranked. The Maryland Terrapins are having a great start to the season and the future is looking bright, but only time will tell if they keep up this winning streak.