Ad Disclosure
Rapid Reaction: Maryland blows past Howard for 2-0 start
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Final Score: Howard 0, Maryland 62
Brief Recap: Well, it did not take long for Mike Locksley’s squad to establish their superiority over Howard in Week 2. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was on target early and often as the Terrapins posted 38 points in the first half. The defense did more than it’s share of the work as well, shutting out the Bison through two quarters without much of a threat.
It did not take long for the starters to be pulled with most coming out of the game in the third quarter. By then, the score was well out of hand with Maryland cruising to a 2-0 record.
Key Player: Starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was the big star of Maryland’s evening with his efficient distribution of the ball. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 274 yards and 3 TDs before giving way to backup QB Reece Udinski. Tagovailoa threw touchdowns to Chigoziem Okonkwo, Dontay Demus Jr., and Rakim Jarrett as the lead ballooned to 45-0 before Tagovailoa called it a night.
Key Moment: With a game this lopsided, there is hard to find any moment that greatly impacted the final outcome. Maryland scored on its first 2 possessions of the game before finally punting the ball away on its third. Howard was able to gain a bit of yardage on that ensuing possession, but a 45-yard field goal attempt was no good. The Terrapins quickly marched 72 yards on the ensuing drive to go up 21-0 and never looking back.
Key Stat: Remarkably, the key stat from the Week 2 win comes via the Maryland defense. The Terrapins held Howard without a third-down conversion, holding the Bison to an 0-for-11 effort on third-down plays.
What it means moving forward: Maryland is 2-0 and has a good win over West Virginia from Week 1, but that does not mean much at this point. This is the second time that the Terrapins have started 2-0 under Locksley, and everyone should remember how the 2019 team fared. Those Terps would go 1-9 the rest of the way with a win over Rutgers the only conference win to their credit.
Moving forward, a lot of tough games remain, and that could start right away in Week 3. The Terrapins will travel to face Illinois in Champaign with Bret Bielema’s squad coming off back-to-back losses and looking to right the ship.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.