ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For Maryland soccer, nonetheless trying to find a marquee win towards a prime Massive Ten foe, an infinite breakthrough appeared tantalizingly shut. The Terrapins by no means seized whole management of their sport towards No. 4 Michigan, but they refused to let the matchup slip away. The Wolverines’ edge remained slim, and Maryland’s probability of snatching a program-defining upset lingered all through.
Maryland
Maryland comes close, but not close enough to beat No. 4 Michigan
Inside a packed Michigan Stadium, the Terrapins confirmed this staff has the expertise — and at instances can muster the poise — wanted to compete with the Massive Ten’s finest. However within the last quarter, Maryland couldn’t hold tempo with the reigning Massive Ten champion and suffered a 34-27 defeat Saturday, one other loss in this system’s current run of bother towards the convention’s prime groups. The Wolverines scored 10 straight factors through the fourth quarter as they turned their five-point lead into a snug benefit that will have required late heroics for the Terps to beat.
Taking part in a good sport towards a top-tier opponent, which Maryland has not often carried out since becoming a member of the convention in 2014, marks a step ahead for this program beneath Coach Michael Locksley. However the best way the sport ended, with the Terps (3-1, 0-1 Massive Ten) unable to maintain the sport shut within the waning minutes, gave it a disappointing end, even with CJ Dippre’s comfort rating with 45 seconds to go. The Terps executed a two-point conversion however then didn’t safe the late onside kick, their final probability to rally.
“Shut will not be adequate,” Locksley stated. “However I’m happy with the best way our staff fought.”
Maryland’s offense took the sector trailing by eight with 6:28 to go — at that time, a game-tying landing and two-point conversion nonetheless had been inside the realm of chance — however quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw an interception on the second play of the collection. Locksley known as that play an “egregious” mistake by which the redshirt junior quarterback threw into double protection.
Michigan (4-0, 1-0) successfully sealed the victory with an extended landing run from Blake Corum — his last act in a standout efficiency — and the Terps had been resigned to one more loss towards a top-tier Massive Ten program.
Since becoming a member of the convention, the Terps have gone 3-20 towards Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, usually the highest three groups within the East division. Of these uncommon wins, two got here in 2014 — towards Penn State (in James Franklin’s first yr as head coach when the staff completed 7-6) and towards Michigan (a 5-7 squad throughout Brady Hoke’s last season). The opposite victory was seemingly a pivotal second for Locksley’s group when it knocked off Penn State, however these 2020 Nittany Lions had a down season, ending 4-5.
Maryland has suffered these 20 losses by a median margin of round 34 factors, so Terps followers have grown accustomed to lopsided blowouts that zap the optimism from a season. Solely 4 instances have the defeats come by fewer than 21 factors; this loss towards Michigan joined that brief checklist, maybe indicating the Terps are getting nearer to a breakthrough.
“All of us had a perception that we had been getting in to trigger a giant upset, however clearly it didn’t prove how we needed it to be,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Spencer Anderson stated. “I really feel like the boldness is there. I really feel like my previous years being right here, we form of simply went in moping round.”
These gamers, Locksley stated, didn’t enter the matchup as if it was a Tremendous Bowl.
However for now, Maryland will hold ready for that win, one which grabs the eye and acclaim of these exterior this fan base. The Terps practically did it in extra time towards Ohio State when Matt Canada was the interim coach in 2018. They usually had an opportunity Saturday. However Corum ran for a career-high 243 yards and two touchdowns to scuttle the hope that hung over this sport for 3 quarters.
“I can’t allow them to outshine me,” stated Corum, who performed at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.
Heading into the matchup, Locksley stated he needed his staff to “hold the sport actually tight and get it to a fourth quarter, and also you by no means know what can occur.” The Terps managed that a lot. They entered the ultimate quarter going through solely a 17-13 deficit. However on the second play of the fourth quarter, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy related with Roman Wilson for a 20-yard landing. For the primary time all day, Michigan had a two-score lead.
The Terps’ offense had gone quiet for a lot of the earlier two quarters, however in response to that Wolverines landing, Maryland transformed a fourth and one on a brief move to Tai Felton, then surged down the sector on Corey Dyches’s 44-yard reception and scored on one other move to Felton. Maryland failed on a two-point conversion, however that landing stored a win in attain, regardless that the Terps nonetheless trailed 24-19.
Maryland’s protection couldn’t totally comprise the Wolverines. McCarthy delivered a third-down move to Ronnie Bell for 49 yards, and Michigan settled for a area objective. That arrange Maryland’s drive with a 27-19 deficit, however Tagovailoa threw the decide.
Tagovailoa took a giant hit early within the third quarter and needed to be tended to by the staff’s medical employees. Tagovailoa was “banged up,” coping with rib and knee bother, Locksley stated. Backup Billy Edwards Jr. in the end led Maryland on the drive that ended with Dippre’s late rating.
“He’s robust,” Anderson stated of Tagovailoa. After Edwards took management of the offense, Tagovailoa “needed to go on the market, however [Locksley] advised him, ‘You don’t need to be a superhero.’”
Tagovailoa threw one other interception within the second quarter that quashed an in any other case wonderful drive. The turnover seemed to be a questionable catch by Michigan’s DJ Turner, however it was not reviewed. Locksley, who didn’t problem the decision, stated his coaches within the sales space thought it was certainly an interception.
To have an opportunity to win this sport, the Terps wanted a clear efficiency, freed from self-inflicted bother. The sport had a dreary begin with Felton fumbling the opening kickoff. The Wolverines scored a landing on their first offensive play. Eight seconds into the sport, Michigan had grabbed the lead.
“Good groups don’t want our assist,” Locksley stated. “And to only spot them seven factors — after which the end result of the sport is seven factors.”
Maryland responded and stored the rating shut via a lot of the sport. The Terps solely dedicated one penalty, a notable enchancment from final week’s efficiency.
The protection got here up with a number of key stops but additionally gave up an extended landing run on fourth and one simply earlier than the halftime break, and the Terps couldn’t hold Michigan off the board as hope for an upset began to fade.
“We took a step ahead by way of getting it to the place we stated we wanted to get the sport — right into a fourth-quarter alternative for us,” Locksley stated. “And we did that. However we didn’t make the performs when the performs had been there to be made.”