Maryland shakes off another slow start and thumps Virginia

Maryland (3-0) won its fifth in a row dating from last season and collected an 11th consecutive nonconference win, tying Wake Forest for the second longest active streak in the country. It also beat Virginia (0-3) for the fourth time in five meetings in a renewal of a rivalry that had been dormant since 2013, the Terrapins’ last season in the ACC before joining the Big Ten.

“We were able to get explosive plays, especially after we got started in the second quarter,” Maryland Coach Michael Locksley said. “Our standard is never watch the scoreboard. Even myself, I try not to ever look up to even know what the score is, because it doesn’t matter until it’s the end of it. At halftime, the big thing for us: It’s still Terps vs. Terps. There’s some things I can do better to get us in rhythm on offense.”

Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 342 yards and a touchdown that put Maryland ahead to stay in the third quarter, completing 19 of 30 attempts and absorbing just one sack. It marked the 13th game with at least 300 yards for the redshirt senior who holds virtually every meaningful passing record in program history since becoming the starter four years ago.

Wide receiver Jeshaun Jones had 96 yards and a touchdown on five receptions, and Maryland rushed for four scores, including two in the second half from sophomore tailback Roman Hemby. The Terrapins took the lead for good early in the third quarter while amassing 461 yards of total offense in front of an announced crowd of 37,041.

Colandrea finished 23 of 39 for 263 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in his second straight start in place of Tony Muskett, who hurt his shoulder in the fourth quarter of a season-opening loss at Tennessee. Wide receiver Malik Washington added 141 yards on nine catches.

The Cavaliers dropped their sixth in a row and have not won since Oct. 20, 2022.

“It’s a hurting football team in that locker room,” Virginia Coach Tony Elliott said. “Proud of them. They got up off the mat from last week. They came to battle today. They fought their tails off. They believed that they were going to win that football game.”

The second half began with a flourish for Maryland, which was playing its final nonconference game of the regular season. The Terps took their first lead, 21-14, and never looked back after Jones’s double move left Cavaliers cornerback Malcolm Greene stumbling to regain his balance. Jones broke to the outside, then made a cut and sprinted toward the goal line to gather Tagovailoa’s throw for a 64-yard touchdown.

Maryland benefited from an officials’ review during the possession, when Tagovailoa was initially ruled short of the line to gain on a scramble to the left sideline on third and seven. Video replays, however, confirmed Tagovailoa stretched the ball to the first-down marker before stepping out of bounds.

Hemby followed Jones’s catch with a three-yard scoring run, and Antwain Littleton II’s two-yard touchdown expanded the margin to 35-14 with 10:25 left in the fourth quarter.

After three mostly unproductive series in the first quarter, Maryland made the most of its only possession in the second, marching 97 yards on 14 plays to even the score at 14 with 1:23 remaining in the half. The tying touchdown came on Hemby’s three-yard run through the middle, dragging defenders into the end zone.

A pivotal sequence in the drive unfolded on second and two from the Terrapins 25, with Tagovailoa connecting with graduate wide receiver Tyrese Chambers on a 42-yard completion. Maryland also overcame a holding penalty on the next snap and converted a fourth and one behind Tagovailoa’s six-yard pass to Jones.

Players and coaches from both teams spoke unequivocally this past week about beginning the game with crisp execution after Maryland and Virginia each sputtered early last weekend and fell behind by double digits to their respective opponents. The Cavaliers made good on their vow, but Maryland came to life soon after thanks to a dazzling play on special teams.

Virginia struck first on its opening possession of the first quarter when running back Perris Jones scored on a 13-yard run around the left side with 12:25 to play. The Cavaliers had moved into Maryland territory on a flea flicker, with Jones taking the handoff and tossing the ball back to Colandrea, who completed a 49-yard pass to wide receiver Washington.

The lead grew to 14-0 with 4:16 left in the first quarter after Colandrea moved to his left to avoid pressure and threw back across his body to Kobe Pace. The running back got behind linebacker Jaishawn Barham and emerged wide open in the end zone for an uncontested reception.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Terrapins trimmed the margin in half courtesy of Braeden Wisloski’s 98-yard kickoff return. The freshman wide receiver burst through an opening on the left side into the open field and beat place-kicker Matt Ganyard down the sideline.

“I don’t feel we clicked like we need to yet,” Jeshaun Jones said. “I feel like we have a lot to go, but just that second half when we went into that locker room and realized we’re not doing everything we should and what we need to do. Once we went in there and told ourselves to pay attention to detail and do your jobs, the rest will handle itself, as it did.”