Three Takeaways From Maryland Football's 27-13 Win At Virginia – PressBox

Maryland football defeated Virginia, 27-13, on Sept. 14 thanks to a dominant second half after a slow start on offense and an end-of-half breakdown on defense.

The win against the Cavaliers was not pretty, but it showed the resiliency of the Terps, who bounced back from a disappointing 27-24 loss to Michigan State a week earlier.

Maryland will now look to string together wins as it faces Villanova on Sept. 21 at noon. But first, here are three takeaways from the win against Virginia:

Maryland had a slow start.

The Terps finished the first quarter with only 47 total yards. They finished the first half with 141 total yards (46 rushing, 95 passing) and went to the locker room down 13-7.

Not only did Maryland struggle to find the end zone, junior kicker Jack Howes missed a 52-yard field goal with 1:59 remaining in the first quarter.

“I thought that Virginia came out and out-efforted us in the first half and that’s not anything that I’ve ever had to be concerned with our team,” head coach Michael Locksley told reporters after the game. “Then I thought the physicality in which they played, they kind of out-physicaled us as well.”

The Terps remained scoreless until 54 seconds remained in the half, when junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. found senior receiver Tai Felton for a 19-yard reception to give the Terps a 7-6 lead.

Edwards finished with 263 passing yards and two touchdowns on 28 of 43 throwing. Felton finished with nine receptions, 117 yards receiving and a touchdown, becoming the first Terp to ever finish with 100-plus receiving yards in three consecutive games to start a season.

“We’re putting a lot on him and I really like the way the kid’s playing,” Locksley said of Edwards. “I like the way that he continues to lead us on offense and he’s doing some special things for us.”

Maryland continues to force turnovers.

Maryland’s lack of offense in the first half was not due to a lack of opportunities.

The Terps’ defense forced two turnovers in the first quarter alone. Senior linebacker Donnell Brown recovered a fumble and senior safety Dante Trader Jr. hauled in an interception.

“Our defense had two big stops in the first half, which gave us a chance to stay in the game and stay in the fight,” Locksley said. “And I knew at some point the offense would get going and we did the second half.”

Maryland finished the game with four takeaways. Sophomore defensive back Jalen Huskey and senior defensive lineman Quashon Miller finished with an interception and fumble recovery, respectively.

Maryland’s defense stifled Virginia in the second half.

Not only did Maryland’s defense force four turnovers, the unit pitched a second-half shutout after allowing Virginia to march down the field in 49 seconds to end the half.

After giving up 288 yards and 13 points in the first half, the Terps held the Cavaliers to 82 yards in the second half.

Maryland, on the other hand, finished with 20 points and 250 yards in the second half alone. The Terps also dominated possession, 21:39 to 8:21.

“To allow no points on defense, [defensive coordinator Brian Williams] and the defensive staff did a good job of switching the looks up,” Locksley said. “I think we had only one penalty. Those penalties kept coming early in the first half, but those are the things we could control. And then to create four turnovers was huge for us.”

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics