IOWA ROUTS TERPS BEHIND 7 TURNOVERS

Spencer Petras threw for three touchdowns and ran for two and No. 5 Iowa took advantage of seven turnovers in a 51-14 victory over host Maryland on Friday night.

The Hawkeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) intercepted five of Taulia Tagovailoa’s passes, and they outscored the Terrapins 31-0 in the second quarter. The Terps (4-1, 1-1) never recovered after losing standout receiver Dontay Demus to an apparent leg injury on a kickoff return early in the second.

Tagovailoa had thrown only one interception all season but he was picked off on the Terrapins’ second possession in a sign of things to come. That led to a field goal that opened the scoring, but Maryland drove 69 yards in eight plays and took the lead on a nine-yard pass from Tagovailoa to Chigoziem Okonkwo.

Iowa went ahead 10-7 on a one-yard run by Petras on the first play of the second quarter, and then Maryland’s big night — the Terps had a chance to start 5-0 for the first time since 2001 — went sour for good.

Tide, Rebels want to play ‘D’

The Alabama and Mississippi defenses are aiming to show they’ve come a long way from last year’s offensive extravaganza.

The Crimson Tide and Rebels combined for 111 points, 1,370 yards and 68 first downs last season. That 63-48 victory for Alabama was fun for the offenses, but a bitter memory for those on the other side of the ball.

It left both defenses eager to show they’re improved heading into Saturday’s rematch between the top-ranked Tide and No. 12 Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

“I know that we could have won the game if the defense got a couple of stops,” Ole Miss linebacker Lakia Henry said. “It was a defensive loss, that’s how I look at it. We have to get stops.”

At least one of the defenses needs to get stops in a game with Heisman candidates at quarterback — Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and the Tide’s Bryce Young.