Maryland looking to bounce back from poor showing against Iowa
Maryland football’s catastrophic collapse in a 51-14 loss to No. 5 Iowa last week was something many did not see coming.
The Terps, who were 3 1⁄2-point underdogs and seeking their first win over a top-10 team since 2007, looked like a team that could hold its own against the Hawkeyes with a fast-paced offense led by junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.
Maryland managed to take a 7-3 lead midway in the first quarter after Tagovailoa threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo.
From that point on, everything went downhill. The Terps committed seven turnovers and 10 penalties that resulted in the Hawkeyes scoring 41 unanswered points.
Penalties strike ... again. Maryland coach Mike Locksley has constantly said he will continue to coach his players to avoid committing unnecessary penalties. We are five weeks into the season, and the message has yet to resonate.
In the previous four games, opponents didn’t take advantage of Maryland’s discipline issues. Iowa was a different story.
In the first quarter, the Terps attempted to go for it on fourth-and-1 when senior offensive lineman Johari Branch was called for a false start, forcing the Terps to punt.
Maryland was facing a third-and-1 on its second drive when Branch was called for a false start for the second time, leading to Tagovailoa throwing the first of his five interceptions of the evening.
In the second quarter, Maryland committed five penalties and four turnovers on nine plays, which allowed Iowa to put up 31 points.
“That will be a challenge for our team here next week to see if we’re a team that can stick together,” Locksley said. “In the end, we have to bounce back, which I believe we will.”
Tagovailoa forced too many throws.
Heading into the season, Locksley said he wanted Tagovailoa to be a more disciplined quarterback and avoid forcing plays that were not there.
After making strides in the first four games, Tagovailoa, the brother of former Alabama star and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua, took a step backward against the Hawkeyes. The Alabama transfer forced throws the entire night, and Iowa made him pay.
Tagovailoa’s performance was quite alarming, as he had the highest passer rating under pressure (150.0) in Week 4 and was the second highest graded quarterback when throwing under pressure this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I’ve still got a lot of faith in him as a quarterback,” Locksley said. “For four games, he played really, really well. And this was a poor game, not just on his part but on all of ours.”