Temple dooms Terps’ momentum
TD pass in punt formation sends Owls to triumph
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Any buzz the Maryland football team generated with a pair of victories to begin the season fizzled as the Terrapins failed to produce an offensive touchdown, committed two fourth-quarter turnovers and missed defensive assignments during a 35-14 loss to Temple.
Maryland managed just 195 yards of total offense Saturday in its first game of the season on campus at Maryland Stadium.
Previously winless Temple sealed the outcome when linebacker Shaun Bradley intercepted quarterback Kasim Hill’s pass and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown with 4:11 left in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
The Owls had all but put the game out of reach on the first series of the second half with quarterback Anthony Russo’s 47yard touchdown pass to tight end Kenny Yeboah for a 28-7 lead. The scoring play with 12:17 to go in the third quarter capped a 75-yard drive on six plays.
The only points for Maryland (2-1), which got 107 rushing yards from redshirt freshman tailback Anthony McFarland, came via an interception return and a blocked punt, both resulting in touchdowns. The Terrapins also permitted 429yards of total offense to an opponent that opened the season by losing to Villanova and Buffalo.
Last week, the Terrapins amassed 444 rushing yards, their most since1999, during a 45-14 win at Bowling Green.
They also beat then-No. 23 Texas 34-29 in the season opener Sept. 1 at FedEx Field in nearby Landover.
Saturday’s loss proved all the more deflating for the Terrapins given it came in their first game on campus since the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair. The Terrapins paid tribute in part with a moment of silence before kickoff, and the grounds crew painted McNair’s jersey number 79 behind the west end zone. In addition, players, as they will all season, wore helmet stickers with the number 79.
McNair died 15 days after suffering heatstroke May 29 in a workout, leading to coach DJ Durkin being placed on administrative leave Aug. 11 while the university system’s board of regents assumed control of investigations that remain ongoing.
There was a pregame moment of silence in the press box as well in honor of John McNamara, the Capital Gazette sportswriter killed during a mass shooting June 28 at the newspaper’s offices in Annapolis. McNamara, a Maryland graduate and one of five Capital Gazette employees fatally shot, will have a permanent seat in the front of press row.
When play began, a sparse crowd endured an uneventful first quarter until Temple opted for a fake punt on fourth-and-7 from the Terrapins’ 41.
With the Owls lined up in routine punt formation, backup place-kicker Will Mobley took a direct snap, rolled to his right and threw to wide receiver Freddie Johnson, who ran down the right sideline and into the end zone. The touchdown with 2:39 to play produced the only points in the first quarter.
The Owls made it 14-0 on a one-yard run by 330-pound Freddie Booth-Lloyd, normally a defensive tackle, to cap a 12-play drive covering 76 yards in 4:07. It was the first carry of the season for the redshirt senior.
Maryland trimmed the deficit in half when Darnell Savage Jr. stepped in front a Russo pass for a 23-yard interception return, but the Terps never caught up.