Maryland football needed a bounce-back game in the worst way. The Terps traveled up Interstate 95 to face Rutgers, a program which head coach Michael Locksley had suggested was in a similar situation to his
own. For one half, the similarities were evident.
But Maryland forgot its offense in the locker room, only scoring three points after halftime as they stumbled to a 35-20 loss.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
The run offense finally shows up…
Maryland’s rushing attack has been the weakest part of its game all season by a wide margin. When Malik Washington took off on a 73-yard touchdown on the second play of the game, Maryland already had more rushing yards than they managed in half of their Big Ten games.
The Terps continued to pound the ball, finding great success. They logged three rushing plays of 50 or more yards, and even excluding those three plays, Maryland averaged 4.8 yards per carry.
Nolan Ray’s 77 yards, DeJuan Williams’ 64 yards and Malik Washington’s 164 yards were their individual season-highs — in Washington’s case, it was his best rushing game since at least middle school.
Rutgers’ defense was, without a doubt, the weakest remaining on Maryland’s schedule. But if the Terps can take that momentum through the rest of the season, they theoretically stand a much better chance at getting the passing attack going.
…but the run defense was unable to cope.
At the same time, though, Rutgers also showed an intent to run the ball from the beginning of the game. They kept the ball on the ground for eight of their first nine plays. Then, and across the rest of the game, Maryland couldn’t stop them.
The Scarlet Knights gashed Maryland for 256 yards. Running back Antwan Raymond had 240 yards himself, the most by a Rutgers player against a Big Ten opponent ever. The team averaged 5.2 yards per carry, with nine rushes gaining at least 10 yards.
They opened up the passing game for quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who only needed to complete 13 passes to lead the Scarlet Knights to victory.
The Terps’ run defense has had it coming, though. Against each of Nebraska and UCLA, Maryland allowed 193 rushing yards, bending but just avoiding a break. Against Indiana, the Terps gave up 367.
That Indiana number seemed somewhat unfair on the defense, given 131 of those had come in garbage time. But after watching the Terps’ efforts against the Scarlet Knights, it’s possible that that was simply a reflection of the team’s current situation.
Signs of a punting problem?
Through a rollercoaster of a season, punter Bryce McFerson has been an immensely reliable presence for Maryland. When the offense has stuttered, the redshirt junior’s efforts have ensured that the Terps stay alive in the field position game.
Against Indiana, McFerson didn’t have a great game. He averaged just over 37 yards per punt on four attempts, his lowest on the season.
But against Rutgers, something went flat-out wrong.
McFerson — who entered the game averaging 45.6 yards per punt, 19th-best in the nation — hit his first attempt wrong, sending it loosely spiraling towards the sideline. The ball touched out of bounds after just 30 yards.
Three minutes later, the Terps failed to move the chains, so McFerson came out again. This time, the punt went just 20 yards. A thrown shoe would’ve traveled farther.
In the end, McFerson’s 31.3-yard average was the worst of his career. With Maryland scrambling to make something of the season, there really couldn’t be a worse time for the punter to get the yips.
It’s a perfect encapsulation of Maryland’s season — no two things can go right for the Terps at the same time.
