Maryland football headed into Saturday hoping to move to 2-0 and build on a dominating performance against UConn last week. Instead, the Terps were handed a gut-wrenching loss at the hands of Michigan State, 27-24.
Maryland is 1-1 for the first time since 2020. It was favored by more than a touchdown to win, but let a victory slip away numerous times.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Self-inflicted wounds doomed Maryland
The Terps faced a third-and-1 at their own 44-yard line with 3:21 left in the first half. Nolan Ray lined up in the shotgun as a wildcat quarterback. Before he could call for the snap, Dylan Wade — lined up as a fullback — lost his balance. False start. Maryland went three-and-out.
That play embodied a night where the Terps repeatedly fell flat on their face.
No mistake was more costly than the Jalen Huskey’s right before the half. Michigan State kicker Jonathan Kim missed wide left from 55 yards out on the last play of the second quarter. But the try was negated when Huskey jumped across the line early and drew an offsides. Kim’s second try was good from 50 yards. That mistake gave Michigan State three free points — the same amount Maryland lost by.
In the fourth quarter, Jack Howes missed a 41-yard attempt of his own. Likewise, that miss cost Maryland the amount of points it lost by.
On Michigan State’s final drive, Maryland forced an early fourth down. But a pass interference call on Huskey extended what ended up being the game-winning drive.
Braeden Wisloski fielded a kickoff a few yards inside the end zone with 10 minutes left in the second quarter. He chose to take it out, which proved to be a mistake. He was blasted at the 10-yard line, and a block in the back penalty set up Maryland back at its own 5-yard line. That drive fizzled out.
And poor discipline in run defense led to an array of big gains for the Spartans on the ground. Michigan State had five carries for at least 10 yards, multiple times through self-vacated gaps. That’s not something the Terps can afford to give up against Big Ten competition.
Maryland’s secondary had a very bad day
Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles finished with 363 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers would have been even higher if not for a plethora of bad throws from the Spartans’ quarterback.
Perry Fisher came into the game questionable with a hand injury. He played, but in limited fashion. Freshmen Kevyn Humes and Braydon Lee, as well as junior Lionel Whittaker, saw the field a lot. None of them performed to expectations.
“We’ve got young corners and some guys that are playing their first football for us,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “It’s a matter of those guys growing up a little bit and learning the lessons that come along with failing like we failed today.”
Humes struggled in particular, getting beat on multiple long completions. One of them was a 77-yard touchdown to Nick Marsh that tied the game at 24. Marsh finished with 194 yards on eight catches.
Maryland did come away with three interceptions, but all three were practically handed to the defense. Two of those interceptions came on bad overthrows. The third came when the ball slipped out of Chiles’ hand during a third-down windup, falling right in Glen Miller’s lap.
It’s extremely hard to win a game with this caliber of performance from the defense’s back end.
Billy Edwards Jr. to Tai Felton are a recipe for success
If Maryland has one thing to hang its hat on, it’s the connection these Edwards and Felton established for a second-straight week.
Felton looked like a bona-fide star against Michigan State. He made plays over-and-over when his number was called, creating consistent separation before the catch and making defenders miss after it. He finished with 11 catches for 152 yards and a score one week after racking up 178 yards and two scores against UConn. All things look to be improving for the senior — including his NFL Draft stock.
Edwards silenced the concerns that last week was a fluke. He led the offense valiantly despite the loss, looking poised in the pocket and delivering his passes with velocity and accuracy. He finished with 253 passing yards and two passing touchdowns on a 76.4% completion percentage. He also added a rushing touchdown late in the first quarter.
The only blemish on his record was an interception on Michigan State’s side of the field early in the fourth quarter. But Edwards did enough to win the Terps the game. The team around him did not.
