Maryland shakes off nightmarish start at home and rallies past Charlotte -

From afar, the second week of this young football season set up well for the Maryland Terrapins. Playing in front of a national television audience on NBC and favored by more than three touchdowns against Charlotte, the Terps appeared to have been handed a straightforward opportunity to generate more positive momentum as they approach Big Ten play.

But things got complicated quickly on a wet Saturday night in College Park as Maryland fell behind almost immediately and struggled to match the physicality and eagerness of the visiting 49ers. What looked like a nonconference tuneup turned into a test of the team’s resilience and resolve, and it took a strong second half and some sturdy defense for the Terrapins to earn a 38-20 win.

“Nobody in that locker room is excited about how we played,” Coach Mike Locksley said. “But we overcame some early adversity and that showed me we’re the type of team that I thought we could be. We battled back after a slow start and I didn’t see anybody panic.”

On an uneven night for senior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland avoided an early-season upset with its defense and running game. The defense came up with one timely stop after another and forced two turnovers in the second half, mostly keeping Charlotte far from the red zone after the 49ers opened the game with a quick score. On the other side of the ball, sophomore running back Roman Hemby finished with 162 yards and a touchdown as the Terps’ offense found its footing.

The Terps (2-0), playing the second of three season-opening home games, were greeted by a sparse crowd at kickoff on a hot and stormy evening. But the late-arriving audience meant there were fewer witnesses to a disastrous start. Maryland gave up a 48-yard touchdown, and Tagovailoa threw a pick-six in the first four minutes.

The nightmare stretch started on the fifth play of the game. After four strong runs, the 49ers dropped back to pass for the first time and immediately took advantage of a busted coverage in the Terps’ secondary. The outcome of the play became clear the moment quarterback Jalon Jones let a deep ball fly toward the sideline, where there wasn’t a red jersey within 15 yards of sophomore wide receiver Jairus Mack.

Maryland’s offense took the field and did its best to dig the hole deeper. On first and 10 from his own 13, Tagovailoa threw a pass to the left flat and watched as Charlotte linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. made an easy interception and scurried into the end zone. Charlotte (1-1) had achieved the ideal start for any upset-minded guest, successfully landing its first punch squarely on Maryland’s chin.

“It was a poor decision on our quarterback’s part, he should’ve thrown it to the inside," Locksley said. "But [Charlotte] didn’t do anything we didn’t expect. I just thought [Charlotte] came out and played a little harder and played a little smarter than us.”

Suddenly down by two touchdowns, Maryland and its fans tried to seize on small victories to generate some momentum: a hard hit here, a third-down stop there. The Terrapins’ offense moved the sticks for the first time on the final play of the first quarter, garnering a hearty ovation from the home crowd.

The offense settled in during the second quarter, but it still looked far from perfect. Two drives stalled inside the red zone, the second of which was stunted by an ill-timed personal foul. Maryland settled for two field goals and then added a third just before halftime to trail, 14-9, heading into the break.

“At halftime we felt we hadn’t played up to our standard, but we were only down five," Hemby said. "We knew we were going to get the ball and we felt the best thing we could do is be happy that we would have the opportunity in the second half to come out a rewrite the script.”

Given the ball to start the second half, Maryland set a fresh tone with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive. It ended with backup quarterback Billy Edwards entering the game on a fourth and goal from inside the one. He plunged into the end zone on a sneak, successfully taking care of the dirty work for Tagovailoa.

After the defense forced another quick stop, Maryland put together another long scoring drive. Junior running back Colby McDonald capped it with a 23-yard touchdown run to put Maryland up 24-14.

Saturday night’s matchup was the second part of a home-and-home series with the 49ers. Last September, the Terps went on the road and cruised to a 56-21 win. But Maryland faced a vastly different Charlotte team Saturday, one that was more familiar with the Terps and perhaps more motivated to pull out a surprise victory.

First-year coach Biff Poggi made his name in the local high school scene, coaching at Gilman School in Baltimore for 19 years before taking over at nearby powerhouse St. Frances in 2017. In his first year at Charlotte, Poggi has overhauled the roster by bringing in 52 transfers, six of whom came from College Park: tight end Joey Bearns III, offensive linemen Austin Fontaine and Ja’Khi Green, defensive lineman Zion Shockley, linebacker T.J. Butler and defensive back Isaiah Hazel. Poggi also hired Mike Miller, who served as the Terps’ co-offensive coordinator last season, to lead his offense.

Twenty-one of those 52 transfers were St. Frances alums. That cavalry included quarterback Jones, a dual-threat signal-caller who transferred north from Bethune Cookman. Jones led the 49ers to an easy season-opening win over South Carolina State, but he was mostly contained by the Terrapins’ front.

The final key stop came with 9:22 remaining, when defensive lineman Donnell Brown peeled off into the flat and picked off a pass from Jones. Given the ball near midfield, Tagovailoa effectively ended the game three plays later with a 40-yard touchdown pass to West Virginia transfer Kaden Prather.

“We talk about not flinching or worrying about the score until the end of the game. Those things I did see today, and those are the bright spots," Locksley said. "But I’d rather just execute better, start faster and come out with the right type of energy and enthusiasm.”

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