Maryland drops third straight game, dominated by No. 17 Minnesota 52-10

It was one of those all too familiar days for Maryland football.

In their 52-10 loss against undefeated Minnesota Saturday afternoon, it seemed like everything that could go wrong for the Terps did just that. 

Heading into the game as a 16.5-point underdog, Maryland’s offensive inconsistencies and constant defensive breakdowns proved why few gave them a remote chance to pull off the upset.

Three Terps’ quarterbacks rotated in at some point during the game, but none of them were able to effectively lead the offense.

Quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome made his third straight start but had little success providing a much needed offensive spark. 

On the opening possession of the game, Pigrome’s second pass was a bit high and went off the hands of wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. into the arms of Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr., setting up the Gophers for their first of many scores.

After capitalizing with a quick nine-yard touchdown for the game’s first score, Minnesota slowed things down on their next drive, eating up over seven minutes over a 14-play span before wide receiver Seth Green scored on a 10-yard run to go up 14-0 near the end of the first quarter.

After missing the past two games with a high-ankle sprain, quarterback Josh Jackson checked in for a struggling Pigrome on the ensuing drive, but also struggled to find a rhythm.

He missed a wide-open Demus Jr. on a short first-down gain. The offense went three-and-out and Jackson checked out, ending his short afternoon with two incompletions.

Pigrome’s second interception of the game proved to be just as costly as the first interception. His pass bounced off  Demus Jr.’s hands again into the arms of Minnesota cornerback Coney Durr, who returned it for a 72-yard touchdown to put the Gophers up 28-0 with a little under four minutes left in the first half.

On their last drive of the first half, Pigrome took a shot and landed awkwardly on his left knee. He was assisted off the field and ruled out during halftime for the rest of the game, ending his afternoon with 43 passing yards and two interceptions.

Third-string quarterback Tyler DeSue finished the game for the Terps. While the offense continued its porous output, he led the team to its lone touchdown after hitting running back Tayon Fleet-Davis on a wheel route for a 59-yard touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter. 

This marked Maryland’s sixth play of over 50 yards this season, the most in the country.

DeSue finished the afternoon throwing for 88 yards and a touchdown. 

An update on Pigrome’s status has not been provided yet.

The Terps’ defense had another tough outing. They were constantly on the field all afternoon as the team lost the time of possession battle by nearly 26 minutes.

The struggling unit gave up almost 500 yards and could not generate any pressure nor register a sack, which happened for the second time this season.

Cornerback Marcus Lewis had Maryland’s lone turnover, registering an interception that set up the Terps’ first field goal of the season just before halftime.

Lewis’ interception marks the 20th straight game that the Terps’ defense forced a turnover, the second-longest streak in the country.

Now sitting at 3-5, Maryland’s chances of bowl eligibility looks grim as the next two-game stretch is the toughest stretch of the season and could potentially seal their fate.

They will return home to face No. 19 Michigan before traveling to Columbus to take on No. 3 Ohio State, who has two potential Heisman candidates in quarterback Justin Fields and potential 2020 number one overall pick Chase Young.

The Terps will host the Wolverines for their homecoming game on Nov. 2 at Capital One Field at 12 p.m.