The Terps struck first against the Wolverines, scoring a field goal on their opening drive to take an early 3-0 lead. But Michigan would go on to score 16 points in a span of less than two minutes to close out the opening quarter before taking a 23-10 lead into the half.
There was no quit in the Terps, however, as they became the first team to score against Michigan in the third quarter this season with a pair of touchdowns to make it a five-point game going into the final quarter.
An intentional grounding call on Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa in his own end zone late in the fourth quarter was ruled a safety and gave Michigan the final two points of the game, as the Terps fell at home by a final score of 31-24.
With the loss, the Terps are still in search of that elusive win over a ranked conference opponent.
Maryland will close out the regular season next week on the road at Rutgers.
Critical turnovers continue to plague Tagovailoa
Make no mistake about it, without Taulia Tagovailoa's 21 completions for 247 yards the Terps likely don't have the ball with a chance to take the lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
But for all of the great passes Tagovailoa made versus Michigan, he turned the ball over three times and was called for a penalty on the Terps' final drive which led to two points for Michigan. Tagovailoa's first-quarter fumble came just seconds after Michigan's first touchdown of the game, was recovered by the defense for a score and quickly put the Terps in a 14-3 hole. Then his second interception led to another Michigan touchdown.
In all, Tagovailoa's turnovers and penalties led directly to 15 points for the Wolverines in a five-point loss.
Tagovailoa will likely go down as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of Maryland football, and he should. He has rewritten the Terps record books for passing and led the program to back-to-back bowl wins. But it will be difficult for some Maryland fans not to remember the many critical turnovers that hurt the Terps' chances of some signature wins, also.
Defense comes up big
The Terps defense has had its ups and downs this season and the past two games have been among the unit's highs.
After coming up with five takeaways against Nebraska on the road last weekend, the unit held Michigan to just 291 yards of total offense, more than 100 yards under their season average. They also held the Wolverines to just 4-of-13 on 3rd downs.
Sophomore linebacker Jaishawn Barham came up with a critical interception of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at the end of the second quarter with the Wolverines driving inside the Terps' red zone with a chance to tack on either a field goal or a touchdown to their 23-10 lead. That interception seemed to give the Terps some major momentum heading into the locker room as they came out and scored two touchdowns in the third quarter.
The Terps also got excellent play for Cincinnati transfer cornerback Ja'Quan Sheppard, who had his best game in a Terps uniform with six tackles, a sack and a pass break up in the end zone on a two-point try.
If the defense can keep the momentum going into the final week, the Terps should have an excellent chance of finishing the regular season with a win over Rutgers.
Terps offense comes alive in third quarter
Death, taxes and Michigan holding opponents scoreless in the third quarter this season.
In every other game this season, the Wolverines had used the third quarter to put their opponents away.
Not on this day.
The Terps dominated Michigan in the third quarter, outscoring the Wolverines 14-6 and putting up 165 yards of total offense to their 65 yards.
All season long, the third quarter was when Michigan dominated, allowing them to wear down their opponents in the fourth quarter.
Maryland was able to move the ball down the field through the air against the No. 1-ranked pass defense almost with ease it seemed. But in an unusual twist, it wasn't Tagovailoa who was under center for the Terps' two touchdowns.
Backup quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. scored on a 4th-and-1 from inside the one for the first touchdown and on a 2nd-and-1 from inside the one for the second TD of the quarter.
All season long the Terps had struggled to get sufficient push by running the ball up the middle on short-yardage plays. But on this day, the offensive line, running backs and tight ends were able to use almost a Philly tush push to get Edwards into the end zone for a score not once, not twice, but three times on the day.
Another missed opportunity for Maryland
Who can forget the 2018 Ohio State game when Anthony McFarland ran all over the Buckeyes in SECU Stadium as the Terps took the game to overtime? But a top-10 Ohio State team came away with a 52-51 win in the end.
Similar to that game six years ago, the Terps were in it against a top-10 division opponent until the final seconds, but came up just short once again.
Unfortunately for Terp fans, games like Saturday's loss to Michigan and the 2018 overtime loss to Ohio State have been far and few between, as Maryland has been shellacked by top-10 conference foes in recent years for the most part.
A win over a No. 3 Michigan team would have gotten the fanbase excited like it hasn't been in a long time. Maryland hasn't beaten a top-5 opponent since a win over No. 5 Florida State during the 2004 season. They haven't beaten a top-10 team since 2008.
Perhaps the most glaring stat of all is the fact that Maryland is now 0-34 against ranked Big Ten opponents since joining the league in 2014.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley has gotten the Terps back to respectability, with back-to-back bowl wins and a third straight bowl birth this season. But to take that next step, the Terps will likely need to break through and win one of these games against a top-ranked conference opponent.
Not a Terrapin Sports Report subscriber? Join today for access to all our premium content and message board community. Already an insider? Join the conversation on the TERPS INSIDER PREMIUM FORUM!
