In what felt like a gasping last breath of a season on life support, Maryland (3-9, 1-8 Big Ten) gave one of its best efforts of the year Nov. 30 in East Lansing, but the Terps still fell short, as Michigan State (6-6, 4-3) squeaked out a 19-16 win on the Spartans’ senior day.
The game got off to a sloppy start for both offenses, which combined for four turnovers in the first quarter. But after letting up an early field goal, the Terps struck paydirt first with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Josh Jackson to sophomore wide receiver Dontay Demus, who finished with seven receptions for 96 yards, but also had a fumble on Maryland’s second possession.
Besides the early hookup between Jackson and Demus, Maryland’s passing game struggled on Saturday. Jackson finished 11-for-27 passing for 141 yards and threw just his second touchdown in the last five weeks. However, the grad-transfer quarterback also fumbled late in the third quarter as the Terps were driving to add to their three-point lead and an interception on his first throw of the day. Tyrrell Pigrome rotated in sporadically throughout the game and completed his only pass for 11 yards. He also had one rush for 9 yards.
Maryland’s offense as a whole was not impressive against the Spartans, as the Terps went just 1-for-11 on third down, 0-for-3 on fourth down, and turned the ball over three times. The lone bright spot on the offensive side of the ball for Maryland on Saturday was the rushing attack due to a bounce-back performance by redshirt sophomore running back Anthony McFarland.
McFarland rushed for a season-high 134 yards on eight carries. His 63-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave Maryland a 16-13 lead — the Terps’ final lead of the season. McFarland’s dynamic backup, Javon Leake, who was coming off a three-fumble performance against Nebraska, rushed for just 20 yards on 10 carries.
A strong run game and solid defense kept the Terps afloat against the Spartans on Saturday. Maryland’s defense forced two first-half interceptions — one by senior cornerback Marcus Lewis and another by freshman cornerback Deonte Banks.
Maryland’s defense entered the game allowing more than 36 points per game, but showed some fight in the season finale, holding Michigan State to just 88 rushing yards and under 20 points.
The Terps also attempted their fifth field goal of the season in the three-point road loss. Sophomore kicker Joseph Petrino made his second field goal of the season but finished the game just 1-for-2 on extra points, his miss coming after the McFarland touchdown run.
No one had a standout performance on Michigan State’s offense on Saturday, as junior wide receiver Cody White had the most impressive day with four receptions for 84 yards. But junior kicker Matt Coghlin was the hero of the day for the Spartans. The 66.7 percent field goal kicker entering the game hit 4-of-5 attempts against the Terps, including the game-winner with 2:14 left on the clock.
It’s been a bumpy ride for Maryland head coach Mike Locksley in his first season at the helm for the Terps, and while his team’s last game didn’t result in a win, it did show that there are some players on the roster with some fight left in them moving forward.
