If Senior Day had been limited to one half, the University of Maryland could have felt good about a competitive outing against a solid Virginia team. Unfortunately for the Terps, the second half was played today, and the Cavaliers controlled the remainder of the game; ultimately winning 31-13.
The Good:
1) After the initial UVA touchdown, Tyler had a good 27 yard Kick Return of his own.
2) Maryland was able to force a fumble, 3 UVA punts, and get a stop on 4th and 1 on the Cavaliers 2nd through 6th series. After what was shown on the first possession, these successive stops allowed the Terps to get into the game.
3) On the 3rd Terps series of the 1st Quarter, O’Brien was flushed to his right on 3rd and 10. O’Brien was able to make a beautiful strike across his body for a first down to Boykins. With the drive continued, O’Brien would hit Boykins twice more for gains of 35, and 22 yards.
3a) Boykins finished with 6 catches, and 100 yards.
4) On the defensive side of the ball, Monroe, Twine, and McDougle each had their name called several times making plays.
4a) Vellano continues to lead this group though. Vellano caused a 2nd Quarter UVA fumble, which was recovered by Hartsfield. He also had a big stop on 4th and 1 later in the 2nd.
5) Meggett ripped off a 43 yard run, immediately after that Hartsfield fumble recovery.
5a) Entering the game on that series, Brown ran for 24 yards, and also hit Devonte Campbell for a 13 yard TD, giving MD the 10-7 lead.
5b) Brown finished 3 of 6 for 25 yards, 1 td throwing, and the 24 yards on the ground.
6) Despite the drops he had down the field, McCree did make a few impressive plays after the catch today. One coming to start the 2nd half, where he kept his feet moving long enough to pick up the 1st. McCree had 7 catches for 119 yards.
7) AJ Hendy would recover a UVA fumble, and take the ball back 22 yards.
The Bad:
1) Kickoff coverage has been an issue all year, and was again shown to be a problem today on the opening Kickoff when Virginia’s Randolph went for 48 yards.
2) Perfect pass from O’Brien to McCree, which McCree could not bring in. Would have been an easy TD for the Terps on their first possession. Instead MD would go 3 and out.
2a) Maryland’s 3rd possession included another McCree drop, on a play that would have been another significant gain.
3) Meggett dropped an option pitch for a 4 yard loss. Meggett had a 42 yard run, and 8 other carries for 9 more yards.
4) Maryland’s second offensive series ended with a 28 yard Ferrara punt. Ferrara would later have a 26 yard punt as well.
5) In the red zone, RJ Dill would be called for a penalty, pushing the Terps back.
6) Late in the 2nd quarter, O’Brien converted 3rd and 7 from the UVA 16 with a 14 yard gain. Facing 1st and Goal from the Cavaliers 2 yard line, Maryland rushed 3 times (Cierski once, Meggett twice) and were not able to find the end zone.
7) The Cavaliers scored a go-ahead TD with under 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. The scoring play was a 35 yard pass from Rocco to Parks, as UVA was able to beat the MD pressure. Perhaps if Mackall had been eligible, the Terps would have been able to get to Rocco on that play?
8) Following UVA’s first score of the 2nd half, O’Brien was picked off.
9) In the 4th Quarter, UVA’s McLeod would get his 2nd pick, this time on Brown.
10) Twine made a poor Special Teams play on a Virgina punt in the 4th. He was not able to get out of the way of the ball, and turned possession back over to the Cavs.
11) Virginia put up 523 yards of offense, 24 first downs, and was 7 of 16 on 3rd down.
12) After being a major weapon earlier in the year, Furstenburg has been taken away as an option the last couple of games.
The Ugly:
1) UVA took the Kickoff to just around the mid-field, and on their opening offensive play when Perry Jones ran 47 yards for the TD. 20 seconds into the game, and you are down 7-0? Horrible.
2) The Cavs moved all the way from their 6 yard line to into the Maryland end zone on their first series of the 2nd half. 13 plays, 94 yards, and roughly 5 and 1/2 minutes off the clock.
2a) UVA would follow the O’Brien interception, with another TD score to take a commanding 28-13 lead.
3) After the Brown interception, UVA’s Rocco threw a backward pass which picked off by Drakeford. Down 18 points, with 11 minutes left in the game, the Terps took over at the Cavaliers 20 yard line. O’Brien would come back into the game, and throw four incomplete passes. You had to come away with at least 3 points there to make it a two possession game.
4) Pick a QB. I prefer O’Brien, but rotating O’Brien and Brown in and out of the game is not fair to either one.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.