Maryland walked into one of the biggest stages of Michael Locksley’s tenure and left with a reminder of how quickly a game can get away from a team when the basics slip.
In front of a sold-out crowd at SECU Stadium, the Terps were beaten 35-26 by Virginia Tech in a matchup that had been circled as a major non-conference test. Instead of a breakthrough moment, Maryland came away looking overwhelmed, especially on defense, as the Hokies piled up 451 yards and controlled the game in key stretches.
Locksley didn’t try to soften it afterward.
“We got to do a better job, obviously, all of us,” Locksley said. “Whether it’s the tackling, whether it’s us getting off blocks, a lot of those things showed up.”
Those problems showed up everywhere. Maryland had trouble finishing plays, and missed tackles kept turning manageable snaps into bigger gains. Senior linebacker Daniel Wingate pointed directly to the breakdowns that kept the Terps from getting off the field.
“Bad angles, you know, just missing tackles,” Wingate said. “We got to be able to get the ball on the ground on third down and just get off the field, and that was a problem for us tonight.”
One sequence in particular summed up the night. Virginia Tech running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. turned a short pass into a 49-yard touchdown after shaking off several Maryland defenders, sprinting past the secondary and exposing the Terps’ tackling issues. The Hokies got strong blocking upfield, but Maryland still had multiple chances to stop the play and couldn’t do it.
“Our guys got to make those plays, especially on third down,” Locksley said. “We felt going into it that we would have the ability to play man, and [Virginia Tech] executed or out-executed us at the point of attack.”
Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer also had too much time to work comfortably. Maryland struggled to generate pressure because he was getting the ball out fast, rarely holding it long enough for the rush to matter.
The Penn State transfer finished 31-of-39 for 314 yards and three touchdown passes, and he was efficient nearly from start to finish. He found open receivers on just about every scoring drive and didn’t waste many throws.
Tight end Luke Reynolds was the biggest problem Maryland couldn’t solve. After a career day against Old Dominion on Sep. 12, he followed it up with another huge performance against the Terps.
Maryland’s cornerbacks and linebackers both had trouble keeping him contained, and Reynolds seemed to win his matchup over and over again. He ended the night with 12 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Senior receiver Ayden Greene was less explosive, but he still kept finding room and helped spark early chunk gains. Greene finished with four receptions for 58 yards.
The defense’s struggles bled into Maryland’s offense, too. Virginia Tech dominated possession 36:38 to 23:22, including a staggering 12:25 to 2:35 edge in the first quarter. That kept Maryland from settling into a rhythm and limited the Terps’ chances to build long, steady drives.
The run game never gave the offense the balance it needed. Redshirt sophomore DeJuan Williams was inactive again after missing last week’s game against UConn, and Maryland clearly felt his absence. Iverson Howard and Harry Dalton III, the team’s top two backs since Williams went down in the first half against Hampton, combined for 48 yards on 17 carries.
“There was opportunities there for plays to be made,” Washington said. “Some execution could have been better on everybody’s part: the receivers, offensive line, me carrying out my fake. Things that add up.”
Sophomore quarterback Malik Washington put up numbers, even if the night still ended in frustration. He finished 30-of-43 for 359 yards and three touchdowns, but he also left points on the field. Washington narrowly overthrew Chris Durr Jr. in the first half and Kaleb Webb in the second half, and both misses would have gone for touchdowns.
For Maryland, the final stat line offered some production. The result told the bigger story. The Terps were beaten at the line, beaten in space, and beaten on third down - a flat showing in a game that was supposed to say something about where this program is headed.
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