New week, same result and similar reasons for Maryland football’s failure.
All week, the Terps emphasized that last week’s loss was the first adversity they faced all season and an opportunity to grow.
Maryland entered the fourth quarter on Saturday up a touchdown, but conceded another late-game score while the offense couldn’t respond on its final drive. The Terps fell to Nebraska, 34-31, at SECU Stadium and have now been outscored by 31 points in the fourth quarter this season.
“When we’ve been in the fourth quarter, I’ve watched the other team make some plays, and I’ve watched us not make a play,” coach Michael Locksley said. “For me as a coach, that’s the area that I’ll focus on. ”
After a Nebraska field goal with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter, Maryland (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) punted following a four-minute possession that stalled around midfield. Quarterback Dylan Raiola orchestrated a seven-play drive with under four minutes remaining that culminated in a three-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dane Key.
With just over a minute left, quarterback Malik Washington pushed the ball to the Maryland 45-yard line with a 16-yard completion to Shaleak Knotts. Washington missed an open Dorian Fleming on the next play and received an international grounding penalty. The freshman said he tried to save time by throwing the ball away — nearly out of the pocket on the play.
He connected with Knotts again on third down to set up a fourth-and-four on the Nebraska 49-yard line, but threw just behind Fleming — allowing the Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) to kneel the game out.
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“We came up short today, but I’m excited to see how the guys fought and everybody stayed with it,” Washington said. “It just showed that we have a lot of fight in us as a team.”
Maryland has conceded 47.5 percent of its points in the fourth quarter this season, while only scoring 17 of its own in the frame. Locksley said it will be a point of emphasis this week to see how to put his offense in a better position to make plays going forward.
A week earlier against the Huskies, receiver Jalil Farooq dropped a pass on third down of the Terps’ final drive that would’ve given them the ball in the red zone trailing by four. Maryland squandered a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter of that contest.
Defensively, safety Jalen Huskey noted the team needs to improve communication late and stop screen passes.
“We gave up those plays and it’s plays we know we can defend,” Huskey said. “At the end of the day, we just gotta finish.”
Washington kept Maryland afloat in the first half with 152 passing yards and a passing touchdown. The ground game also emerged, with redshirt running back Nolan Ray trotting in for a 28-yard touchdown — the Terps’ first run of more than 20 yards this year. DeJuan Williams added a rushing score later as Maryland finished with a season-best 4.2 yards per carry.
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But Maryland recorded three unsportsmanlike conduct infractions and a personal foul for hitting the returner on a fair catch in the first half. The Cornhuskers also notched a pair of long kickoff returns and Raiola tossed three first-half touchdowns to build a 24-17 lead.
The Terps finished the game with eight penalties for 100 yards and entered the game averaging the third most penalty yardage in the Big Ten. The Terps have ranked among the top-four in penalty yardage in the conference each of the past four seasons — an issue Huskey and Locksley said falls on the players.
“I think the penalties happen when players play beyond the whistle,” Locksley said. “They got to make better decisions.”
Washington said the team will hold a players meeting to discuss where to improve, while Locksley said this isn’t the “same old Maryland.”
The Terps will have to travel cross-country to prove that against a surging UCLA team with little stakes to play for amid a lost season. For Maryland, any urgency felt over the past week only increases.
