Coming into their season-opening game, the Maryland football team was not given much of a chance by anyone.
Playing on the road against No. 23 Texas, the Terrapins set out to prove the nay-sayers wrong, and they did. The Terps marched to Austin an snatched a 51-41 win despite numerous obstacles.
Coach D.J. Dunkin commented after the game that he had “never seen a game with that many non-offensive scores”.
Both teams combined to score four touchdowns on special teams and defense. Texas started the game with an interception returned for a touchdown, and laster added a blocked field goal and 91-yard punt return for six points.
Maryland also had a blocked field goal that they returned for a touchdown.
The defensive side of the ball was Maryland’s strong point, as they held the Texas offense scoreless until there was 7:20 left in the third quarter. Linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr set the tone from the start with a massive sack that left Texas on their own one yard line.
This is good. pic.twitter.com/JcorPcX6bu
— Jared Goldstein (@_jgoldy17) September 2, 2017
Maryland had to power through so much adversity in the second half, as injuries tried to ravage their momentum. First, ccornerback Antwaine Richardson took a hit on defense and had to be carted off due to a neck/spine injury. Texas would score immediately after that, leaving the Terps to try and fight back.
It was soon on offense that quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome would go down with a non-contact leg injury. The extent of his injury is unknown, but he was walking around on the sideline with just a limp.
This threw true freshman Kasim Hill onto the field to lead Maryland to victory.
Pigrome left the game after going 9-of-12 with 175 yards and two touchdowns passing, while also adding 64 yards and a score on the ground. Hill came in went 3-of-3 with 44 passing yards and 14 yards on the ground and a touchdown that put the nail in the coffin.
Running back Ty Johnson continued right where he started off last season, racking up 132 yards on 12 carries, including a 40-yard touchdown. Maryland fans also should be pleased with wideout D.J. Moore, who had 7 catches for 133 yards and a score.
This win marked Maryland’s first against a ranked team since 2010, ending what was the third longest active streak by a Power 5 team. It was also their first on the road since 2008 against Clemson.