Maryland football trounced by Minnesota, 48-23

The Terps were riddled by injuries on defense and looked anemic on offense.

Maryland football was already getting clobbered. It trailed by 24 points entering halftime and Minnesota got the ball back to start the second half.

After two chunk passes and a roughing the passer moved the Golden Gophers near the red zone, they lined up in a right-side bunch formation. The Terps were visibly confused before the snap and, in man coverage, let receiver Elijah Spencer go completely unguarded on a go route for another six points.

The Terps did very little right in a 48-23 Minnesota win. The Golden Gophers’ point total was their highest against a Big Ten opponent since 2019 — which also came against Maryland.

Billy Edwards Jr. had his worst showing of 2024. The redshirt junior set new season-lows in passing yards (201), completions (19) and completion percentage (54.3%), leading the offense to just 10 points before being pulled for backup MJ Morris in the fourth quarter.

The Terps’ offense came out firing, though, with Edwards hitting Tai Felton downfield for a 26-yard catch and run on the game’s first play. Felton had a strong game despite the end result, finishing with nine catches for 104 yards.

But after Maryland (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) found itself in fourth-and-1 in Minnesota (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) territory, Roman Hemby was stuffed in the backfield on a shotgun run.

Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer was perfect on the ensuing drive, completing all three of his passes for 47 yards and topping it off with a 10-yard touchdown to Daniel Jackson.

Jackson looked unstoppable against a short-handed Maryland secondary, recording nine catches for 117 yards and two scores.

After a quick Maryland three-and-out, Brosmer once again led his team down the field for six. That drive was jumpstarted by a targeting penalty on freshman defensive back Judah Jenkins — starting in the slot with Glen Miller injured — and was ejected as a result.

Edwards looked like a shell of himself for the remainder of the quarter. He completed just 1-of-6 attempts on the frame’s two remaining drives. That completion went for 2 yards — the same amount of interceptions Edwards threw in that span.

The first came because Edwards and receiver Shaleak Knotts were not on the same page. Edwards threw a short hitch route that Knotts did not stop for. Instead, cornerback Justin Walley jumped the pass and ran to the end zone untouched to make it 21-0 less than 11 minutes into the game.

Edwards was pressured on his second dropback of the ensuing drive. He didn’t step into the pass and overthrew a wide-open Dylan Wade. Freshman sensation safety Koi Perich was practically handed his fifth interception of the season.

The Terps didn’t get on the board until midway through the second quarter, when a 10-play, 56-yard drive set up a Jack Howes field goal from 33 yards out. But they could not stop Minnesota on its ensuing drive, which culminated in Jackson’s second touchdown.

Another methodical drive ended in a 3-yard touchdown run by Edwards, the Terps’ only touchdown in the first three quarters. Minnesota once again let up zero momentum, however, and drove 49 yards in 21 seconds to set up a field goal before halftime.

The next time Edwards touched the football, Minnesota was up 41-10. To put any hopes of a late comeback to bed, a productive Maryland drive ended on downs just outside the red zone.

Morris came in at quarterback after Minnesota running back Darius Taylor broke tackles en route to a 51-yard insult-to-injury touchdown to begin the fourth quarter. He shined in that limited playing time, though, going 7 for 8 passing for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

After a statement win over USC last week, the Terps played their worst football of the season Saturday. They head into their second bye week with a 4-4 record.

Three things to know

1. Lack of secondary depth showed. Miller and Brandon Jacob missed the contest with injuries. Braydon Lee underwent season-ending surgery two weeks ago. Jenkins — who was only playing because Miller was out — was ejected for targeting in the first quarter. Perry Fisher’s snaps appeared to be limited after getting banged up in the first half.

A secondary that touted an array of backups was torched. Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer had his best game of 2024 — his 320 passing yards and four touchdowns were season-highs, which he achieved on a 78.8% completion percentage. Outside of Jackson’s dominant day, Spencer also finished with 99 yards and two scores.

2. Maryland’s momentum is completely gone. It’s been a roller-coaster stretch for the vibes surrounding the Terps. Two weeks ago, they lost to Northwestern, 37-10, at home. Then they upset USC the following week.

It felt like beating the Trojans could be a turning point for the program. Evidently, it was not.

3. Morris looked solid in relief. Edwards had his worst showing of the year. Morris was nearly perfect when he came in to replace him.

He looked in command, decisive and precise with his throws. He hit Knotts for a 49-yard bomb in stride that showed off some serious arm talent. Morris went back to the receiver three plays later for a 21-yard touchdown.

Even with Edwards’ lackluster showing, it’s hard to imagine there’s anything resembling a quarterback controversy in College Park. But Morris showed a lot of potential, and with his running ability, could eventually be seen as a starting option.

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