Perhaps it was fitting for Maryland to end this week the way it did. Dressed in all black uniforms at home in the first game since the school fired DJ Durkin as head coach shortly after initially opting to reinstate him, Maryland (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) lost to Michigan State (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) by a score of 24-3. Maryland was held to just 100 yards of offense in the entire game.
Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke returned to the starting lineup and had a rough day in terms of production by completing 11 of 20 passes for 87 yards with one interception. Lewerke, who sat out last week, also rushed for 45 yards on nine carries. Connor Heyward was the star of the game with 157 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns, including an 80-yard score one play after a crazy sequence that saw Maryland fumble an interception into the end zone, where it was recovered by the Spartans for a touchback. The result of the play ended up being a net-gain of four yards for Michigan State. Backup quarterback Rocky Lombardi got some playing time with the game well in hand for the Spartans.
With Matt Canada continuing his role as interim head coach after a bizarre week for the Maryland football program, the Terps turned in one of their worst performances of the season. It was evident this was a team that had its share of distractions this week as the Terrapins looked sloppy on offense and failed to keep composed on offense or defense at key times. Kasim Hill completed just eight of his 21 pass attempts for 74 yards and the team combined for a total of 26 rushing yards on 29 rushing attempts.
Michigan State will return home next week for a key division game against Ohio State. Second place in the Big Ten East will be on the line as the Spartans and Buckeyes are each chasing Michigan. The Buckeyes have been struggling and could be arriving in East Lansing ripe for a loss in the division, but will the Spartans have enough in the tank to scratch together a third-straight win?
Maryland will be on the road next week for a game against Indiana. The Hoosiers had off this week and last played on Friday, October 26th (a road loss at Minnesota despite a furious fourth-quarter rally). Maryland and Indiana have split their first four meetings as Big Ten division opponents, with Maryland winning last year’s contest by a 42-39 final score in College Park.
