COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The Maryland football team made sure Mike Locksley’s reunion with his alma mater resulted in few surprises.
The Terps proved to be too fast and too strong for Towson and waltzed their way to a 38-6 victory Saturday afternoon at SECU Stadium.
The win lifted Maryland (1-0) to 12-1 in its last 13 season openers and its ninth consecutive against nonconference opponents. The program, which welcomed back a trio of former players in cornerback Dontae Banks (New York Giants), center Spencer Anderson (Pittsburgh Steelers) and wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. (free agent), also improved to 3-0 all-time against the Tigers.
Redshirt senior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa began his campaign on the watch lists for the Davey O’Brien and Manning awards in strong fashion. The 2023 preseason All-Big Ten selection completed 22 of 33 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns and carried the ball twice for 28 yards and one score.
Redshirt junior tight end Corey Dyches was Tagovailoa’s most effective target, catching all six passes thrown in his direction for 108 yards and one touchdown. The yardage total was a career high for Dyches, eclipsing his previous record of 106 set against Purdue on Oct. 8, 2022.
Graduate student wide receiver Jeshaun Jones caught five of six passes for 57 yards and one score. And redshirt sophomore running back Roman Hemby, a Edgewood resident and John Carroll graduate, rushed 12 times for 58 yards and one touchdown.
The defense was as suffocating as the offense was overwhelming. Towson averaged just 4.2 yards on 64 plays, and the Terps did not surrender a touchdown for the third consecutive game — a first since 1976.
The Tigers (0-1) dropped their first season opener since Sept. 3, 2016, ending a five-game winning streak. The team made its debut under Pete Shinnick, who succeeded Rob Ambrose as the school’s fifth coach.
Maryland did to the Tigers what one might expect when an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision program tangles with its FCS brethren: score early and often, build up an insurmountable lead and then cruise to the final horn.
On the opening possession of the game, the Terps marched 87 yards in seven plays to score their first touchdown of the season when the 5-foot-11, 208-pound Tagovailoa scampered 23 yards down the right sideline to the end zone with 12:06 remaining. The series was aided by a 44-yard completion from Tagovailoa to Dyches, who gained 30 yards after the catch.
Tagovailoa’s left arm received some medical attention on the sideline between the pass to Dyches and his score after he absorbed a hit from redshirt sophomore middle linebacker Mason Woods. But Tagovailoa returned for Maryland’s next drive and almost added another touchdown. Instead, junior wide receiver Tai Felton dropped a deep pass when he was behind Towson redshirt sophomore cornerback Shafeek Smith with no one between him and the end zone.
Tagovailoa got that first touchdown pass when he found Dyches on a deep post down the middle for a 23-yard score with 4:29 left in the first quarter. Then on the third-to-last play of the period from the Tigers’ 24-yard line, Tagovailoa rolled out to his right and hit Jones for a 16-yard connection, and Jones covered the final 8 yards to give the Terps a 21-0 advantage with 17 seconds remaining.
Towson made its first drive into Maryland territory count a little when redshirt junior kicker Keegan Vaughan converted a 36-yard field goal with 11:57 left into the second quarter. The possession included a 14-yard pass-interference penalty on Terps senior cornerback Ja’Quan Sheppard (Cincinnati), but wilted at Maryland’s 14 on third-and 8 after redshirt sophomore left guard Mathias Adjingbaruk was flagged for a false start.
Redshirt sophomore Jack Howes missed a 45-yard field goal wide left with 7:40 remaining, but the Terps bounced back with a 15-play, 91-yard series capped by Tagovailoa’s 13-yard pass to junior wide receiver Kaden Prather (West Virginia) in the back right corner of the end zone with 14 seconds left for a 28-3 lead.
For the ninth time in his career, Tagovailoa gained 200 yards through the air in the first half, passing for 246 yards on 21 of 32 passing. And for only the second time, he accounted for four touchdowns in the first two quarters.
Maryland’s dominance was evident at halftime. The team outgained the Tigers, 325-105, including 246-39 through the air; averaged 7.2 yards on 45 plays to Towson’s 3.6 yards on 29 plays; and enjoyed a plus-11 differential in first downs.
Redshirt sophomore and Wake Forest transfer Billy Edwards Jr. replaced Tagovailoa with 1:33 left in the third quarter. Edwards went 2 of 7 for 5 yards and ran the ball three times for 27 yards. And redshirt freshman Cameron Edge replaced Edwards with 3:11 remaining in the final period.
The Terps’ successes were Towson’s struggles. Redshirt junior quarterback Nathan Kent, an Eldersburg resident and Liberty graduate, earned the first start of his career, but did not complete his first pass until the first play of the second quarter. He connected on 16 of 31 throws for 128 yards.
Vaughan added a 39-yard field goal with 1:33 left in the third quarter.