With just 1:20 to work with and no timeouts, down by eight, Maryland needed a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game.
The Terps got the touchdown, as Taulia Tagovailoa found Corey Dyches open in the endzone for a score. The initial two-point try was a success when Tagovailoa rolled to his right before finding wideout Rakim Jarrett open in the right corner of the endzone.
However, the celebration was short-lived, as the play was called back after Maryland was penalized for an ineligible man downfield. Right after the call was made, multiple Boilermakers jumped in jubilation on the sidelines, knowing they had another shot to end the game in regulation.
On the re-try, Tagovailoa’s pass sailed over the head of running back Roman Hemby in the left corner of the endzone for an incomplete pass. Tagovailoa’s hands immediately went to his head as he realized what the incompletion meant: a heartbreaking loss in the final moments.
“We can’t hurt ourselves like that, it’s all about trying to clear your mind,” Tagovailoa said. “We didn’t finish.”
Maryland was forced to go for two after a blocked extra point on one of its earlier touchdowns, despite the blocker clearly jumping offsides. No penalty was called.
“The blocked extra point had a major impact on the game,” coach Mike Locksley said. “It’s a one score game, it takes us into overtime and it adjusts and changes how they play the game.”
Maryland football dropped its first home game of the season in gut-wrenching fashion, 31-29, at the hands of Purdue.
After Purdue went three-and-out on its opening drive, the Maryland offense moved the ball down the field with relative ease to get the scoring started.
A six-play, 69-yard touchdown drive was capped off with a Tagovailoa nine-yard score on the ground. The redshirt junior read the defense beautifully on a read option, taking the ball to his right into the endzone untouched.
Tagovailoa’s touchdown continued Maryland’s streak of scoring on its opening drive in every game this season.
Purdue responded with a methodical 12-play drive that ended with three.
Effective pass defense on third-and-nine at the Maryland 12 forced Boilermakers signal caller Aidan O’Connell to throw the ball away and set up a field goal try. A holding penalty on the field goal pushed the ball back to the Maryland 22, but Mitchell Fineran comfortably nailed the 39-yard kick.
After playing a mistake-free game against Michigan State, Tagovailoa threw his fifth interception of the season on Maryland’s next drive. Tagovailoa threw into double coverage looking for wideout Jeshaun Jones, but instead found the hands of Purdue cornerback Cory Trice.
Purdue took advantage of the takeaway, scoring a touchdown on the ensuing drive to take a 10-7 lead.
With the ball at the Maryland 20, Maryland cornerback Jakorian Bennett nearly came away with an interception of his own. The throw from O’Connell bounced out of Bennett’s hands, into the hands of Purdue wide receiver Mershawn Rice. Rice took the completion 12 yards to the Maryland eight.
Two plays after the quarter switch, Maryland stopped Purdue on third-and-goal from the two, but an illegal substitution penalty on the Terps gave the Boilermakers another crack at the endzone — this time at the one. Running back Dylan Downing took full advantage, scoring from a yard out as he powered his way up the middle.
Chad Ryland nailed a 46-yard field goal in response to tie the score at 10.
Midway through Purdue’s next drive, Maryland linebacker Ahmad McCullough was charged with an unnecessary roughness penalty as he hit O’Connell in the head after O’Connell gave himself up. McCullough’s penalty moved the ball to the Maryland 15.
Three plays later, O’Connell threw a perfect touch pass directly into the hands of Rice in the corner of the endzone, who got a foot down before falling out of bounds. Rice’s four-yard touchdown gave Purdue a 17-10 lead.
Maryland tied the score at 17 with just 14 seconds left in the half.
On first down at its own 32, Tagovailoa stepped up to evade pressure before finding a wide open Dyches at the Purdue 25. The sophomore stumbled for a moment before regaining his footing, being met by a Purdue defender at the 15. Dyches dove into the endzone from inside the five, dragging the defender with him.
Dyches’ unreal display of strength on the 68-yard touchdown gave the Terps a big momentum boost entering halftime.
The Maryland defense kept the momentum in favor of the Terps on Purdue’s first drive of the second half.
Nearing the redzone, O’Connell was sacked from behind by defensive end Durell Nchami — his second of the game. Nchami’s blindside sack knocked the ball loose out of the hands of O’Connell, and fellow-end Austin Fontaine pounced on the ball at the Maryland 39.
The Terps couldn’t take advantage of the turnover as they did not convert on a 4th-and-one at their 48, setting up the Purdue offense with a short field to work with.
Five plays into the drive, Bennett intercepted O’Connell. O’Connell’s pass to wideout Charlie Jones was thrown behind Jones, who tried to turn around for the catch, but instead tipped the ball into the hands of Bennett. After having an interception bounce out of his hands earlier in the game, Bennett held onto this one for the takeaway.
Maryland garnered another turnover in the quarter on Purdue’s next drive. Linebacker Jaishawn Barham forced a Tyrone Tracy Jr. fumble, and cornerback Deonte Banks recovered the loose ball.
All three of Purdue’s third quarter drives resulted in a turnover.
The Terps could not capitalize on the fumble recovery as Ryland missed a 52-yard field goal wide left. Maryland scored zero points off Purdue’s three turnovers in the third.
The scoreless third quarter sent the game tied at 17 entering the fourth.
The Maryland offense finally found its stride midway through the fourth, when Hemby capped off a 12-play, 69-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown on a screen pass. Ryland’s point-after-attempt was blocked, keeping Maryland’s lead at six, 23-17.
Replay review showed the blocker clearly jump early, but no penalty for offsides was called. Locksley was visibly upset with officials before the ensuing kickoff.
Purdue marched down the field with ease its next time out, driving the ball 66 yards in 10 plays. The drive ended in seven when O’Connell found a wide open Payne Durham in the endzone for the four-yard score, and the converted point-after-attempt gave Purdue the lead, 24-23, with 3:19 left in the game.
Maryland went three-and-out and punted the ball back to Purdue with 2:30 remaining. The Terps had all three of their timeouts.
On the second play of the drive, O’Connel found Durham wide open over the middle of the field. Durham took the catch 56 yards to the Maryland two, as the Terps elected to not let him score.
Purdue made Maryland burn all three timeouts before running back Devin Mockobee scored a one-yard touchdown to go up 31-23 with 1:20 left.
Tagovailoa and company only needed 45 seconds to score a touchdown. Tagovailoa found Dyches over the middle in the endzone for an 18-yard touchdown, bringing the Terps within two.
Maryland could not convert on the two-point attempt, and Purdue recovered the onside kick to hold on for the win.
“Just like we do for any game, whether you win or lose, you[‘ve] just got to flush it because [the] next opponent is always more important,” Dyches said.
The loss dropped Maryland to 4-2, 1-2 in conference play. Maryland will look to rebound next weekend at Indiana.
