Up 28-14 in the second quarter, Maryland searched for another score to take a commanding lead over Charlotte.
Redshirt junior Taulia Tagovailoa made something out of nothing on second-and-goal from the 16-yard line, scrambling out of the pocket before finding a wide open Jeshaun Jones in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown.
The score was Tagovailoa’s fourth passing touchdown and Jones’ second receiving touchdown of the game, new career-highs for both players.
The connection from Tagovailoa to Jones was just one of five first half touchdowns as the Terps took control of the game early and never looked back, obliterating the 49ers, 56-21. The win improved the Terps to 2-0.
“Really pleased today with the overall effort, obviously still not as clean as we’d like … but for the first road opportunity, was really pleased with the way they responded,” head coach Mike Locksley said.
Maryland football traveled away from College Park for the first time in its 2022 campaign, heading south for a matchup against Charlotte.
The Terps received the ball first and made a statement on their opening drive, marching down the field in just five plays for a touchdown.
Starting its drive on its 21-yard line, Maryland found itself with a first-and-ten in Charlotte territory after four plays. On the fifth play, Tagovailoa found an open Jacob Copeland behind the 49ers defense in the endzone for a 39-yard score.
Copeland turned back to the football and hauled in the pass from Tagovailoa, giving Maryland the first lead of the game, 7-0.
The 49ers responded with a methodical 15-play touchdown drive of their own.
Charlotte went for it on fourth down on three separate occasions, occurring on all three.
The scoring drive was capped off with a Grant Dubose 11-yard touchdown catch from redshirt freshman Xavier Williams, getting the start due to injuries to fellow quarterbacks Chris Reynolds and James Foster.
Williams beautifully placed the ball into the outstretched arms of Dubose, and the junior came down to the ground with the ball for the score. The extra point tied the game, 7-7.
Charlotte tried to surprise Maryland with an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but the heads-up Terps recovered the ball. Kick catch interference on the 49ers added 15 yards onto the end of the play, giving the Terps’ offense a short field to work with at the Charlotte 31.
Maryland needed only three plays to regain the lead.
On second-and-ten from the Charlotte 14-yard line, Tagovailoa found Jones on an RPO towards the Maryland sideline. The redshirt senior caught the pass around the line of scrimmage and made a couple Charlotte defenders miss before diving into the endzone for the touchdown.
Four minutes later, Maryland added its third touchdown of the first quarter.
With a second-and-four on its 41-yard line, redshirt freshman Antwain Littleton II took the handoff from Tagovailoa, and after a juke around midfield, found himself in Charlotte territory and simply outran the 49ers defenders the rest of the way. Littleton’s 59-yard touchdown gave the Terps a two-touchdown lead entering the second quarter.
Less than a minute into the second, Charlotte scored its second touchdown of the game.
After escaping the pocket at the Charlotte 31-yard line, Williams found an open Elijah Spencer on the sideline. The sophomore receiver had open space in the middle of the field and ran all the way down to the Maryland 19-yard line. On the next play, an open Victor Tucker caught the pass from Williams in the endzone for the score.
Maryland answered with a short drive of its own.
On the fourth play, Tagovailoa delivered an absolute beauty of a ball to a wide open Copeland in the end zone for the 45-yard touchdown, putting Maryland back up by 14.
Through just 16 minutes of action, the Florida transfer registered 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns, a vast difference from his one-catch, six-yard Maryland debut in week one. Copeland finished with 110 yards.
“I really didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t know if it was going to rain or not, I didn’t know if we were going to throw the ball a lot,” Copeland said. “They called my number … I had to make plays.”
Later in the second quarter, Tagovailoa scrambled out of the pocket and found a wide open Jones in the endzone for the Terps’ fifth touchdown of the first half.
Tagovailoa made his first mistake of the game with a minute left in the first half. Tagovailoa saw senior Dontay Demus Jr. matched up in the endzone against a smaller defender. However, the pass was slightly underthrown, allowing Comanche Francisco to come away with the interception.
Charlotte was unable to score as a result of the turnover, sending the game to halftime with Maryland on top, 35-14.
Maryland scored on its first drive of the second half as Tagovailoa scampered into the endzone on a four-yard touchdown rush, but after reaching the football down to the pylon, Tagovailoa tripped over his ankle and remained down for a minute. Tagovailoa walked off the field on his own.
Redshirt freshman Billy Edwards Jr. took over at quarterback on Maryland’s next possession.
Tagovailoa finished with 391 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, an 87% completion percentage and one interception. Tagovailoa chipped in six yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown.
“I think that’s the biggest thing with the passing game, just getting in a rhythm,” Tagovailoa said.
Edwards Jr. didn’t get a chance to showcase his arm on his first drive, as after he scrambled for eight yards, Colby McDonald took a handoff a long way. The sophomore found a hole in the middle of the field and sprinted past the 49ers defense, cruising to the endzone en route to a 49-yard score, extending Maryland’s lead to 49-14.
“Our offensive line played great, “ McDonald said. “They show up every week, put their head[s] down no matter who they’re playing against.”
Tagovailoa returned for a play in the fourth quarter, as Edwards Jr. got knocked down and had to exit for the play. Nevertheless, Tagovailoa’s re-entrance eased the nerves of the Maryland faithful.
Less than three minutes into the fourth, Edwards Jr. connected with freshman Octavian Smith Jr. for a 17-yard score. The touchdown was the first of both Edwards Jr. and Smith Jr.’s careers.
Redshirt sophomore Trexler Ivey took over as quarterback for the 49ers in the fourth, and in his first career collegiate drive, went 76 yards in 12 plays, ending in a five-yard touchdown pass to Tucker.
Ivey’s touchdown was the last of the game from either side, resulting in a 56-21 victory for the Terps.
Maryland’s 56 points nearly doubled its total from week one (31).
