Maryland entered Saturday’s season opener against Howard as a 31-point favorite. They were expected to beat Howard convincingly, however, no one expected what occurred at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. The Terrapins demolished the Bison by 79 points, all while not allowing a single point.
Mike Locksley’s first game as Maryland’s permanent head coach went better than expected. And while the Terrapins face an uphill battle being in arguably the toughest division in college football — the Big Ten East — for the moment, they can bass in the glory with it’s greatest victory in school history.
1. Maryland Scored 11 Touchdowns
A 79-0 win is impressive in itself, yet when one wraps their head around the fact Maryland scored 11 touchdowns, that’s even more impressive. Wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. scored one of his two touchdowns on a 26-yard score that spearheaded a tsunami of scores. Maryland set a school-record with 56 points in the first half.
Maryland scored with five touchdown passes, five on the ground, and a 40-yard punt return for a touchdown by DJ Turner. Even when the Terrapins pulled their starters the touchdowns kept coming. Howard was simply no match.
2. Howard Had Just 1 Yard Rushing
Howard was dominated, to say the least. The Bison couldn’t do much of anything on offense. So much so, they were held to one yard rushing. The Terrapins defense swarmed for eight sacks on the quarterback. That along with run game never materializing, Howard could only muster one yard rushing.
3. Maryland Outgained Howard 623-68 in Yards
In total Maryland’s annihilation was in every facet of the game. Maryland outgained Howard 623 to 68 in yards. The Terrapins gained 317 yards rushing to Howard’s one. They then outpassed the Bison 306 yards to 67. The enormity of that is mind boggling.
4. Howard Punted 13 Times
Howard only turned the ball over one time throughout the game. The rest of the time, they were punting. Howard punter Isaiah Moore punted 13 times in the game. He amassed 476 yards in punting. His 14-yard punt in the first quarter led to Maryland’s first touchdown. Moore did boot a 72-yard punt, but even the field change didn’t matter as Maryland’s offense was relentless.
5. Caylin Newton Ran into a Brick Wall
Howard junior quarterback Caylin Newton, the 2018 MEAC Player of the Year, was the preseason pick for the same award in 2019. Saturday he didn’t look much like that, as Cam Newton’s brother ran into a brick wall.
Newton finished the game completing 3-of-11 passes for 23 yards. He also finished with minus-13 yards rushing, as he was sacked repeatedly. First year coach Ron Price waved the white flag early sitting Newton down in the first half to preserve him for conference play. Two years after he splashed on the field as a freshman leading Howard to an historic upset win against UNLV, he and his team was victim to one of greatest beatdowns in college football history.
6. Josh Jackson Looked the Part
Josh Jackson transferred to Maryland to get a second chance one last push to further his playing career. His time in College Park got off to an awesome start, as the Virginia Tech transfer threw for four touchdowns. He completed 15-of-24 passes for 245 yards.
The competition will get steeper as the Terrapins inch into Big Ten play, but Jackson gives them a level of quarterback play that hasn’t existed for Maryland in quite some time.
