Five drives, five touchdowns.
That’s what Maryland football did in the first 25 minutes of Saturday’s matchup against Charlotte, as the Terps put on an offensive clinic in the opening half, totaling 35 points and 403 yards to beat the 49ers, 56-21, at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Redshirt junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa picked apart Charlotte’s defense, finishing 27-for-31 passing for 391 yards and scoring five total touchdowns, while the Terps (2-0) totaled 193 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to improve to 8-1 in nonconference games under coach Mike Locksley.
After Tagovailoa lacked touch on the deep ball last week against Buffalo, he completed 12 passes for 15 or more yards Saturday. During Maryland’s first drive, Tagovailoa completed a pair of 14-yard passes to receivers Tai Felton and Jeshaun Jones before launching a 39-yard touchdown pass to Florida transfer Jacob Copeland to take a 7-0 lead.
“Taulia did a really good job [with] ball location on some of the deep shots that we didn’t have the timing down a week ago,” Locksley said. “It was good to see us make that jump on the offensive side of the ball.”
After Tagovailoa threw a 14-yard touchdown to Jones, he completed a 27-yard pass to junior Rakim Jarrett that set up a 59-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore running back Antwain Littleton II that gave the Terps a 21-7 lead with 1:18 left in the first quarter.
Tagovailoa once again showcased his arm strength when he threw the ball down the middle to Copeland for a 45-yard touchdown to take a 28-14 lead early in the second. Copeland, who caught one pass for six yards against Buffalo, totaled four receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
“I was happy with [Copeland] scoring,” Tagovailoa said. “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised because we see it in practice.”
In the middle of the second quarter, Tagovailoa threw a 28-yard strike to redshirt sophomore tight end Corey Dyches. A few plays later, senior receiver Dontay Demus Jr. reached Charlotte’s 3-yard line on a 23-yard reception.
The Terps’ were penalized twice, pushing them back to the 49ers’ 13-yard line, but that didn’t slow down Tagovailoa. Facing a second-and-16, he escaped pressure before finding a wide-open Jones for a 16-yard touchdown to take a 21-point advantage with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. The redshirt senior recorded six catches for 71 yards while averaging 11.8 yards per reception.
“Taulia is a different animal,” Copeland said. “When he gets into his mode and feeling good about the situation, he’s going to make the best of it.”
In the third quarter, Tagovailoa might have inadvertently caused some anxiety among the Maryland faithful. After he scored on a 4-yard quarterback keeper with 6:48 left, Tagovailoa slipped while heading toward the stands and appeared to turn his ankle. After initially grabbing his right leg, he jogged off the field and was replaced by backup freshman quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.
Tagovailoa, however, put those concerns to rest when he returned at 14-minute mark of the fourth quarter and threw a 25-yard pass to freshman wideout Leon Haughton Jr. before checking out of the game. Edwards checked back in and tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to freshman wideout Octavian Smith Jr. to take a 56-14 lead with 13 minutes left.
After the game, Locksley said Tagovailoa exited with cramps and had to go into the locker room to get an IV.
“It was humid out there,” Tagovailoa said. “Throughout the drive, I was cramping in my right calf. And then I had to run the ball. You know how that goes. Everything just locked up. Happy I got in the end zone before it did.”
Before the game, the 49ers (0-3) had the odds stacked against them. Charlotte, which allowed at least 40 points in its previous two games, was playing without its top two quarterbacks, Chris Reynolds and James Foster, forcing redshirt freshman Xavier Williams to make his first career start. Williams held his own, going 19 for 35 with 191 yards and two touchdowns, but Charlotte’s defense was completely outmatched throughout the game.
“We are going to keep rolling,” Copeland said. “Once we get into the rhythm of the game, everything is going to play out.”
