No particular unit played well Saturday.
Maryland football was officially eliminated from bowl eligibility Saturday following a 29-13 loss to Iowa in its final home game of the season. The Terps were dominated in all three phases of the game en route to a disheartening loss.
Here’s how each position group graded out in the loss.
Quarterback
As has been a trend in recent weeks, Maryland received poor play from the quarterback position.
Billy Edwards Jr. was hampered by a thumb injury, but still retained his starting role. He left the game twice, though, only playing in four drives, during which he threw for 26 yards on 5-of-8 passing. He also rushed five times for 25 yards, including a third-quarter scramble that sidelined him for the rest of the game after taking a blow to the head.
MJ Morris was not much better in relief. He showed some life with two touchdown passes to Tai Felton, but they were matched by two fourth-quarter interceptions that virtually sealed the game.
Maryland only crossed the 50-yard line twice as an offense, and much of that blame falls on the quarterbacks.
Grade: D
Running back
Coming off one of his best games of the season, Roman Hemby perhaps produced his worst, rushing eight times for just 19 yards. He made up some ground in the passing game, though, catching five balls for 31 yards.
The only other running back involved Saturday was Nolan Ray, who recorded 48 yards rushing on four attempts, one of which went for 25 yards, the Terps’ longest play of the game.
While Iowa’s defense is stout, the Terps running backs were bottled up and Hemby did not show a lot of burst.
Grade: C
Wide receiver
Felton is one of the only Terps to show up and do his job in every game this season. The senior hauled in a team-high six catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns. While not his normal dominant statline, he was still responsible for all of Maryland’s points.
He now sits fourth all-time in Maryland career receiving yards (2,180), second in single-season receiving yards (1,097), tied with D.J. Moore for fourth in career receiving touchdowns (17) and in a three-way tie for second in single-season receiving touchdowns (9).
Kaden Prather also caught three balls for 20 yards, while Shaleak Knotts corralled his only target for 9 yards.
While Maryland’s wide receivers were held back by poor quarterback play, they are certainly not pardoned from the burden of this loss. They struggled to get open at times and Felton dropped two passes.
Grade: C+
Tight ends
It has been the same story week in and week out for Maryland’s tight ends, who fail to contribute consistently.
Saturday was not different, as Preston Howard was the only Terp involved in the passing game, catching two passes for 12 yards. Howard also recorded mediocre pass and run blocking grades, according to Pro Football Focus.
Dylan Wade, who has outgained Howard in many games this year, could not haul in his only target and came up limping after diving to the turf.
Leon Haughton Jr. only played 13 snaps but still managed a false start penalty.
Grade: D
Offensive line
For Big Ten standards, Iowa’s defensive line is solid in both the run and pass, but Maryland’s offensive line broke regardless. It allowed three sacks — Iowa averaged two per game prior to the contest. Aliou Bah also held Iowa’s Aaron Graves on one passing play, which would have been a sure-fire sack, but backed the Terps up 10 yards regardless.
While Maryland’s running backs were not effective, some of that blame has to fall on the offensive line. Iowa allows 115.1 rushing yards per game, but the Terps only mustered 98.
On the bright side, freshman left tackle Terez Davis was Maryland’s fourth highest-graded offensive player Saturday at 66.1, according to PFF.
Grade: C-
Defensive line
Maryland’s defensive line, riddled with upperclassmen and experience, has been leaned on all season by the rest of the defense, but failed to deliver yet again.
No one on the line recorded a sack and Jordan Phillips was the only lineman to tally a tackle for loss, his first of the season. Phillips and Lavon Johnson led the unit with a combined 14 tackles (13 solo).
Iowa also gashed the Terps on the ground, as its offensive line moved Maryland with ease. Kaleb Johnson ran the ball 35 times for 164 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and a touchdown. But the line’s biggest breakdown came in the fourth quarter, when running back Kamari Moulton skated through the Terps’ defense untouched en route to a 68-yard touchdown.
Grade: D
Linebackers
Maryland’s linebackers have been its most consistent group this year, but they are not pardoned from the beating the Terps took on the ground. They failed to get into the back field and plug running holes, only tackling Johnson after he already picked up 4 or 5 yards.
Donnell Brown finished second on the team with nine tackles (eight solo) and was a bright spot. He also recorded a tackle for loss, but was flagged for an offsides penalty.
Kellan Wyatt was Maryland’s second-highest graded player Saturday with a 78.6, according to PFF, totaling five tackles (four solo). Caleb Wheatland contributed the Terps’ only sack.
Grade: C
Secondary
With Iowa running the ball at will, Maryland’s secondary was not called upon often. However, third-string quarterback Jackson Stratton still completed 10-of-14 passes for 76 yards.
Dante Trader Jr. led the team with 10 tackles (eight solo), and the Terps did not record a pass breakup.
While the unit did not do anything wrong, they failed to contribute in a positive way as well.
Grade: C+
Special teams
Maryland’s special teams unit was terrible Saturday, and looked even worse compared to Iowa’s polished group.
Octavian Smith Jr. returned three kickoffs for 37 yards, and called for a fair catch on another that awkwardly placed the Terps at their own 8-yard line.
Typically reliable punter Bryce McFerson did not look like himself against the Hawkeyes, punting seven times with a 42-yard average, but two of his punts went 35 yards or less and gave Iowa great field position.
Jack Howes made his lone extra-point attempt.
Grade: D+
Coaching
There weren’t any particularly questionable decisions from the coaching staff, but they failed to make pregame and mid-game adjustments. Whenever a team comes out as flat and uninspiring as Maryland did with its bowl season on the line, that ultimately falls on coaching and Michael Locksley’s failure to prepare and motivate his team.
Grade: D