Michigan State’s Bowl Hopes Fading After Loss To Maryland
Michigan State’s fifth straight loss, 28-17 to Maryland on Saturday, puts the team’s hopes of even qualifying for a bowl game in serious jeopardy.
Just over a month ago, the Michigan State Spartans eyed a Big Ten Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Now even a bowl game appearance seems unlikely after their fifth straight loss, 28-17 to the Maryland Terrapins.
After an interception thrown by re-christened Michigan State starting quarterback Brian Lewerke, Maryland opened the scoring by driving 96 yards in nine plays and scoring on a Lorenzo Harrison eight-yard run to take the lead. A successful two-point conversion put the Terrapins up 8-0 at the end of the first quarter. The two teams traded punts before L.J. Scott provided a spark to the Spartans offense, dashing 48 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 8-7.
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A 36-yard touchdown pass from Perry Hills to D.J. Moore increased Maryland’s lead to 14-7 in the second, but Adam Greene’s missed extra point kept the Maryland lead at seven. The Spartans responded with ten-play, 74-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by Gerald Holmes to tie the game at 14 with less than a minute remaining in the half. The Spartans had another chance to score before the half after recovering a Harrison fumble but failed to score on a fake field goal on the last play of the half and the teams went to the break still tied.
Michigan State drove deep into Maryland territory on their first drive of the second half, but the Terrapins recovered a Monty Madaris fumble in the redzone which ended the threat. Maryland responded by launching a drive of their own, but it stalled out in Spartan territory and the Terrapins turned the ball over on downs. A 34-yard Michael Geiger field goal gave Michigan State the lead at the end of the third quarter, but that would be all the offense the Spartans would muster.
Maryland dominated the fourth quarter. A two-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Goins Jr. capped off an eight-play, 75-yard drive and give Maryland the lead for good. Later in the quarter, Hills found Levern Jacobs for a nine-yard score to increase the lead to 28-17 and put the game beyond all doubt.