College Football Corner: Long Saturday for the locals, longer day for the SEC
Saturday was another rough one in a season of shortcomings for D.C.-area FBS teams, as Maryland won’t be bowling next month while James Madison’s Sun Belt championship dreams died as well.
At least this week’s Virginia-Virginia Tech game will deliver bowl eligibility to the winner. Meanwhile, the dream/nightmare scenario of a six-way tie for first place in the SEC blew up with Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma and Florida’s upset of Ole Miss. We can still enjoy a four-way tie with victories by Tennessee and Texas A&M next weekend.
Maryland (4-7, 1-7 Big Ten) had issues early against Iowa, getting outgained 200 yards to 65 in the first half, while falling behind 13-0. It didn’t help that starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. was hampered by a hand injury.
Behind backup MJ Morris, the Terps were able to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter but weren’t able to complete the comeback in a 29-13 loss that secures their first losing season since 2020.
Terrapin Triumphs: Tai Felton caught six passes for 57 yards and both Terp touchdowns. The defense limited the Hawkeyes to 5 of 14 on third down, with Dante Trader Jr. making 10 tackles and Donnell Brown adding nine stops. Jalen Huskey’s fumble recovery on Iowa’s first drive kept the visitors off the board early.
Terrapin Troubles: The offense was held to 65 yards on 22 first-half plays as Iowa built their lead and while MJ Morris threw two touchdown passes, he was also intercepted twice in the fourth quarter.
The defense coughed up 268 yards on the ground, from short runs by Kaleb Johnson (he tallied 164 on 35 carries) to the game-sealing 68-yard scamper for a score by Kamari Moulton (he’d finish with 114 yards on 12 attempts).
Next: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on the road against No. 4 Penn State (Big Ten Network).
Virginia (5-6, 3-4 ACC) never led No. 13 SMU in their 33-7 loss to the Mustangs, but during the first half there was a brief window of opportunity for the Cavaliers. Unfortunately, a failed fourth down at the SMU 39 and a missed 41-yard field goal on consecutive possessions undercut their upset bid.
Cavalier Congrats: Malachi Fields caught four passes for 42 yards and UVa’s lone touchdown. Chico Bennett made five tackles while recovering a fumble, and Daniel Sparks averaged 47.6 yards per punt.
Cavalier Concerns: The offense converted just 3 of 15 third downs while the line surrendered nine sacks. The defense coughed up more than 30 points for the fourth time in five weeks. Special teams missed a 41-yard field goal and allowed a 48-yard punt return.
Next: Saturday against 56-65 Virginia Tech at 8 p.m. on the ACC Network.
James Madison (8-3, 4-3 Sun Belt) still had an outside shot at playing its way into its conference championship game and took a 14-0 lead at App State.
They still led 17-10 late in the first half, before lightning struck twice: The Mountaineers scored on a 64-yard pass and a recovered blocked punt in the final two minutes of the quarter to secure a 24-17 lead they wouldn’t relinquish, as JMU’s Sun Belt hopes faded with a 34-20 loss.
Duke Do’s: George Pettaway ran for 82 yards, while making four catches for 28 yards. Eric O’Neill posted a sack in his nine tackles, while the defense held App State to 3-13 on third down.
Duke Don’ts: Two turnovers, with the first setting up a short field that resulted in App State’s first touchdown. The defense allowed points the last three times the Mountaineers had the ball in the first half. And special teams will be haunted by that blocked punt for some time.
Next: Saturday at 8 p.m. against 8-3 Marshall on ESPNU.
Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4 ACC) and Duke provided plenty of early thrills in their meeting, with three touchdowns of 60+ yards in the first quarter. But it would be the Blue Devils who would take the lead for good on a seven-yard pass near the end of the first half as the Hokies fell 31-28, dropping to 0-6 in games decided by 10 points or fewer.
Hokie Highlights: Ali Jennings caught six passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. Dorian Strong recorded a pair of interceptions, while the defense held the Blue Devils to 2-11 on third down.
Hokie Humblings: The defense began the night by allowing 86 and 77-yard touchdown passes. And after Duke took a 17-14 lead in the second quarter, the offense was held to 44 yards on 22 plays over five possessions.
Next: Saturday night against 5-6 Virginia at 8 p.m. (ACC Network).