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University of Maryland Athletics

Sean Greeley Touchdown
31
Winner Maryland UMD 4-0 , 1-0
9
Michigan St. MSU 2-2 , 0-1
Winner
Maryland UMD
4-0 , 1-0
31
Final
9
Michigan St. MSU
2-2 , 0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UMD Maryland 7 14 0 10 31
MSU Michigan St. 0 3 6 0 9

Game Recap: Football |

Terps Top Michigan State, 31-9, To Move To 4-0

EAST LANSING, MI – In its Big Ten opener, Maryland passed its first road test of the season, defeating Michigan State 31-9 to move to 4-0 for the second time in the last three years.

Dating back to last season, the Terps have won six consecutive games for the first time since 2003-04. Maryland is 14-5 in its last 19 games dating to the 2021 season. 

Maryland started fast, jumping out to a 21-0 lead early and never looked back.  

Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 223 yards on 21-of-36 passing and three touchdowns. He also rushed for an additional score. 

The Terps got contributors across the board on offense, with 11 different players catching at least one pass. Kaden Prather led the way with six grabs for 45 yards. Tai Felton added three yards on 67 catches. The touchdown receptions came from Tyrese Chambers, Octavian Smith Smith and linebacker Sean Greeley – the first defensive player to catch a touchdown in Maryland history. 

Maryland's offense scored touchdowns on its first three drives while the Terp defense forced an interception, a turnover on downs and a forced fumble on the Spartans' first three possessions. Overall, the Terps forced five total turnovers (three interceptions, two fumble recoveries) to go along with three sacks. Beau Brade led the defense with 10 tackles along with an interception. Dante Trader Jr. had nine stops and had a career-high three pass breakups. 

It marked the second week in a row the Terps forced at least four turnovers, the first time since 2005 Maryland had back-to-back weeks with four or more forced turnovers. With three interceptions in each of the last two games, its the first time since 2001 that Maryland achieved that.

Coach Locksley's Take

"I'll start off by saying, I'm really proud of this team and the way they responded to the coaching. We've talked a lot the past couple of weeks about starting fast and we were able to do that today. Anytime you can win on the road in the Big Ten that's huge. Gor us to come up here and do something that hasn't been done since 1950, which is to win here in this stadium, I'm definitely proud of the team and happy to be 4-0."

From The Guys

"It helps a lot because it gives us a lot of opportunities to go score," Tai Felton said of the defense's five takeaways. "Coach has been emphasizing the defense touching the ball and the offense making a play after that. It's a blessing and it's very exciting to see those guys catch the ball like they're receivers. And it's very exciting that we were able to go out and get a 'W' today."

"We have a lot of guys that are hungry to make plays, a lot of guys that are going to make plays for this team to win," Still said of the defensive unit. "Every day guys come into the facility ready to work, ready to achieve more. I feel like we have a good group of guys who go out there and make plays and we have fun together. We have a great bond and that's something we've built over the years."

Breaking Down The Action
  • Beau Brade came up with his first interception of the season on the game's opening drive to flip the momentum to the Terps early. 
  • Maryland capitalized on the Spartan turnover, using nine plays to go 45 yards in 4:24. Tagovailoa completed five of seven passes on the drive, capped off by a one-yard touchdown pass to linebacker Sean Greeley, who snuck out from the fullback spot to find himself wide open in the end zone. 
  • The Maryland defense made a goal-line stand on the ensuing Spartan drive, forcing a turnover on downs on the Maryland five-yard line. Brade and Fa'Najae Gotay combined to make a four-yard tackle for loss on fourth down. 
  • Maryland went up 14-0 thanks to a long 95-yard drive that culminated in Tyrese Chambers' first touchdown reception in a Maryland uniform, a 12-yard grab from Tagovailoa. 
  • After Donnell Brown found his third takeaway of the season with a recovered fumble, the Terps swiftly found another touchdown in the short field, going up 21-0 thanks to a one-yard dive from Tagovailoa.
  • Maryland's 18-point halftime lead (21-3) was its largest in a Big Ten game since holding a 20-2 advantage against Rutgers on Nov. 27, 2021. 
  • A touchdown and failed two-point conversion from Michigan State were the only points scored in the third quarter, but Maryland opened the final frame with a successful 48-yard field goal from Jack Howes to bring the lead to 24-9. 
  • A big pick from Tarheeb Still with Michigan State threatening in the red zone secured the victory for the Terps. 
  • On fourth-and-one with 3:25 remaining in the game, Tagovailoa hit Octavian Smith Jr. on a quick screen that Smith sprinted 31 yards to the end zone, putting the finishing touches on the 31-9 victory.


4-0 Start Overall, 1-0 In Big Ten 
  • The Terps started 4-0 overall for the second time in three seasons, also doing it in 2021.
  • Prior to 2021, Maryland last started 4-0 in 2016 and before then 2013. 
  • Maryland won its Big Ten opener for the first time since that 2021 season when the Terps won a 20-17 overtime contest at Illinois. 
  • Overall, Maryland has won its Big Ten opener six times in 10 seasons in the conference, also doing it in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021.

Taulia Adds To His Records 
  • Tagovailoa continued to add to his career passing yardage today with 223 in the game as he now has 8,991 in his career. The quarterback holds the Maryland career records for passing yards, passing touchdowns (59), total touchdowns (69), completions (752), completion percentage (67.3), 300-yard passing games (13+today), passing efficiency (147.3) and total offense (9,230). 
  • He connected with 10 different receivers in the game. 


Greeley Makes History
  • When linebacker Sean Greeley caught a 1-yard pass from Tagovailoa in the first quarter, it marked the first time a defensive player scored an offensive touchdown for the Terps since 1996. For the gameday captain, it was his first career catch and touchdown. 
  • The last defensive player to score on offense for the Terps came when linebacker Kendall Ogle scored on a rush against Northern Illinois on a 1-yard rush in the season opener on Aug. 31, 1996. 
  • It is believed to be the first offensive receiving touchdown scored by a primary defensive player in Maryland football history. 
  • Greeley also forced a fumble, to become the first Terp since RaVon Davis to score a touchdown (on either side of the ball) and force a fumble in the same game. Davis had a pick-6 interception return for a touchdown and a fumble forced against Ohio State on Nov. 17, 2018. 
  • Greeley became just the third player in the FBS since 2012 to force a fumble and catch an offensive touchdown in a game joining Jack Colletto (for Oregon State vs. Utah on Oct 23, 2021) and Adoree' Jackson (for USC vs. Notre Dame on Oct. 17, 2015). 
Defense Getting It Done!
  • The Terps once again had a stellar defensive showing.
  • Over the last 17 games (covering the 2022 season and first four games of the 2023 season), Maryland has only allowed 42 points in the third quarter (2.5 per game). 
  • Maryland has outscored opponents 77-15 in the second half of games this season. 
  • The defense has been stout in second halves in that span, allowing 128 points in those 17 games for 7.5 per game. 
  • Maryland forced five turnovers with interceptions by Brade, Glendon Miller and Tarheeb Still and two fumbles recovered by Donnell Brown and Kobi Thomas. 
  • The Terps had three sacks, coming from Caleb Wheatland (first of his career), Quashon Fuller (third of his career) and Kellan Wyatt (second of his career) each posted sacks. 
  • With three interceptions in each of the last two games for a total of six, it marks the first time Maryland has six INTs in a two-game span since Oct. 13-20, 2018 with five vs. Rutgers and one vs. Iowa. 
  • The last time Maryland gained four turnovers in game-to-back games, came in games on Oct. 8 and 20, 2005, when the Terps had three fumble recoveries and an interception at Temple and three interceptions and a fumble recovery vs. Virginia Tech. 
  • Last time Maryland had three interceptions in back-to-back games came on Oct. 11 and 20, 2001, three picks each at Georgia Tech and vs. Duke. 

Spreading It Around
  • 10 different Terps recorded at least one reception today, marking the first time this season Maryland accomplished this feat.
  • Last season, Maryland had three games with 10 or more players catching a pass. 

Notes and Nuggets
  • Maryland won its 23rd straight game when leading after three quarters.
  • The win at Michigan State is the program's first in East Lansing since 1950. 
  • Corey Dyches has caught a pass in 18 consecutive games. 
  • Tai Felton's 38-yard reception in the third quarter was the longest of his career. 
  • Colton Spangler rushed for 14 yards on a fake punt in the third quarter. It was the first successful rush for a first down on a fake punt since Russ Edwards also ran for a 14-yard gain for a first down on Sept. 14, 1996 against Virginia. 

Up Next
  • The Terps will host their Big Ten home opener against Indiana on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 3:30 p.m., in a game that will air on Big Ten Network and the Maryland Sports Radio Network. 
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