It only took about six minutes for the good feelings of last week’s shutout victory to be washed away. That was how long it took for Maryland to jump out to a 14-0 lead at home on #21 Syracuse.
To make matters worse, just under six minutes into the second quarter, the Terrapins’ lead ballooned to 28-7 and the rout was on, as they demolished the Orange, 63-20. Maryland moved to 2-0 on the season while SU slid to 1-1.
SUI had the ball first, but could not get a first down. Five plays after taking possession, the Terps had their first touchdown. The repeated the five plays to score on their second drive, this time gaining control after a Tommy DeVito fumble at the Syracuse 32. One second shy of six minutes into the action, the hosts held a 14-0 lead.
The next Orange drive seemed to right the ship, as they moved 91 yards in ten plays for a score. Two big plays ate up the bulk of the turf, as Trishton Jackson picked up 33 yards on one pass and Taj Harris 29 more on another. DeVito would cash in the possession on the next drive connecting with Jackson for a nine-yard touchdown. Andre Szmyt booted the extra point to make it 14-7 with less than five minutes on the clock in the first quarter.
Maryland kept up the pressure, adding another touchdown on their next possession. Early in the second quarter, the Terrapins defense got another turnover, this time intercepting a DeVito pass and returning it to the SU 20. Two plays later, another Maryland touchdown went on the board and they owned a 28-7 lead.
Syracuse struck back with another scoring drive. Jackson’s 39-yard reception brought the Orange into the red zone and DeVito completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Sean Riley to plays later. Szmyt’s kick was errant and the score held at 28-13 just past the midpoint of the second quarter.
» Related: Syracuse has little answers in road loss to Maryland
The Terps kept their foot on the gas, scoring twice more before the break and grabbing a 42-13 stranglehold on the game. Maryland received the kickoff to start the third quarter and needed less than two minutes to reach the end zone again, extending their lead to 49-13.
DeVito connected with Jackson for a 52-yard touchdown pass on the next Orange drive and the extra point pulled them within 49-20. That would prove to be the last threat of the day for SU.
Maryland, however, downshifted their offense, looking more to kill the clock than pile on points. The Terps still hung two more touchdowns in the final quarter, including a final drive of three running plays that amassed 92 yards, bringing their final totals to 354 rushing yards and 650 yards overall.
Tommy DeVito built up a healthy stat line once the competitive part of the game was over, connecting on 28-of-39 passes for 330 yards with three touchdowns and a pick. Trishton Jackson burst onto the scene with the biggest game in his brief career at SU with seven receptions for 157 yards and a pair of scores.
Andre Cisco had his second interception in as many games while leading the team with nine tackles and Curtis Harper notched his second sack of the season.
SU will open the home portion of their schedule Saturday night when #1 Clemson visits the Dome. The Tigers (2-0) handled #12 Texas A&M on Saturday, running off 24 straight points before giving up a late touchdown in a 24-10 win.
The contest between the Orange and the Tigers will get underway at 7:30pm Eastern and the game will be televised by ABC.
For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.
