Offense makes strides as Terps down South Florida

Sep 19, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Caleb Rowe (7) drops back to pass against the South Florida Bulls at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Both the Maryland Terrapins and the South Florida Bulls suffered losses in Week 2, so this week’s matchup was vital for both teams. Things didn’t look hot for the Terps to start the game, but it didn’t take very long for the momentum to shift in favor of the home team.

Maryland’s opening drive ended on a Caleb Rowe interception to USF’s Devin Abraham. Then, on the ensuing drive for USF, Quinton Flowers connected with Rodney Adams for a touchdown. And you could just get the feeling that this week could be just like the last for the Terps.

But the Terps began to get more comfortable on the offensive end. Maryland went on to score three touchdowns in the first half, two of those coming from the arm of Rowe, including a 70-yard strike to Taivon Jacobs.

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Rowe was rather inconsistent on the day. Although he threw four touchdown passes, he also gave three away to the other team on some ill-advised throws. Rowe also fumbled the ball twice, but Maryland recovered both times. Despite the mistakes, he did enough for his team to come away with the victory.

Defensively, the Terps were much more impressive than they were a week ago. They gave up 300 total yards to the Bulls, but this week, they were more vulnerable against the run than the pass. Maryland’s secondary pretty much negated anything USF wanted to do through the air. While the front seven gave up a few plays on the ground, they ultimately did their job, holding star running back Marlon Mack to just 71 yards and keeping him out of the end zone.

This certainly was a bounce back game for a Maryland football team that was embarrassed by Bowling Green last week on both sides of the ball. The offense showed flashes of brilliance and the defense flew around the ball all game long.

Randy Edsall will look to have a great week of practice out of his team, as they travel to Morgantown to take on rival West Virginia.

Next: Terps look to bounce back vs. South Florida

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