CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Taulia Tagovailoa eclipsed 3,000 passing yards for the second straight season, but it was Maryland’s defensive pressure that stunted North Carolina State and helped the Terrapins hang on for a 16-12 victory in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl Friday afternoon.
Tagovailoa finished 19 for 37 passing for 221 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. His 18th completion, a 30-yarder to tight end Corey Dyches, put him over the 3,000 yard plateau again — the fourth such effort in program history.
Dyches, Jeshaun Jones and Tai Felton all had four receptions each in the win, stepping up for the likes of Rakim Jarrett, Dontay Demus and Jacob Copeland, who opted out.
Maryland (8-5) becomes a back-to-back bowl champion for the first time since 2002-03. It’s also the first eight-win season for the team since 2010’s 9-4 effort.
Under a mostly cloudy sky, the game was a departure from the gaudy scores Maryland has been able to put up this season and in past bowl games. But a deliberate, incremental offensive effort coupled with strong defensive line pressure held N.C. State (8-5) in check throughout the game. Game MVP Jakorian Bennett, in his final performance as a Terrapin, sealed the win with an interception on N.C. State’s final drive with 2:28 remaining.
Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren had left it a mystery who his starting quarterback would be. Then, before kickoff, word was that MJ Morris, who practiced all week after dealing with an injury in November, would get the nod . But that, too, was a misdirect, as fellow freshman Ben Finley started and played the entire game. He finished 22 for 48, with 269 yards passing and two interceptions.
Lockley also planned some quarterback misdirection of his own. He sent out reserve Billy Edwards Jr. for Maryland’s first drive, had Tagovailoa lead the second, and used both of them on a later drive. It was Tagovailoa, though, as he has been for the past two seasons, who was the leader for another victory.
On Maryland’s first drive of the second quarter, the offense put together its most complete effort to that point. Tagovailoa worked the fade to perfection, finding Tai Felton down the right hashmarks for 26 yards on third down to put Maryland at the Wolfpack 26.
Running back Roman Hemby was a key part of keeping things in rhythm on the drive, gaining 26 total yards on two rushes and a screen pass reception. But it was another fade on third-and-14 from Tagovailoa that brought the Terrapins to life.
This time, the soft-touch rainbow pass ended up in the left corner of the end zone, brought in with a sensational effort by receiver Octavian Smith Jr., who controlled the ball and remained in-bounds. The 19-yard score gave Maryland their first lead, 10-3.
N.C. State had things rolling on their last drive of the first half, with three straight completions of 12, 27 and 22 yards to reach the Maryland 2-yard line with less than a minute to go. Finley would throw three incompletions, and the Wolfpack settled for their third field goal. That was the closest they would get to the end zone.
Maryland’s defense held the line in the second half, with five of N.C. State’s seven drives ending in punts. Their only points of the half came off Tagovailoa’s second interception, which set them up on Maryland’s side of the 50 and led to a field goal.
