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Maryland overcomes penalties to beat Bowling Green 45-14
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Thanks to some untimely penalties, Maryland found itself down 14-10 at halftime to Mid-American Conference team Bowling Green. Then the Terps' running game took over.
Maryland ripped off 35 unanswered points in the second half to cruise to the 45-14 win over the Falcons on Saturday.
Tayon Fleet-Davis rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and Ty Johnson had 124 yards and another score.
Maryland overcame 14 penalties for 139 yards that allowed the Falcons to stay in the game in the first half.
The Terps piled up 565 yards in total offense but didn't take the lead until late in the third quarter. Maryland (2-0) held Bowling Green to 158 total yards, including just 15 rushing, and sacked quarterback Jarret Doege five times.
"They physically kicked our tails on both sides of the ball, up front offensively and defensively," Bowling Green coach Mike Jinks said.
The Terps, who upset Texas last week, took a 17-14 lead on a third-and-22 play when Jahrvis Davenport caught Kasim Hill's pass, broke several tackles and worked his way down the right sideline for the 22-yard touchdown.
They put the game away with four rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
"We had great determination to finish the game." Maryland coach Matt Canada said. "We were down 14-10 at the half for a multitude of reasons. We were shooting ourselves in the foot with the penalties. We came back and ran the football well."
THE TAKEAWAY
Maryland: The Terps started slow but poured it on in the second half on the backs of Fleet-Davis and Johnson.
Bowling Green: The Falcons (0-1), helped by Maryland penalties, managed to stay in the game until the third quarter but were overwhelmed when the Terps turned up the offensive heat.
"We knew what was coming and we just couldn't stop it," Bowling Green safety Jerry McBride III said. "That's where somebody has to make a play. Somebody has to come in, make a difference and boost our morale, get that stop and get us off the field."
BRIGHT SIDE FOR BG
Despite the five sacks, Doege was 17 for 27 passing for 143 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Scott Miller caught a 3-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. With Doege scrambling, Quinn Morris got open over the middle and he caught a 29-yard touchdown pass.
"I saw some things that will go a long way for us as we move on in the season," Jinks said. "If you don't turn the ball over, and you don't get a lot of silly penalties you can give yourself an opportunity to be in a ball game late in the third quarter versus a quality football team."
WORK STILL NEEDED
Despite scoring 45 points and putting up 565 total yards, Canada said his team has a lot of work to do to be competitive in the Big Ten East.
"I have to do a better job of coaching the offense," Canada said. "Our players did a great job of sticking together and coming back."
QUOTABLE
"They were physical. I felt like in the first half we were really physical with them. We were changing the line of scrimmage, making plays. All credit to Maryland, they were physical with us in that third quarter and we didn't respond well. We just needed to get a stop and we weren't able to get one." — McBride
UP NEXT
Maryland: Hosts Temple next Saturday before starting its nine game Big Ten schedule.
Bowling Green: After losing their first games to Power Five opponents, the Falcons host an FCS team, Eastern Kentucky.
