No. 23 Texas shows in 51-41 loss to Maryland that work remains in turnaround effort

By Steve Habel/Senior Editor

AUSTIN, Texas — It was not supposed to be this difficult for the Texas football team but the No. 23 Longhorns and their fans found out Saturday in a 51-41 loss to Maryland at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium that there still plenty of work to be done before there is a real turnaround on the 40 Acres.

In a game of momentum swings created by big plays by both teams, the difference for Maryland came down to the two things the Terrapins could control: keeping their poise and running the football. Meanwhile, Texas couldn’t get out of its own way … even when it was getting breaks by the handful.

Any thought of a resurgence at Texas was [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]dispelled by the Longhorns’ uneven performance Saturday against a Maryland team that was picked to finish fifth in the Big 10’s Eastern Division. But new Texas head coach Tom Herman said there was no sign of doubt or here-we-go-again from his team after the loss.

The wild game featured three special teams touchdowns — two by the Longhorns — and another Texas score on an interception return. Still, the Longhorns opened the Herman coaching era in Austin with a thud.

“We’ve got to do better,” Herman said. “We are our own worst enemy right now. We responded in the right mental and attitudinal way but the execution and the self-inflicted wounds are things that are difficult to recover from, if not impossible.”

Texas quarterback Shane Buechele passed for 375 yards and two touchdowns and ran three yards for another score in a losing cause. Buechele connected with 10 different receivers in the game, but was sacked five times as the Longhorns struggled to run the ball despite returning four starters on the offensive line.

“We moved the ball well but we made crucial mistakes and penalties that cost us the chance to grab the momentum of the game,” Buechele said. “We have to learn what we did wrong and move on. We have a good mindset — we are cocky but not arrogant — and we will keep that attitude going forward.”

Maryland had been outscored, 102-0, in three previous meetings with Texas but made up for that in spades Saturday.

The Terrapins offset the unexpected with a steady game from quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome, who passed for 175 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 64 yards and another score for Maryland (1-0) before suffering a knee injury late in the third quarter.

With Pigrome out of the game in the fourth quarter, true freshman backup Kasim Hill led a scoring drive that gave the Terrapins a 44-34 lead. Hill converted a third-and-19 pass before running three yards for the crucial touchdown.

“There was a lot of back and forth,” Maryland coach D.J. Durkin said. “Every time is got close, out guys responded really, really well. That’s what it takes. To be a team that’s going to compete for championships, you’ve got to be able to do that on the road.”

Ty Johnson added 132 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries for the Terrapins, who outgained Texas 482-473 despite running just 58 plays to 84 for the Longhorns. Maryland enjoyed a 263-98 advantage in rushing yards.

Maryland put the game out of reach via a 12-yard touchdown run by Jake Funk with 2:08 remaining and snapped a 17-game losing streak to ranked opponents.

Pigrome ran 25 yards for Maryland’s first touchdown, hit D.J. Moore for a 20-yard score and found Tavion Jacobs on a 46-yard touchdown pass in the first half. The Terrapins also got a 71-yard blocked field goal return by Antoine Brooks for a score while building a 27-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

The Longhorns had no defense or special teams touchdowns in 2016. It took just 1:20 of the game to score their first defensive touchdown this season. UT’s two touchdowns in the first half came from its defense, special teams and, specifically, defensive back Holton Hill.

Hill was in the right place at the right time twice on Maryland’s mistakes, intercepting a tipped pass on the Terrapins’ first drive and scooting untouched for a 31-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, Texas defensive tackle Poona Ford blocked a field goal attempt by Maryland’s Adam Greene and the ball bounced right into Hill’s’ hand before he set sail for a 65-yard touchdown return that kept the Longhorns in the game.

Greene converted a 26-yard field goal late in the half to push the Terrapins to a 30-14 advantage at halftime.

Maryland outgained Texas, 271-171, in the first half and owned a whopping 167-28 advantage in rushing yards. The Longhorns had five penalties in the first two quarters — three of which directly stopped drives — and Buechele was sacked three times.

Texas crawled back to within 30-27 in the third quarter on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Buechele to Armanti Foreman and a 91-yard punt return touchdown by Reggie Hemphill-Mapps. But the Terrapins answered on a 40-yard touchdown run by Johnson to stall the Texas comeback.

Buechele cut the Maryland lead to 37-34 with his 3-yard touchdown keeper near the end of the third quarter, setting the table for a furious fourth quarter.

Texas returns to the field with a lot of questions to answer next Saturday versus San Jose State. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

[/s2If] [s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] [article-offer] [/s2If]