CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Maryland secured its first eight-win season since 2010 with a 16-12 win over No. 23 NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday at Bank of America Stadium.
It’s the second straight bowl victory for the Terps, who also ended a streak of 15 straight losses to opponents ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25. Maryland last won back-to-back bowl games in 2002 and 2003.
Clinging to a 13-9 lead in the fourth quarter, the Terps nearly watched a strong defensive performance go to waste. With 11:13 left, redshirt senior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa’s pass was intercepted by Wolfpack safety Rakeim Ashford at Maryland’s 35-yard line. However, the Terps’ defense forced NC State to settle for a field goal to cut the deficit to 13-12.
Needing some breathing room facing third-and-3 at Maryland’s own 32, Tagovailoa threw a 30-yard pass to redshirt sophomore tight end Corey Dyches (four catches for 45 yards) to keep the chains moving. Six plays later, kicker Chad Ryland hit his third field goal of the game, a 45-yarder that gave the Terps a 16-12 advantage with 5:36 remaining.
With less than three minutes left, NC State had one last chance to pull off a comeback win, but quarterback Ben Finley’s first pass deep down the right sideline was intercepted by senior cornerback Jakorian Bennett. A 6-yard run by Antwain Littleton II on third down with 42 seconds left sealed the win as Maryland kneeled to run out the clock and kick off the celebration, including a traditional “mayo bath” for winning coach Mike Locksley.
After backup quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. started the opening drive, Tagovailoa stepped in and completed 19 of 37 passes for 221 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. In what could be his final game as a Terp, Tagovailoa surpassed 3,000 passing yards for the second straight season while setting Maryland’s all-time record for completions.
The first half was defined by missed opportunities and strong defense, as the Terps went into halftime leading 10-9. Maryland scored the game’s only touchdown in the second quarter on a 19-yard pass from Tagovailoa to freshman Octavian Smith Jr. in the corner of the end zone, which gave the Terps a 10-3 lead with 8:07 to go. The Wolfpack settled for three field goals from Lou Groza Award winner Christopher Dunn as they went 3 for 10 on third down in the first half.
Maryland could’ve had a larger lead, but it wasted a pair of scoring chances in the first half. On the opening drive, Edwards threw a short pass to senior wide receiver Jeshaun Jones, who broke loose for a 45-yard gain to the Wolfpack 24. Redshirt freshman running back Roman Hemby (24 carries for 65 yards) picked up 9 yards on third-and-3 to set up first-and-goal from the 8 but was stopped short of the goal line on three straight runs before Edwards was sacked by NC State’s Drake Thomas on fourth down.
Moments later, Finley’s pass was tipped and intercepted by linebacker Fa’Najae Gotay at NC State’s 18, setting up another golden opportunity. But Tagovailoa tried for force a throw to the back of the end zone that was picked off by Wolfpack safety Cyrus Fagan.
NC State took advantage of Tagovailoa’s seventh interception of the season, as Finley led a seven-play, 59-yard scoring drive that ended with a 38-yard field goal by Dunn to take a 3-0 lead with 6:10 left in the quarter.
