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Maryland football: 3 takeaways from overtime win vs. Minnesota

By Riley Platt

COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 30: Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins runs for a touchdown in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium on October 30, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 30: Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins runs for a touchdown in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium on October 30, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /
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Jan 1, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach PJ Fleck (yellow tie) walks on the field after defeating the Auburn Tigers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach PJ Fleck (yellow tie) walks on the field after defeating the Auburn Tigers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Could 2019 have been a fluke for PJ Fleck and the Gophers?

The 2019 season was the most success Minnesota football had seen in a long time. The 11 win season ended in a Outback Bowl win over Auburn as confidence in head coach P.J. Fleck was at an all-time high. With high expectations comes lots of pressure, something the Gophers didn’t live up to in their season opener against Michigan. Early on, it looked like this might be happening yet again.

The beginning of this game looked anything but promising for Minnesota. To the surprise of many, the Maryland offense got the wheels turning early. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa looked like a completely different player this week, catching the Gophers defense off-guard. The Terps balanced a mix of short, productive passes and explosive runs with Tagovailoa to take a 14-0 lead.

An interception from lineman DeAngelo Carter turned the tide, giving the Gophers a desperately needed spark of energy. From this point on in the first half, it turned into the Mohamed Ibrahim show.

Minnesota found themselves with a 38-21 lead entering the fourth quarter; smooth sailing, right? This couldn’t be further from the truth, as it was the Gophers’ turn to collapse and blow the lead they had built. Their offense, which had been so efficient, quickly became inept. At one point late in the fourth, they had one single yard of offense during that quarter.

As the game shifted to overtime, things became really tense. Maryland was able to score, and so was Minnesota. Here’s the kicker, quite literally. A missed extra-point attempt cost the Gophers the game, falling to 0-2 on the year. One may begin to wonder whether P.J. Fleck has actually turned the Gophers into contenders in the Big Ten, or if last year was a one-hit wonder: only time will tell.

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