Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns as Maryland handily routed Virginia Tech 54-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Tagovailoa completed 20 of 24 passes for a season-best 83.3 completion percentage. Tagovailoa also rushed four times for 42 yards, as the Terrapins (7-6) won their first bowl game since 2010.
For Virginia Tech (6-7), the loss brought an end to J.C. Price’s short tenure as interim head coach. Former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry is set to take the reins after the Hokies dismissed Justin Fuente last month.
The Terrapins outgained Virginia Tech 481 to 259. Daryl Jones caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns for Maryland.
The Terps began the scoring with a bang in the first quarter, as Tarheeb Still ran a punt back 92 yards for the game’s first touchdown. It was the first career touchdown for the sophomore defensive back.
Virginia Tech punted five more times in the contest, but avoided kicking to Still, as he returned just one more punt for 2 yards.
Virginia Tech got on the board near the start of the second quarter with a 36-yard field goal from John Parker Romo, but Maryland struck back quickly on its next possession, as Tagovailoa found Jones for a 70-yard touchdown strike with 9:13 left in the half.
Maryland’s Antwaine Littleton and Virginia Tech’s Connor Blumrick then exchanged short rushing touchdowns, and the Terps went ahead 24-10 at halftime on a 44-yard field goal from Joseph Petrino.
Virginia Tech never scored again as Maryland pulled away with 30 second-half points.
Blumrick finished with 110 yards passing and 11 yards rushing.
Maryland piled up 207 rushing yards on 28 carries. In addition to Littleton, Colby McDonald and Roman Hemby also scored rushing touchdowns.
The Terps’ defense was led by Ruben Hyppolite II, who racked up 12 tackles. Nick Cross and Demeioun Robinson each tallied sacks on the Hokies’ Blumrick and Tahj Bullock.
–Field Level Media
