#5 IOWA 51, MARYLAND 14 - Freaky Friday Beatdown

The first quarter ended with the #5 Iowa Hawkeyes trailing the Maryland Terrapins 3-7, but in position to score. When Spencer Petras snuck it into the end zone on the first play of the second quarter, we did not realize that was the beginning of a good ol’ fashioned floor mopping. Iowa’s defense and special teams flipped this Friday night game on its head and the offense converted those quick change situations into points. When it was all said and done the Hawkeyes won 51 - 14, including scoring 41 consecutive points.

Riley Moss, Jack Koerner, Dane Belton, and Terry Roberts all picked off Tagovailoa in that first half and then Kaevon Merriweather got in on the fun in the second half. Not to be left out backup quarterback Reece Udinski, threw one to Quinn Schulte in the fourth quarter.

Following that quarterback sneak, 30 of the next 36 offensive plays in the second quarter were run by Iowa. Iowa’s defense intercepted Tulia Tagovailoa four times in the first half and recovered a fumble on a kick return. With the ball, Iowa was able to get their run game going with Tyler Goodson and Ivory Kelly-Martin while mixing in an efficient pass game.

To make matters worse for the Terrapins, Iowa got the ball to start the 2nd half and Spencer Petras connected with Goodson for a 67 yard touchdown pass. Iowa’s offense played a stress free game and did everything they wanted. When something didn’t go well, Maryland’s undisciplined play and penalties aided Iowa’s effort. It was a landslide victory for the Hawkeyes.

For the game, Spencer Petras completed 70% of his passes for 3 touchdowns and 259 yards. Iowa successfully attacked Maryland’s defense at all levels. Goodson led Iowa in both rushing and receiving, recording 66 and 85 yards respectfully.

At the end of the night Iowa was able to play most of the roster and now preps for the showdown of the season when they host Penn State on October 9.