Junior quarterback Tyler O'Connor looks to pass to junior wide receiver R.J. Shelton, left in the foreground, during the game against Maryland on Nov. 14, 2015 at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Terrapins, 24-7.
MSU defeated Maryland, 24-7, Saturday afternoon in East Lansing. The Spartans advance to 9-1 on the season and the Terrapins drop to 2-8.
Five turnovers proved to be too much for Maryland to overcome, as 17 of the Spartans’ points came from takeaways. The Terrapins inability to score off the Spartans’ three turnovers was also a deciding factor.
Junior backup quarterback Tyler O’Connor saw his first game of sufficient playing-time this season in relief of senior quarterback Connor Cook. Cook was injured with an apparent right-shoulder injury in the first quarter, and although he came back in for a few drives, O’Connor ran the offense for the majority of the game.
O’Connor finished 6-for-11 with 44 yards and one touchdowns and one interception.
The Spartans amassed 262 total yards, with 121 through the air and 141 on the ground. The Terrapins were able to total 289 yards, though they only gathered 107 rushing which was 70 yards below the team’s average.
Senior wide receiver Aaron Burbridge gathered 27 receiving yards, putting him over the 1,000 yard-mark on the season with 1,021.
The first half was a back and forth struggle for both teams to get the offenses moving. The Spartans owned the field possession battle, as they started seven of their 11 drives between the 40-yard-lines. Maryland, on the other end, started seven of its 10 drives at or within its own 20-yard line.
The game changer of the first half came with 2:07 remaining, when junior linebacker Riley Bullough went the distance on a 44-yard interception return, putting MSU up 14-7. Two additional takeaways by the Spartans’ defense kept the half under control, but the Terrapins had two takeaways of their own, as Cook threw an interception in the red zone and freshman running back LJ Scott fumbled the ball away early in the second quarter.
The Spartans did not waste their first possession of the second half, though, as they drove 62 yards on 11 plays in 5:51 to go up 24-7. Sophomore running back Gerald Holmes ran in the score from three yards out with 7:20 remaining in the third quarter.
O’Connor threw his lone interception with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, but Maryland was yet again unable to capitalize off the Spartans’ turnover.
The Spartans defense was stout throughout the second half and Holmes’ third quarter score was the game’s last. Holmes finished with 18 rushes for 83 yards and a touchdown.
MSU will play OSU next Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
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