USC (3-4, 1-4 Big Ten) once again battled on the road, once again had a fourth-quarter lead and once again fell, this time to Maryland (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) 29-28 in College Park. Terrapin quarterback Billy Edwards ran in the winning touchdown from three yards out with 53 seconds remaining, and the extra point supplied the decisive point.
USC’s final march came up short when Woody Marks could not hold on to a fourth-down pass after contact with 11 seconds left in the game. The Terrapins won a battle of quarterbacks in which Miller Moss completed 34-of-49 passes for 336 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while Edwards completed 39-of-50 for 373 yards with two passing touchdowns, one interception and the winning rushing score.
We’ve got takeaways from another tough Trojan road loss:
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No phase can finish
USC field goal kicker Michael Lantz had a 41-yard field goal attempt blocked with USC up by six. A successful kick would have put the Trojans up two scores, but the special teams meltdown not only kept points off the board, it set up the Terrapins just past midfield. Maryland took over down 28-22 with 1:41 remaining, and USC’s defense could not hold Maryland out of the end zone. The Terrapins needed just six plays to score the winning points.
USC’s offense got the ball back with 53 seconds, but Marks could not hold onto the final fourth down pass and more suspect clock management from Lincoln Riley meant the Trojan offense also would not be able to finish the game for the Trojans. Three phases, three losses to close out the game. It was the definition of a team loss for the Trojans.
