Maryland beats Navy 17-14 to start season 1-0

A win is a win is a win but this is not a very comforting one. Sitting in the upper deck of M&T Bank Stadium I had an overwhelming feeling Navy’s triple-option offense would eventually help quarterback Ricky Dobbs or a half-dozen other Midshipmen get into the end zone at the end of the fourth quarter to break a 14-14 stalemate. But with a strong goal-line stand, topped off by defensive back Kenny Tate tackling Dobbs at the 1, Maryland sealed a 17-14 victory.
Going by the raw statistics, Maryland should not have been in the game at all. Navy had 26 first-downs to Maryland’s 11, 412 rushing yards to Maryland’s 261. The Midshipmen gathered 485 yards of offense and the Terps got just 272. But after a two-win season and being an underdog to a service academy, this is a win the Terps needed.
While Maryland’s offense just did enough to win, there were some signs of promise. Davin Megget had a 67-yard run, 105 total, and a touchdown. Da’Rel Scott rushed for just 58 yards but he had a touchdown as well. Even quarterback Jamarr Robinson helped out, with 92 yards rushing.
In a different game, 261 rushing yards would seem to be enough as part of a balanced offensive attack but with just 11 yards passing, Maryland was lucky to get out of Baltimore with the win. Punter Travis Baltz filled in admirably for injured kicker Nick Ferrera, kicking the game-winning field goal with 7:50 to go in the fourth, but along with the passing game, special teams will need to be shored up before conference play begins.
But for now, Maryland is 1-0 and hopefully on its way to a winning season. With games against Morgan State, West Virginia, Florida International, and Duke coming up, Maryland could quite possibly be 4-1 before getting to the meat of its schedule.