Taulia Tagovailoa leads Maryland to overtime win over Minnesota

Jacob Hancock

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Taulia Tagovailoa leads Maryland to overtime win over Minnesota image

Taulia Tagovailoa had a career night Friday as he led Maryland to a 45-44 overtime win over Minnesota.

In his second career start after transferring from Alabama, Tagovailoa completed 26 of 35 passes for 394 yards and three TDs. He also ran for 59 yards and a pair of TDs, including the go-ahead score on the opening possession of OT.

Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, looked good from the start, leading the Terrapins (1-1, 1-1 Big Ten) to a touchdown on the opening drive, an 8-yard toss to Jake Funk.

Throughout the night, Tagovailoa showed an ability to scramble that was reminiscent of — and perhaps even more impressive than — his older brother at Alabama. The best example came in the first quarter as he rolled to his left and dashed down the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown to give the Terrapins an early 14-0 lead.

He also used the threat of his legs to exploit the defense with his arm, perfectly executing this RPO to hit the slant for a 76-yard TD.

MORE: Dolphins' decision to start Tagovailoa over Fitzpatrick is right, but timing is wrong

Still, as well as Tagovailoa played, Maryland went down 38-21 with 2:03 left in the third quarter, largely in part to the play of Golden Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who carried the ball 41 times for 207 yards and four TDs. All four of those scores came in the first half, making him the first Big Ten player to rush for four touchdowns in a half since Melvin Gordon did it for Wisconsin in 2014.

In spite of Ibrahim's efforts, the Terrapins rallied to score 17 points over the final 17 minutes of regulation, eventually tying the game on a 19-yard rushing TD by Funk.

Minnesota (0-2, 0-2 Big Ten) had a chance to tie in overtime after a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Seth Green, but a missed PAT kick by Brock Walker ended the game.

Jacob Hancock