Arheeb Taulia Tagovailoa delivered touchdown passes of 70 and 32 yards to Darryl Jones, and Still returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown. The quick strikes ignited Maryland’s 54-10 victory over Virginia Tech in the Pinstripe Bowl on Wednesday.
Tagovailoa, an Alabama transfer and the younger brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, was the player of the game. With two touchdown passes, his season total of 265 yards passed was tied with Maryland’s single-season record of 26.
The MVP of the contest, Tagovailoa, assisted the Terrapins (7-6) in defeating the Hokies at Yankee Stadium and on national television.
J.C. Price was Virginia Tech’s interim coach until Brent Pry was hired last month. During the game, Pry promoted the 2022 season on ESPN. “We are going to play a great brand of defence,” Pry said. Tagovailoa and Jones connected on the deep play and a 14-3 lead a few seconds later. Pry received a friendly social media backlash, and Maryland even tweeted the video along with an emoji of a grimacing face.
When Tagovailoa hit Jones again in the third quarter, the Terps led 34-10 and won their first bowl game since 2010. Pry must have grimaced.
Over his first forty games, Jones, a senior wide receiver, has not caught a touchdown pass. Against the Hokies (6-7), he finished with 111 receiving yards after having two.
With 59 seconds remaining in the first half, Joseph Petrino responded to the Hokies’ lone touchdown with a 44-yard field goal, giving Maryland a 24-10 lead. Antwain Littleton II added a 4-yard rushing touchdown as well. Third-quarter touchdown came via a 2-yard run by Roman Hemby.
On another chilly Pinstripe Bowl game day, the Hokies’ famous song, “Enter Sandman,” which usually plays near the end of games at Yankee Stadium, boomed out before the game and had players and fans jumping.
Nevertheless, moments later, silenced them with the longest punt return in Maryland history—a scorching sprint that completely destroyed Virginia Tech’s sideline.
