Maryland Dominates Virginia Tech to Win 2021 Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten dominance continued in the Pinstripe Bowl as the University of Maryland took down Virginia Tech University 47-10, leading to the sixth Big Ten Pinstripe Bowl win since 2014.
The Hokies started off with the ball and were forced to punt after a quick three-and-out. Sophomore defensive back Tahreeb Still saw an opportunity to strike, and capitalized by returning the punt 91-yards for a Maryland touchdown, giving the Terrapins a 7–0 lead before redshirt sophomore quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa even touched the pigskin.
The teams traded punts for the remainder of the first quarter. The second quarter opened with a Terrapin punt, before Virginia Tech broke the trend by utilizing a successful fake punt followed by a deep bomb from junior Connor Blumrick that put the Hokies within striking distance. This would end up resulting in a 36-yard field goal by John Parker Romo and made the score 7–3.
With momentum shifting towards the Hokies, Tagovailoa was looking for an opportunity to snatch it back. He achieved this by tossing a deep ball to senior wide receiver Darryl Jones for a 70-yard touchdown. This put the Terrapins ahead 14–3 with around nine minutes remaining in the half.
Another quick punt from the Hokies led to another strike by the Terrapins. A five-play, 60-yard drive was capped off by a three-yard run from freshman running back Antwain Littleton II to give Maryland a 21–3 lead.
Needing a response, Virginia Tech delivered. A solid drive ended with a rushing touchdown by Blumrick and cut the deficit to 21–10 with about a minute remaining in the half. With little time, the Terrapins continued the quick strike mentality from earlier and were able to end the half on a 44-yard field goal from senior kicker Joseph Petrino. This gave the game its 24–10 score at halftime.
Maryland opened up the second half with a fierce drive to the red zone that resulted in a field goal, upping the lead to 27-10. Virginia Tech was unable to generate any offense and was forced to punt on the ensuing drive .
Maryland continued its dominance by putting together a solid drive that was capped off by a fourth down conversion that led to a 32-yard touchdown by Jones. This gave the Terrapins a commanding 34–10 lead.
The next three drives resulted in a Hokie punt, a Terrapin touchdown and a sack that resulted in a defensive touchdown for Maryland. This made the score 47-10 in favor of the Terrapins with nearly the entirety of the fourth quarter in the books. The time on the clock went quickly as a result of plenty of runs and a lack of timeouts used, but the Terrapins found a way to find the end zone once again with just 1:12 remaining in the game, making the score 54-10, which would be the extent of the scoring for the day.
Tagovailoa had a terrific day, finishing 20-24 for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Brumrick was also efficient for the Hokies, going 9-15 for 111 yards and one rushing touchdown. The Hokies led time of possession 34:28-25:32, but struggled to contain a Maryland offense that was quick to strike numerous times throughout the contest.
Tagovailoa was named the Capital One Player of the Game for his performance.
Maryland finished the season 7-6 (3-6 Big Ten) while Virginia Tech finished 6-7 (3-5 ACC).
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