Maryland throttles Texas 51-41 in Tom Herman's first game

By the end of the first half in Austin, the fans were booing the Texas Longhorns. Near the end of the fourth quarter, fans were throwing trash on the field.

It’s safe to say Tom Herman’s first game at Texas wasn’t too enjoyable for the Longhorns’ new coach or the fans in attendance.

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A barrage of miscues on offense, defense and special teams plagued UT’s opening 51-41 loss to Maryland in a game that featured three special teams touchdowns and an interception returned for a score.

The Terps — nearly three-touchdown underdogs coming into Saturday — gave up a pick-six on their first drive before rattling off 27 straight points. That run was highlighted by a blocked Texas field goal attempt returned for a touchdown.

Not to be outdone, the Longhorns returned the favor to pick up their second TD of the day late in the second quarter.

That might’ve been the best moment for Herman’s squad, which spent the rest of the afternoon trying desperately to knock Maryland’s confidence with some risky, if not downright questionable, play-calling.

The Longhorns went 0-for-4 on fourth down, averaged 3.2 yards per rush and lost the turnover battle 2-1, all while letting Maryland rack up nearly 500 yards on offense.

Maryland’s first touchdown in Saturday’s game was the first points it had scored against Texas. Ever. The Longhorns had outscored the Terrapins 102-0 in their previous meetings.

Answering for his defense will be Herman’s most pressing issue after this one. Before Maryland’s Tyrrell Pigrome exited with an injury in the second half, the sophomore quarterback picked apart the Longhorns in going 9-for-12 with 175 yards and two touchdowns passing, along with 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

That’s a pretty worrisome performance against a Terps team picked to finish in the bottom of the Big Ten East.

Texas’ losing streak now stands at four games going back to last season — its longest since 1997. Whatever hype the Longhorns had going into the season has certainly been quieted down.

More college football coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Refs take away Missouri TD for excessive celebration
• Picture this: Clemson band trolls Ohio State
• Michigan State WR hauls in incredible one-handed TD catch
• Wyoming punter’s epic blooper costs team dearly

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee