The Virginia Cavaliers fell to the Maryland Terrapins 27-13 on Saturday night in what was an incredibly disappointing home loss inside Scott Stadium.

The ‘Hoos, who are still seeking their first 3-0 start to a season since 2019, started strong against the Terps but limped across the finish line, surrendering 20 unanswered points after taking a 13-7 lead late in the first half.

After a disheartening evening, here are five takeaways from Virginia’s performance against the Terps.

UVA let one slip away

Despite what ended up being a lopsided final margin, it felt like the ‘Hoos were the better team for large stretches of the game against the Terps. However, you’re not going to win many football games when you lose the turnover battle 4-0 as Virginia did on Saturday night, and the ‘Hoos didn’t help themselves early in the game even when things were going their way.

The inability to punch in some early opportunities was at the crux of the problem. The ‘Hoos racked up 288 total yards in the first half, completely shredding the Maryland defense between the 20-yard lines, but until a frantic, last-minute touchdown drive to end the half, they came away with just a pair of field goals to show for it.

On Virginia’s first red zone trip late in the first quarter, offensive coordinator Des Kitchings dialed up a pair of runs on first and second down from the nine and eight-yard lines, respectively, before Anthony Colandrea coughed up a backbreaking fumble on third down.

Then, in a philosophical one-eighty on their second red-zone trip later in the opening quarter, the ‘Hoos opted to pass on back-to-back plays from the two-yard line before settling for a 19-yard field goal on fourth-and-two.

A third lengthy drive would also stall out in the red zone later in the first half, preventing Virginia from gaining any separation on the scoreboard despite outplaying the Terps in the first 30 minutes. Those early missed opportunities would go on to haunt the ‘Hoos as they struggled mightily to sustain drives after halftime.

Third quarters are quickly becoming a problem

For the second-straight week, Virginia came out of the locker room completely flat after halftime. The ‘Hoos generated just 23 total yards of offense in the third quarter against the Terps, picked up just one first down, and allowed Maryland to flip the score with ten unanswered points in the period.

In Winston-Salem last weekend, the ‘Hoos were able to overcome their sluggish third quarter with a frantic comeback in the final 15 minutes, but there was no such luck to be had in Charlottesville this week as the disappointing third quarter bled into the fourth.

Overall, Virginia was outscored 20-0 and out-gained 250-82 in the second half. The ‘Hoos also managed to pick up just five total first downs after halftime while their worn-down defense stopped generating the same big stops as it got in the first half.

The Anthony Colandrea rollercoaster ride continues

The AC10 rollercoaster continued against the Terps on Saturday as the sophomore gunslinger coupled a handful of mind-boggling decisions with some truly electrifying quarterback play.

In the mind-boggling category, Colandrea had a rough stretch midway through the opening quarter with a crippling red-zone fumble that prevented the ‘Hoos from taking an early lead before coupling a Madden-like scramble toward his own end zone with an interception into double coverage on UVA’s next possession.

But in stark contrast to last season’s matchup with the Terrapins — when Colandrea let his mistakes compound into a trio of interceptions over the span of five pass attempts — AC10 quickly shook off his mistakes. Colandrea marched the ‘Hoos right down the field on Virginia’s next two possessions, spreading the rock around to set up a pair of Will Bettridge field goals.

Then, after Maryland briefly took a 7-6 lead late in the second quarter on a 19-yard strike to Tai Felton, Colandrea capped off an incredible 5-play, 49-second, 71-yard drive with a vintage touchdown scramble to evade pressure and put UVA back on top before halftime.

However, Colandrea and the ‘Hoos offense couldn’t get anything going after halftime. The sophomore quarterback tossed his second pick of the game on a questionable decision early in the third quarter and misfired on several throws throughout the second half as the offense stalled to a halt.

Highs and lows are to be expected of a young quarterback, but the better decision-making we’d seen in the early going this season wasn’t quite there against the Terps.

The ‘Hoos made a point of getting Chris Tyree involved

The Notre Dame transfer wide receiver was held without a catch in UVA’s season-opener against Richmond and tallied four receptions for just 11 yards in last week’s win over Wake Forest. It was a surprising start to the season for Tyree who was hailed as one of the biggest transfer portal additions of the offseason for Tony Elliott after a successful four-year career in South Bend.

But Elliott maintained that there was no reason to worry about Tyree’s slow start, and he clearly made it a point of emphasis to get the shifty, graduate wideout involved against the Terrapins.

Tyree got the first touch of the night on a quick curl route over the middle on the Cavaliers’ opening offensive play and was utilized on two screen passes plus an end around in the first quarter.

Although Tyree finished the game with just 5 catches for 33 yards, he also had a 65-yard touchdown called back due to a holding penalty and his six touches led all UVA receivers in a game where there weren’t many catches to be had after halftime.

The Virginia offense will be a lot better if Tyree is a consistent part of it, and we got a glimpse on Saturday of what will hopefully become some explosive plays throughout the rest of the season.

The Scott Stadium atmosphere mirrored the ‘Hoos performance

Tony Elliott called on Wahoo nation earlier this week to show up and be loud on Saturday night, and for the most part, Scott Stadium delivered. While there were still a lot of empty seats in the upper deck, the hill and student section were jam-packed (and maintained a healthy crowd into the second half) and the ‘Hoos fans in attendance were fired up.

The energy was clearly contagious as the ‘Hoos defense was juiced from the get-go. Antonio Clary delivered a massive hit to break up a pass over the middle on the Terps’ opening possession before James Jackson and Jonas Sanker traded hard tackles to force a three-and-out on Maryland’s second touch.

The crowd also helped force a pair of early Terrapin false starts, aiding the defense’s complete lockdown of Billy Edwards and the Maryland offense in the first quarter — the ‘Hoos held the Terps to just 47 yards in a scoreless opening 15 minutes of action.

Unfortunately, the electricity in the stadium quickly subsided as the ‘Hoos fell flat in the second half, and the bleachers were nearly empty with several minutes remaining on the game clock late in the contest.

The fanbase proved they’re ready to provide a great atmosphere in Scott Stadium, but the on-field performance is going to have to hold up its end of the bargain as well.