DJ Durkin's first game as Maryland's new head football coach was an intimate affair, the sparser-than-announced crowd of 35,474 befitting a game between the new-look Terps and Howard that featured a 50-point betting line in Vegas.
Everyone knew this was going to be something of a walk-over for the Terps and their new coach. The Bison lost to their only two FBS opponents (Boston College and Appalachian State) last year by 125 points combined and there was no reason to expect anything but a lopsided win in Durkin's debut.
Not that Saturday's 52-13 victory was part of some grand plan to get this new era of Maryland football off to an impressive start.