Saturday night brought another matchup with a marquee opponent and another disappointing showing from the Terrapins football team.

The Terps’ faulty offense squandered several opportunities to pump energy into an announced 51,802 at Byrd Stadium, and No. 12 Michigan State strolled to a 37-15 win under lights. The Spartans gained 482 total yards in the contest while the Terps could muster just 252 in their first home night game since 2011.

Let’s break it down in the four takeaways.

STRUGGLING OFFENSE

It wasn’t hard to predict that the Terps offense would have trouble against the Michigan State defense, but that didn’t make the unit any easier to watch.

Quarterback C.J.Brown almost threw an interception on his pass of the game. On his second, he did throw one. Brown went on to finish another poor game 20 of 43 passing for 246 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

The running game, though, was even worse than the passing attack. The Terps finished with six rushing yards on 17 carries.

Wes Brown got the start at running back in effort to spark a unit that couldn’t get much going in a 52-7 loss to Wisconsin on Oct. 25 or a 20-19 win over Penn State the next week. But Brown had five yards on nine carries and was never much of a factor. His longest run went for three yards.

“They beat us up front,” coach Randy Edsall said. “We knew it was going to be tough to run against them. That’s the one thing that they predicate their defense on is to put a lot of guys in the box and to do that. But we didn’t do a good enough job of getting them off the ball.”

All game, the Terps defense made plays to keep the team within striking distance. And all game, the offense squandered opportunities to make a run at a comeback.

STOUT DEFENSE

Michigan State entered Saturday averaging better 44 points per game, which ranked sixth in the country. So when the Terps held the Spartans to 16 first-half points, it was a major accomplishment, especially considering Edsall’s team had two costly turnovers in the frame.

While Brown and the offense slogged through an ineffective first half, the Terps defense kept the game close. After Brown threw a pick on his second throw of the game to give the Spartans possession at the Terps 28, the defense held Michigan State to a field goal.

And after Will Likely muffed a punt and the Spartans recovered it at the Terps 38, the defense held firm once again. It forced Michigan State to attempt a 47-yard field goal, which kicker Michael Geiger missed short.

The Spartans scored three touchdowns in the second half, but one came on a pick-six and the other two came when the game was, in essence, out of reach.

For the second straight game, the Terps defense was stifling and covered up for a dreadful offense. And yes, the Terps need to move the ball if they want to beat Michigan or Rutgers in their final two games, but it’s clear the defense will give them a chance to win.

COLE FARRAND

At the heart of the Terps promising defensive effort was inside linebacker Cole Farrand, who, when healthy, has impressed all season. Farrand finished the night with 18 total tackles, and he was excellent in pass defense, breaking up two passes.

Cornerback Will Likely and kicker Brad Craddock have generated a bit of buzz as All-American caliber players this year, but Farrand’s accomplishments have come rather quietly. If the senior continues to play the way he did Saturday, perhaps he’ll get a shot at the NFL — and continue to keep the Terps afloat while a seemingly hopeless offense sustains its struggle.

WHAT IT MEANS

The loss to Michigan State didn’t come as a shock, so there was no reason for Terps fans to feel outraged as they filed out of Byrd Stadium on a chilly Saturday night.

The Terps aren’t nearly as good as the Spartans, and while playing without suspended star receiver Stefon Diggs, Edsall’s team failed to generate much offense. It all adds up. Yes, Edsall’s still winless against ranked teams as Terps coach, and that’s discouraging, but it would have taken a remarkable performance and a ton of luck to knock off Michigan State.

The final two games of the Terps’ regular season will likely tell more about the program’s progress. Next week’s bout at Michigan and the home finale against Rutgers are both winnable games, but neither opponents are pushovers.

Though the Terps are already bowl eligibility, those last two contests hold hefty significance, so they’ll need to quickly move past this loss to the Spartans. A 6-6 record, after all, sounds a lot different than 8-4.