SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Terrapins football team bounded off the Carrier Dome turf with a convincing 34-20 victory over Syracuse on Saturday but without the type of complete performance coach Randy Edsall has yearned for all season.

The Terps offense was explosive early but stagnant late. The defense stiffened when it needed to but allowed the Orange to rack up 370 yards on the ground. And the Terps finished with their second road triumph of the year but gave up 200 more yards than they gained.

So here are some of the key takeaways from the game in which an average Terps performance produced an ideal result.

EDSALL BALL?

When Virginia Tech coach Frank Beam had the Hokies sticking in national title contention from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s, the term “Beamer Ball” became popular. Virginia Tech wouldn’t dominate opponents, but Beamer’s teams seemed to have a knack for making big plays on special teams or defense to escape with victories.

This year’s Terps have that sort of feel to them. Remember the 24-17 over South Florida in week two? The Terps needed a blocked punt to win that one. And in last weekend’s 40-37 loss to West Virginia, a couple of blocked kicks and cornerback Will Likely’s punt return touchdown kept the Terps in the game.

The trend of significant plays from the special teams and defense continued Saturday. With the Terps leading 17-13 in the second quarter, safety Anthony Nixon’s blocked punt gave the Terps tremendous field position for a drive that ended with wideout Jacquille Veii scampering for a 4-yard touchdown.

Saturday marked the third straight game the Terps have blocked a punt or field goal.

Then with Syracuse driving minutes later, Likely intercepted a pass at his own 12-yard line and sprinted 88 yards for a touchdown. All of a sudden the Terps were up 31-13, and they didn’t even need a big offensive play to break the game open.

If this pattern holds, the Terps have a chance to win steal some Big Ten wins against better teams.

BENDING WITHOUT BREAKING

It’s a bit baffling that Syracuse had as much success as it did on the ground and only put up 20 points.

Much of that wacky outcome is credited to the Orange’s miscues. Syracuse missed a short field goal, committed several penalties while driving deep in Terps’ territory and threw an interception in the red zone.

But some credit goes to the Terps’ banged-up defense. Syracuse scored only two touchdowns in five red zone opportunities, and the unit routinely stopped Orange drives when it looked like they were headed into the end zone.

“At this time I can’t really tell you” why Syracuse had success on the ground, defensive end Andre Monroe said. “But I know I’m proud of our team. We just keep fighting, which is our whole philosophy. If things don’t go right, don’t shut down. You keep going, keep moving forward.”

The Terps defensive struggles between the 20s on Saturday was discouraging, even with starters Matt Robinson and Quinton Jefferson sidelined. The team often escaped drives unscathed, though, and that’s more of a significant point than a total fluke.

STARTING FAST, SLOWING DOWN

Did you recognize quarterback C.J. Brown on the Terps’ first drive? It might have been difficult.

After struggling with his accuracy through the first three games of the season, Brown went 3 of 3 to start Saturday’s game, and his third pass was a beautiful throw to Marcus Leak for a 25-yard touchdown.

Brown’s fourth throw was a screen to Brandon Ross that went 90 yards for another score. Boom. The Terps were up 14-3 and the announced 40,511 at the Carrier Dome hadn’t even gotten comfortable yet.

After that, however, Brown and the Terps offense struggled. The team’s first five drives of the second half ended in punts, and their only points in the final two quarters came after a fumble recovery put them in field-goal range. That scoring drive officially went -3 yards on three plays and ended with Brad Craddock’s 43-yard field goal.

“I don’t want to say [we got] conservative or backed off, we just couldn’t execute as well as we wanted to in the second half,” Veii said. 

LIKELY SHINES, AGAIN

Likely was mentioned in the four takeaways last week after he forced a fumble, intercepted a pass and returned a punt for a touchdown.

This week, the soft-spoken sophomore led the team with nine total tackles — each of which was a solo stop — and had a tackle for a six-yard loss. Not to mention, he also made the game’s most crucial play when he intercepted that pass from Syracuse’s Terrel Hunt inside the red zone and returned for his second touchdown in as many weeks.

“I was shocked man,” Likely said of his sightline after the interception. “I just seen green grass.”

At this point, it’s safe to say Likely’s not just the Terps best playmaker. He’s also one of college football’s most electrifying stars, and the kind of guy who will be remembered for a long, long time in College Park.