As time wound down in Maryland wrestling’s final bout Saturday, Alex Clemsen sat in his chair with a disgruntled look and his arms crossed.

The look was shared by several Maryland players behind Clemsen. The Terps (4-1) lost nine of 10 bouts in an ugly 35-3 loss to No. 16 Pitt in their home opener.

“We stunk today,” Clemsen said.

Maryland continues to struggle at 125, 157 and heavyweight classes

Heading into Saturday’s bout against Pitt (6-2), coach Alex Clemsen challenged his two benchmark classes and the 157-pound class.

[‘Be a dog’: Alex Clemsen seeks more from 3 Maryland wrestling weight classes]

The Terps’ coach wanted the three classes to assert themselves.

But similar problems continued into Saturday. 157-pounder Mekhi Neal and 125-pounder Abram Cline both faced at least a six-point deficit after the opening period.

Cline was able to minimize points scored after his difficult first frame, but Neal was unable to match it. Both sophomores struggled against Pitt’s aggressive play style — Cline forced his opponent to spend time building, while Neal was outscored, 13-4, in the final two periods.

Heavyweight Oscar Williams also struggled. The sophomore went down immediately against No. 16 Dayton Pitzer, who quickly got to Williams’ legs before pinning him before the end of the first period.

Braxton Brown earns first ranked win

In mid-November, Clemsen employed a similar tactic to No. 12 Braxton Brown.While Clemsen said he wasn’t concerned, he said he wanted more from the 133-pounder. Brown responded by winning his next two bouts and adding another against No. 30 Evan Tallmadge on Saturday.

[Maryland wrestling’s freshmen impress at Patriot Open]

Close bouts have been a staple for Brown this season. Four of his six wins have come via decision — and his contest against Tallmadge was no different.

The first period was dominated by hand fighting, with neither wrestler able to gain a favorable position advantage.

The second period was different.

After escaping bottom position to start the second period, Brown quickly notched a take down just seconds later. The redshirt senior then used crafty defense in the rest of the bout, tying up Tallmadge with various hand-fighting techniques.

The result was a 4-1 ranked victory for Brown. But it was the only win Maryland secured all game.

Branson John suffers first loss of the season

No. 15 Branson John was a lock for Martyland at the 197-pound position all season. The sophomore entered Saturday’s bout with an 11-0 record. But the undefeated streak ended against No. 8 Mac Scout.

Similar to other matches this season, John opened with an early takedown in the first period. But for the first time since Maryland’s Red vs Black Scrimmage, John looked tired by the final period.

Scout increased intensity in the second period, forcing John into several defensive sprawl positions. He took advantage of a tired John in the third period, notching two takedowns to create a six-point separation.

“You have to wrestle for seven minutes,” Clemsen said. “Wrestling matches aren’t five minutes long, they’re seven minutes long … [and] we didn’t understand that today.”