Terps run past Rutgers
The Maryland Terrapins ran past Rutgers, beating the Scarlet Knights, 31-13 to become bowl-eligible before a thankful, Thanksgiving holiday weekend crowd at Maryland Stadium on Senior Day.
Maryland is now (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) and after starting 4-0 they survived a stretch of playing top-five Michigan, Ohio State and top-twenty Nebraska all losses but their early success allowed them to have one more game on the schedule much to the delight of the fans, players and first-year coach D. J. Durkin.
Maryland will play in the Quick Lane Bowl against the Boston College Eagles on December 26th.
Maryland which ran for 318 yards and is one of the top rushing teams in the Big Ten, set the tone early.
On the second play from scrimmage running back Kenneth Goins Jr. burst up the left sideline and ran for a career-best 46-yard touchdown, giving the Terps a 7-0 lead with less than one minute played in the game.
Goins finished the game with 81 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown.
Rutgers received the ball but their second drive stalled and they were forced to punt.
Maryland punt returner Teldrick Morgan caught the ball and was immediately hit, but he spun out of the tackle and dashed up the left sideline, juking his way free and outrunning the coverage for an 83-yard touchdown, giving Maryland a 14-0 lead with 7:25 to go in the first quarter.
The Terps never trailed again.
Fast forward to the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights scored a touchdown on a 28-yard run up the middle by Justin Goodwin, making the score 21-13 with 4:48 to go in the third quarter but that was as close as they would get to the Terps.
Maryland responded with a five play 75-yard drive that took 2:05. the highlight of the drive was a 47-yard dash by Ty Johnson. Three more running plays set up a first and goal.
Johnson was Maryland’s leading rusher with 168 yards on 11 carries. He also had a 55-yard run.
On Senior Day, Durkin sent in senior running back Andrew Stefanelli. He scored his first-career touchdown on a one-yard run, giving the Terps a 28-13 lead with 2:38 to go in the third quarter.
Maryland would later add a 41-yard field goal by kicker Mike Shinsky who had replaced Adam Greene who had misses from 34 and 46 yards, to make the score 31-13 with 2:56 to play and the outcome no longer in doubt.
Maryland quarterback Perry Hills, back from a shoulder injury, was nine for 15 for 96 yards.
His leading receivers were Levern Jacobs who had two catches for 37 yards and DeAndre Lane who had two receptions for 23 yards.
After jumping out to a 14-0 lead, Rutgers responded with a 15-play 72-yard drive, scoring on a one-yard run by Robert Martin making the score 14-7 with 10:42 to go in the second quarter.
Maryland’s next scoring opportunity came at the 50-yard line. After two running plays, Hills connected with Jacobs on a 25-yard pass play giving Maryland a first down at the Rutgers 28-yard line.
The Terp’s brought in backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome for a specialty play. He took the snap and ran to the right looking to throw but when the receiver was covered he made a mad dash to the left side of the field and burst up the field for a 28-yard touchdown on his only carry of the game, giving Maryland a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Rutgers would score another touchdown but missed the extra point trimming the Terrapin lead to 21-13 but the Terps scored the final 10 points of the game to run away with the victory.
Rutgers quarterback Giovanni Rescigno was 22 of 39 for 203 yards. His favorite targets were Andre Patton who has six catches for 69 yards and Jawuan Harris who had six receptions for 62 yards.
The leading rusher for Rutgers was Goodwin who gained 86 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown. He was followed by Martin who had 14 rushes for 73 yards and one touchdown in a losing effort for the (2-10, 0-9) Scarlet Knights.
