The Maryland Terrapins trounced the crosstown Towson Tigers 63-17 before a delighted and sun-splashed crowd at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium.
A week after their 51-41 victory over the then 23rd ranked Texas Longhorns, the signature win of the DJ Durkin era, the Terps (2-0) kept the peddle to the mettle and ran over the Tigers.
They did it behind the outstanding effort of freshman sensation quarterback Kasim Hill, who was starting because Tyrrell Pigrome, who looked so good against Texas, is out for the season with a leg injury.
All Hill did was complete his first eight passes, not including an overthrow that was wiped out due to a penalty, while going 13 for 16 for 163 yards including two first quarter touchdown passes to his favorite target D.J. Moore giving Maryland an early 14-0 lead.
Moore was Maryland’s leading receiver catching seven passes for 97 yards including scoring passes of nine and 34 yards.
Running back Ty Johnson added a 74-yard touchdown burst down the visitors sideline with 6:08 to go in the first quarter giving the Terps a comfortable 21-0 lead.
Johnson gained 124 yards on only five carries and scored two touchdowns. Counting last year, had his fourth straight 100 yard game.
Hill led the charge as the Terps did what they needed to do jumping all over the Tigers early and thus avoiding any letdown after that sweet victory over the Longhorns.
The Tigers, who hail from nearby Baltimore, responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass from their own freshman quarterback Ryan Stover to Jabari Allen making the score 21-7 with 14:54 to play in the second quarter.
Towson was on the move again but Stover overthrew his intended target and the ball landed in the waiting arms of Darnell Savage Jr. who returned the interception 75-yards for a Maryland touchdown giving them a 28-7 lead at halftime.
Maryland, which scored 21 points in the first quarter, repeated that offensive explosion in the third quarter with touchdown runs of 54 yards by Johnson, 25 yards by Jake Funk and a 21-yarder by Moore giving them a commanding 49-7 lead with 4:34 to go in the third quarter.
With the big lead Maryland wisely pulled Hill and replaced him with third-string quarterback Max Bortenschlager. He led the team on an 11 play, 53 yard drive that ended with his one-yard scoring run making the score 56-7 with 13:26 to go in the game.
Towson countered with a 59 yard TD pass to Rodney Dorsey making the score 56-14 with 10:41 to go.
Maryland freshman running back Javon Leake got into the game and showed a burst with his electrifying 61-yard touchdown dash along the home sideline giving Maryland a 63-14 lead with 8:46 to play in the contest.
Towson added a meaningless field goal with 28 seconds to play in the game as the Terps were left to celebrate a blowout victory on a day when they rushed for six touchdowns and averaged 10 yards a carry while racking up 367 yards on the ground. They ended the day with 534 total offensive yards.
Leake finished the game with 78 yards on four carries, Hill gained 41 yards on five carries and Lorenzo Harrison III added 33 yards on eight carries. Funk finished with 32 yards on three carries and Bortenschlager added 29 yards on nine attempts.
Wide out Tavion Jacobs finished with five catches for 60 yards.
Stover went 21 for 36 for 210 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards.
Shane Simpson had 25 yards on 12 carries and caught seven passes for 53 yards. Dorsey caught three passes for 56 yards and one score and Allen added two catches for 24 yards and one touchdown in a losing effort for the (1-1) Tigers.
