Egekeze's Late Field goal wins it for the Terps 17-15

Playing on a wet field, facing a tough North Carolina defense and starting 82 yards from the end zone, Maryland desperately needed a score to keep alive its run of success against ranked teams. Chris Turner made it happen, engineering a dramatic 19-play drive that provided the Terrapins with a 17-15 victory over the No. 17 Tar Heels on Saturday.
Obi Egekeze kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:42 left to cap a 73-yard march that lasted nearly 9 minutes and produced the only points of the second half.
"We were just determined to get it in. Our defense was playing great, and we knew it was our opportunity," Maryland guard Jaimie Thomas said. "We were 11 guys on one mission. We knew to had to come out with points to win this game."
An 18-yard completion from Turner to Ronnie Tyler on a third-and-11 from the Maryland 44 helped, but the key was an impromptu 9-yard run by Turner on a fourth-and-5 at the Carolina 32.
"They had us all covered in that situation and I didn't expect Chris to run," Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen said. "It was his awareness, not only what the coverage was but also what he needed for the first down."
North Carolina linebacker Mark Paschal said, "We played them right for the entire second half, but we just couldn't get them off the field on that last drive."
Da'Rel Scott ran for 129 yards and a touchdown and Davin Meggett had 86 rushing yards for Maryland (7-3, 4-2). The Terrapins can reach the Atlantic Coast Conference title game for the first time by winning their last two games. In addition, a win in Saturday's Florida State game (7:45 p.m. kickoff), coupled with a BC loss at Wake Forest would give Maryland the division crown.
Maryland has won a school-record six straight over Top 25 teams (AP poll), beating California, Clemson, Wake Forest and North Carolina this season and Rutgers and Boston College in 2007.
"If we played the unranked teams the way we play ranked teams, we'd be in really great shape," Friedgen said.
The victory also kept the Terrapins unbeaten at home (6-0).
The Tar Heels (7-3, 3-3) dropped out of first place in the Coastal Division and remained winless at Maryland since 1997.
"We had the situation we wanted with three weeks last and we knew we were in the driver's seat," Paschal said. "We just let it get away from us."
North Carolina converted only one of 11 third downs and finished with only 75 yards rushing. It was their third loss by three points or fewer.
"As you're building this program, there's a lot of steps that go into building a program and not all of them are vertical, not all of them go up," coach Butch Davis said. "We'll learn something from this. We've got a bunch of kids in that locker room that are hurting right now. But there's a lot to play for."
After Egekeze's late field goal, Cameron Sexton's bid to bring the Tar Heels back ended with an interception by Jamari McCollough in the final minute.
Sexton went 10-for-24 for 166 yards and took the blame for an offense that produced only 11 first downs.
"I played poorly today. I didn't play well. It's a team effort, but as the quarterback of this football team, I have a little bit greater responsibility," he said. "I never got in a rhythm. ... I don't know how to explain it. It wasn't my day today. I got to play better for us to win."
North Carolina missed a chance to increase its one-point lead late in the third quarter when Casey Barth's 28-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. A 44-yard pass from running back Shaun Draughn to Brooks Foster preceded the errant kick.
The Tar Heels got the ball back when a fumble by second-string quarterback Josh Portis was recovered by Quinton Coples at the Maryland 33, but three straight incomplete passes led to a punt.
A back-and-forth first half, played at times in heavy rain, ended with North Carolina up 15-14.
The game's first points came on a Maryland mistake: a snap over the head of punter Travis Baltz, who dived on the ball in the end zone for a 42-yard loss and a safety.
After Barth added a field goal, Scott capped a 76-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to put the Terrapins up 7-5.
Two plays later, Sexton lofted a pass on the run that cleared leaping defensive back Kenny Tate and landed in the arms of Cooter Arnold, who completed the 59-yard play for his first career touchdown.
The Terrapins again had a response. A 13-play march in which Meggett rushed for 57 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown, made it 14-12.
The Tar Heels then moved to the Maryland 36 before Sexton fumbled the wet football. Later, however, North Carolina regained the lead when a 32-yard run by Foster set up a field goal.

Virgina Tech defeats Maryland 23-13

Darren Evans ran for a school-record 253 yards and a touchdown and Virginia Tech beat No. 23 Maryland 23-13 to stay in the thick of a wide-open Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Hokies (6-3, 3-2) improved to 15-3 on Thursday night and ended a two-game losing streak while remaining one of five teams in the ACC's Coastal Division with two conference losses. The Hokies, Virginia and North Carolina are a half-game behind Georgia Tech.
Maryland (6-3, 3-2) came into the game as the only ACC team with one league loss, but dropped into a tie for the Atlantic Division lead with Florida State and Wake Forest. The Terps still control their own destiny in the division race as wins in the final three contests would send Maryland to the ACC title game.
Evans, who ripped off runs of 50 and 45 yards, had 32 carries and broke the record of 243 yards set by Mike Imoh in 2004.
His effort was a much-needed breakout for an offense that has struggled all season. It was especially helpful to Sean Glennon, who started at quarterback in place of Tyrod Taylor, who has a left ankle sprain.
Glennon was 14-of-20 for 120 yards and a touchdown, and Dustin Keys kicked three field goals for the Hokies, the last a 27-yarder with 7:30 left to make it a two-score game.
Until then, the Terrapins were rallying, relying on a defense that had allowed just 17 second-half points in four ACC games to give them time to erase a 17-point deficit.
And their comeback came after an auspicious start to the second half.
On their first play from scrimmage, Orion Martin sacked Chris Turner, causing a fumble that Cordarrow Thompson recovered for the Hokies at the Maryland 18. When three plays netted just five yards, Keys kicked a 30-yard field goal to make it 20-3 after just 2:16.
Darrius Heywar-Bey, Maryland's big-play receiver, made it interesting when he took a short slant pass on third-and-5 63 yards for a touchdown with 6:43 left in the quarter.
The Hokies forced Maryland to punt from its 44 on the next series, but Travis Baltz's kick bounced off Virginia Tech's Kam Chancellor and the Terps recovered at the Hokies 11.
Virginia Tech held, but Obi Egekeze's 27-yard field goal made it 20-13.
Glennon, who lost his job after one game because of the Hokies' weak offensive line, threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Greg Boone to end Virginia Tech's second series. Evans did much of the damage in the drive, carrying seven times for 49 yards, including runs of 15 and 17 yards.
The Terps, who drove to the Hokies 29 on their first series before Egekeze missed a 47-yard field goal attempt, got to the Virginia Tech 24 on their second series, with Turner's 13-yard pass to Heyward-Bey on third-and-18 putting them in range for Egekeze's 41-yarder.
Evans again did much of the work on the Hokies; second scoring drive. After taking over at their own 20, he broke off a career-best 50-yard run on the first play. Glennon completed a 13-yard pass to Dyrell Roberts on third-and-5 from the 14, and Evans dived in for the touchdown.
Keys' 35-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the half made it 17-3.

Last Second Field Goal boost Terps past Wolfpack

Obi Egekeze kicked a 20-yard field goal with 6 seconds left, and Maryland kept North Carolina State winless in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a rain-soaked 27-24 victory Saturday.
The Terrapins (6-2, 3-1) got the ball on their own 8 with 4:50 remaining and moved 89 yards before Egekeze's winning kick. Chris Turner went 3-for-4 on the drive, including a 31-yard completion to running back Daven Meggett on a third-and-10 from the Wolfpack 35.
Turner than ran the ball to the middle of the field to set up Egekeze's second field goal of the game.
It was the sixth straight home win for Maryland, which had to overcome an inspired North Carolina State team and miserable weather. The victory made the Terrapins bowl-eligible and kept them tied atop the league's Atlantic Division.
North Carolina State (2-6, 0-4) has lost four straight.
Da'Rel Scott ran for 163 yards and a touchdown for Maryland, which again struggled as a favorite. The Terrapins have beaten three ranked teams this season but lost to Middle Tennessee State and Virginia.
Coming off a 26-0 win over Wake Forest, Maryland gave up touchdowns on North Carolina State's first two possessions and yielded 342 yards in offense. The Wolfpack held the ball 12 more minutes than the Terrapins and ran 15 more plays.
Russell Wilson went 18-for-26 for 187 yards and two touchdowns for N.C. State, the only team in the ACC without a league win.
With the score tied at 24 early in the fourth quarter, Maryland retained possession after the Wolfpack were called for a personal foul on a punt. Scott then ran in from the 12, but the play was nullified because of holding. Three plays later, Egekeze missed a 39-yard field goal.
The senior kicker did redeem himself at the end.
Maryland opened the second half by covering 67 yards in four plays to take a 24-17 lead. Scott ran three times for 43 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown run.
Wilson then scrambled for 27 yards on a third-and-9, which led to his 7-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Davis that tied the game for a third time.
In a first half that ended 17-all, Wilson threw for 133 yards - 2 more yards than Maryland could muster.
The Wolfpack took the opening kickoff and used nearly 8 minutes with a 14-play drive. Wilson went 3-for-3 for 38 yards before Andre Brown scored on a 1-yard dive.
Maryland answered with a 66-yard drive. Turner's 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dan Gronkowski came on the only third down of the possession.
The rain picked up at that point, but it didn't slow the North Carolina State offense. Wilson threw a 29-yard pass to Jamelle Eugene and hit Jarvis Williams for a 4-yard touchdown to cap a 73-yard drive.
Maryland couldn't keep pace, getting a career-long 47-yard field goal from Egekeze to close to 14-10. But Brown opened N.C. State's third possession by losing a fumble, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Meggett.
Late in the half, Maryland's Danny Qquendo fumbled the wet football on a punt return. After the Wolfpack recovered at midfield, Josh Czajkowski kicked a 28-yard field goal as time expired.

Maryland Defeats Wake Forest 26-0

Maryland played so well against No. 21 Wake Forest, it was almost impossible to single out offense, defense or special teams in the most significant win of an up-and-down season.
"We finally put a full game together. I think by far it's the best we've played all year," coach Ralph Friedgen said after the Terrapins cruised to a 26-0 victory on Saturday.
Does the credit go to the offense, which generated 470 yards? Or a defense that handed Wake Forest its first shutout in 124 games? What about the four field goals by Obe Egekeze?
Suffice to say it was a complete effort against what was one of only two unbeaten teams in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Chris Turner went 28-for-41 for 321 yards and a touchdown. His main target was wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey, who had a career-high 11 catches for 101 yards and a score. This from a team that usually relies on the running game to generate points.
"They were so good against the rush, we knew we were going to have to throw the ball in order to run the ball," Friedgen said.
Maryland's Da'Rel Scott fumbled three times in the first half, but finished with 73 yards rushing and threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Heyward-Bey. The Terrapins averaged 4.2 yards on their 33 carries.
It was the fifth straight win over a Top 25 team for the Terps (5-2, 2-1). Maryland also defeated California and Clemson this season, but lost 24-14 to unheralded Middle Tennessee State and 31-0 to Virginia.
This victory moved the Terrapins into a tie atop the league's Atlantic Division but didn't entirely erase the sting of those two inexplicable defeats.
"It doesn't take them away completely but it makes us feel better, that's for sure," Turner said. "Looking back, it doesn't feel good to know we lost some of those games we should have won. But it's in the past now. We've got to move on. At this point, our fate is in our own hands."
Wake Forest (4-2, 2-1) was in sole possession of first place before being rendered helpless by a defense that had two weeks to think about its collapse against Virginia. The Terrapins' last shutout of a ranked opponent was Sept. 24, 1955, 7-0 over top-ranked UCLA.
Riley Skinner, who came in as the league's top-ranked passer, went 14-for-30 for 127 yards and was sacked four times.
"I don't really know what happened out there. Don't take any credit away from MARYLAND, they played a really good game on defense," he said. "(But) we just did not play good, flat out. Everybody on offense, there's no one person in particular."
The Demon Deacons absorbed their first shutout since a 42-0 loss to Air Force in September 1998. The last time Wake Forest was blanked in an ACC game was in 1996, 52-0 at MARYLAND.
"In order to be good offensively, you have to execute. If you don't execute, your off the field pretty quick," coach Jim Grobe said. "Today we didn't execute very well."
The Demon Deacons were without injured kicker Sam Swank (leg), the school's career scoring leader. Redshirt freshman Shane Popham missed field-goal tries from 40 and 47 yards.
"Anytime your trade-off is a redshirt freshman for a fifth year senior, that's not real good," Grobe said.
Turner had 186 yards passing in the first half, and the Terrapins limited Wake Forest to 106 yards in offense in building a 13-0 lead.
Maryland won the toss and elected to receive - even though Friedgen told his team captain to defer the choice to the second half. The Terrapins promptly moved 58 yards in nine plays to go up 7-0. Turner went 4-for-5 for 40 yards and Heyward-Bey caught three passes for 27 yards, including a touchdown toss from Scott.
Fumbles by Scott twice gave Wake Forest the ball deep in Maryland territory, but Popham missed field goals to end each possession.
"It sort of sets the tone for the game," said D.J. Bouldin, who had seven catches for 72 yards. "Sometimes plays like that let you know what kind of game it's going to be. If we could have taken advantage of it, it would have been a different game."
Two plays after the second miss, Turner threw a 41-yard pass to Heyward-Bey, who leaped between two defenders and juggled the ball before making the catch on his back. That led to a 40-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Late in the half, Turner moved the Terrapins 52 yards in 60 seconds before Egekeze kicked a 39-yard field goal.
Maryland's first drive in the second half produced a 35-yard field goal, and Egekeze added a 26-yarder late in the quarter. Turner's last pass of the game was a 50-yard touchdown strike to Danny Oquendo with 4:33 left.

Virginia Crush Terps for First ACC Win

Marc Verica threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Virginia beat Maryland, 31-0 on Saturday night, snapping the Terps' three-game winning streak. The Cavaliers (2-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) not only found a quarterback, but also their running game. Cedric Peerman ran for 110 yards, including a 9-yard third quarter touchdown. That score, on a fourth-and-1 play, put Maryland (4-2, 1-1) in a 31-0 hole, and made certain that the Cavaliers wouldn't blow it this time. Two years ago, Virginia led the Terrapins 20-0 at halftime, then gave up 28 consecutive points and lost 28-26 at home. Sparked first by its defense, and then by Verica, the Cavaliers were in control through most of the game. Verica drew praise after his first start even though the team lost 45-10 at Connecticut, then threw four interceptions last week as the Cavaliers helped Duke end its 25-game ACC losing streak. He played like he was energized to finally get to play at home. Maryland tried to jump-start its offense in the second half, but Obi Egekeze's attempt at an onside kick to start the half went only four yards and was downed at the Terps' 49. That led to a 32-yard field goal by Yannick Reyering, and Terps tight end Dan Gronkowski was stripped by Vic Hall three plays later and Corey Mosley recovered for the Cavaliers. Eleven plays and 61 yards later, Peerman went around the left side on the fourth-down play from the 9, found room on the sidelines and dove into the end zone to complete the scoring. Chris Turner completed 20 of 34 passes for 223 yards, but the Terps could muster just 79 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Ronnie Tyler was a bright spot for the Terps, posting a career-best five receptions for 56 yards.
The Terps are off until Saturday, Oct. 18 when they play host to Wake Forest.

Terps Steal One in Death Valley 20-17

Chris Turner threw for a touchdown and Da'Rel Scott rushed for one to rally Maryland to its second straight Death Valley victory with a 20-17 win over Clemson on Saturday.Maryland (4-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) came in as a big underdog, just like in 2006 here, against the preseason favorites for the conference title. And just like two years ago, the Terps overcame a second-half deficit for the win.Maryland trailed 17-6 in the third quarter when Darrius Heyward-Bey went 76 yards on a reverse - the longest run Clemson allowed in eight years - to give the Terps a 1st-and-goal.Two plays later, Turner found a wide-open Torrey Smith to make it 17-13.Still down in the final quarter, Turner got the Terps going again. He hit Danny Oquendo with passes of 11, 11 and 21 yards to get Maryland to the Clemson 1.Scott, the ACC's leading rusher entering the game, ran in for the go-ahead score.Clemson had one last chance, driving into Maryland territory. But Cullen Harper was stopped short on fourth-and-1 with 5:36 remaining.Maryland didn't give the ball back, finishing off its fourth straight victory over a ranked team. It was also the Terps' third win in their past four visits to Death Valley.The Terps were outgained by Clemson 295 to 372, with Scott finishing with 39 yards. Still, it didn't matter to the outcome, the same as in 2006.Then, Dan Ennis kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired in a 13-12 Maryland victory that ultimately knocked Clemson out of the ACC title game.This loss could be just as devastating for the Tigers, the runaway choice this summer to win their first ACC crown since 1991.Clemson looked like it would take this one with ease. Star runners James Davis and C.J. Spiller combined for 193 yards and two touchdowns by halftime to build the Tigers a 17-6 lead.Clemson's defense also looked strong, limiting Scott to just 19 yards in the opening period.Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who regularly vexed the Tigers during his two stints as Georgia Tech's offensive coordinator, again found Clemson's cracks.No Tiger defender got anywhere near Heyward-Bey on his long run until he closed in on the goal line.Maryland's defense, which struggled early on, didn't give up a point in the second half, forcing four punts and the crunching fourth-down stop on Harper.Davis and Spiller, the vaunted "Thunder and Lightning," got just 31 yards between them the final two quarters.Clemson came into this one with three straight victories, outscoring opponents 126-26 since its season-opening loss to Alabama. But two of those wins came against Football Championship Subdivision foes, and the other against struggling North Carolina State.The Terps might've been down even more if not for Clemson's first-half errors.Jacoby Ford fumbled a punt on one series, while Harper's backward pass to Aaron Kelly was knocked down and recovered by the Terps' Adrian Moten.Spiller had a 59-yard TD run in the third quarter called back on Kelly's hold.Harper also threw his fifth interception of the season, one shy of the six he had all last year.Maryland settled for two Obi Egekeze field goals of 23 and 30 yards.

Terps beats Eastern Michigan 51-24

Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey caught a 32-yard touchdown pass and ran twice for 81 yards, part of a prolific offensive showing that carried Maryland past Eastern Michigan 51-24 on Saturday.Morgan Green ran for two touchdowns and Chris Turner threw for 212 yards and two TDs for the Terrapins (3-1), who scored on nine of their 13 possessions.Kyle McMahon completed 25 of 37 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles. But Eastern Michigan (1-3), which had lost its previous three games against Maryland by a combined 132-19 score, was let down by a defense that forced only one punt and yielded 486 yards.Heyward-Bey had runs of 35 and 46 yards, each of which set up a touchdown. He finished as the second-leading rusher for Maryland. Despite playing without injured Da'Rel Scott, who is averaging 135.7 yards on the ground, the Terrapins finished with 231 yards rushing.Adrian Moten blocked a punt and had an interception to help the Terrapins go up 17-0 early in the second quarter.After letting its lead dwindle to 24-14, Maryland scored on its first possession of the second half. Heyward-Bey ran 46 yards on the opening play, which led to Turner's 4-yard pass to tight end Dan Gronkowski in the end zone.It was 34-17 after three quarters, and a 33-yard field goal by Obi Egekeze put the Terps up by 20 with 11:46 to go.After EMU closed to 37-24, Heyward-Bey lateraled to Danny Oquendo, who threw a 43-yard TD pass to Isaiah Williams for a 44-24 lead.The Eagles held a 15-8 advantage in first downs and a 291-178 lead in total yardage at halftime, but were intercepted twice, had a punt blocked and yielded a 57-yard kickoff return.After a blocked punt by Moten set up a field goal, Eastern Michigan used the passing of McMahon (4-for-4, 68 yards) to get to the Maryland 5. But an interception by Jamari McCollough killed the drive.On the next play, Heyward-Bey ran 35 yards on an end around. Nine plays later, Green scored from the 1 on fourth-and-goal for a 10-0 lead.In the second quarter, Moten picked off a McMahon pass at the Eastern Michigan 48 before Green ran around right end for a 20-yard score.The Eagles then moved 80 yards in 11 plays, converting a fourth-and-6 along the way, and closed to 17-7 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Terrence Blevins.Maryland quickly restored the 17-point cushion. Torrey Smith ran the kickoff back 57 yards, and on the next play Turner hit Heyward-Bey in the right side of the end zone.Eastern Michigan countered with a 13-yard pass from McMahon to Josh Leduc with 44 seconds left in the half.