Maryland moved to the Big Ten in 2014 and storied rivalries with longtime ACC opponents, particularly Virginia, went by the wayside.
The Cavaliers and Terrapins reconvene for the first time since 2013 when Maryland (2-0) hosts Virginia (0-2) under the lights on Friday in College Park, Md.
A fast start is the focus of the Terps after stumbling out of the gate last Saturday against Charlotte. Maryland entered as a 24.5-point favorite, but trailed 14-0 less than four minutes into the contest, didn’t score a touchdown in the first half and only led by three entering the fourth quarter.
The Terps eventually pulled away with three touchdowns in the fourth, including Roman Hemby’s 15-yard scamper that sealed Maryland’s 38-20 victory.
“Nobody in that locker room is excited about how we played,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “But we overcame some early adversity which kind of showed me we’re the type of team that I thought we could be. We battled back after a slow start and I didn’t see anybody panic.”
Hemby rushed for 162 yards, while Taulia Tagovailoa completed 25 of 36 passes for 287 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
The Cavaliers are recovering from Saturday’s emotional 36-35 loss to James Madison in the team’s first home game since three Virginia football players were killed in a campus shooting last November.
Virginia led 35-24 entering the fourth quarter before a lightning delay halted the game for nearly 70 minutes. The Cavaliers then surrendered two touchdowns in the final nine minutes, including the go-ahead score with 55 seconds remaining.
“This one hurts, and it’s gonna hurt for a while,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. ” … Do they deserve to win? I believe so, because of the people that they are and what they’ve been through, but, unfortunately, the game of football, it’s not a game of [deserving], it’s about what you earn.”
Freshman Anthony Colandrea connected on 20 of 26 passes for 377 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in place of senior Tony Muskett, who injured his shoulder in Virginia’s loss against then-No. 12 Tennessee on Sept. 2.
Elliott said he expects Muskett will be ready to play on Friday.
Maryland is 45-32-2 all-time against Virginia in a series that dates back to 1919. The Terps edged the visiting Cavaliers 27-26 in the teams’ most recent matchup, their 70th as ACC rivals.
–Field Level Media
