Maryland football won its first conference game of the season in a contest that came down to the final play.
The Terps (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) got the job done on homecoming against USC, sending students and alumni home — well, after they stormed the field — with their hearts nearly out of their chest as Maryland pulled off a come-from-behind 29-28 victory.
The Terps were down, 21-7, at halftime, but outscored the Trojans, 22-7, in the second half to put an end to their Big Ten woes.
The SECU Stadium crowd dwindled throughout the game, but those who stayed experienced a wild ending.
“A lot of people had left, but the ones that stayed must know a little bit about this team, and I appreciate the ones that did stay,” Maryland head coach Michael Locksley said of the fans storming the field.
USC had a chance to ice the game late in the fourth quarter. Ahead 28-22, the Trojans needed one more first down to put the game away. But the Terps held them to a field goal attempt with a little less than two minutes remaining.
However, USC’s 41-yard field goal try was blocked by junior linebacker Donnell Brown. The ball was then pitched back to redshirt senior defensive back Glen Miller, who returned it to the Trojans’ 49-yard line.
“A field goal block is just about effort,” Brown said. “For me, in practice, we work on it all the time. They tell us to rush and always get skinny. That’s what a field goal block is all about — getting skinny and finding your way in there.”
“I didn’t know where it was,” Brown added, regarding Miller’s return. “Most of the time you try to get a field goal [block], it’s in front of you so you can scoop [and] score. I was looking around then I saw Glen had it, and I was like ‘Yes!'”
Maryland grabbed its first lead of the game with 53 seconds remaining in the game. A defensive pass interference penalty against USC helped out the Terps, and a 3-yard run from junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. put Maryland up for good.
Edwards finished the game 39-for-50 for 373 yards with a rushing and passing touchdown. Senior Kaden Prather (111 yards), senior Tai Felton (84) and junior Octavian Smith Jr. (84) all contributed from the receiver position.
USC, however, only needed a field goal to win the game and had two timeouts to work with. But on fourth-and-2, with the game on the line, junior linebacker Caleb Wheatland jarred the fourth-down reception loose to ice the game for the Terps.
“I was definitely a little confused,” Wheatland said of knowing whether the ball was caught. “I was looking around and then I saw my teammates started running.”
Maryland built momentum in the second half thanks to its defense. Junior defensive back Lavain Scruggs snagged his first interception of the season and returned it to the USC 11-yard line. The Terps scored on the next play, as Edwards found Felton for the receiver’s first touchdown since Sept. 21 against Villanova.
That cut USC’s lead to 21-14, and Maryland was right back in the game.
“Those are the plays that we haven’t had go our way,” Locksley said. “Lavain made a big play. He’s one of those guys that I talk about growing up and he’s grown up. We needed that play.”
Maryland’s defense followed that up by forcing a three-and-out. However, after making it to the Trojans’ 3-yard line, Edwards threw an interception on fourth down to halt the momentum.
The Trojans capitalized on the ensuing drive, pushing the lead back to two scores. Junior quarterback Miller Moss connected for his third touchdown pass of the day, finding sophomore Duce Robinson for a 28-14 lead.
Maryland then converted on two fourth downs on the following drive to again make it a one-score game. Junior running back Roman Hemby found the end zone on a 10-yard rush in a quiet game for him. Locksley opted to go for two after the touchdown. Edwards found Prather for two-point conversion, setting up the possibility of a game-winning touchdown in regulation.
Hemby finished with 15 yards on four carries. Maryland had zero rushing yards in the first half. Sophomore Nolan Ray led the team in rushing with 54 yards.
“[USC] played man coverage 90 percent of the game and that adds an extra guy in the box,” Locksley said of the lack of runs. “… We have talented running backs. The offensive line is coming together, but the RPO game and the tags or add-ons allow people to load up in the box.”
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