Terps Lead, Then Fall Low

Once Again, Maryland Jumps Ahead, Only to Let Virginia Squeeze Past for Seventh Straight Win: Virginia 18, Maryland 17

On one side of the field stood a team that had crafted a gaudy record mostly on its ability to finish strong. On the other stood a team that had built a solid mark despite a tendency to fade down the stretch. And midway through the fourth quarter last night, Maryland and Virginia had filled their expected roles, with the Terrapins jumping to an early lead and the Cavaliers charging late.

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From there, it was as if each team followed a script they had spent the past six weeks writing.

Little-used Virginia running back Mikell Simpson scored from one yard out with 16 seconds left, capping a dramatic and controversial final drive to help the Cavaliers rally to beat the rival Terrapins to a 18-17 victory in front of an announced crowd 52,782, the seventh largest in school history.

"That's what we are," Virginia Coach Al Groh said of his team's comeback, which resulted in the Cavaliers' first victory at Byrd Stadium since 1999. "We don't have a lot of stars. We don't have fantastic talents. But what we do have is a lot of togetherness."

As expected, Virginia's defensive line caused trouble for the Terrapins.

All-American defensive end Chris Long lived up to his billing, sacking Chris Turner twice -- once for a safety to trim Maryland's lead to 17-12 late in the third quarter. Long finished with 10 tackles, 3 1/2 of them for losses. He also batted down two of Turner's passes.

"There's no better player in college football than Chris Long," Groh said.

Terrapins inside linebacker Erin Henderson enjoyed a marquee evening in his return from injury. Henderson, who played through a broken thumb and cut his lip late in the game, recorded a career-high 18 tackles, eclipsing his previous best against Clemson last season.

But the Cavaliers rallied with help from an unexpected source. Simpson, a reserve who had four carries to his credit entering the game, finished with 271 rushing and receiving yards including a 44-yard touchdown run in the first half. Simpson saved his best work for last, with 78 yards on Virginia's decisive drive.

"It was definitely a tough loss," Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen said. "On that last drive, it just seemed like things didn't go our way. We faced some more adversity."

After taking over at its 10-yard line with 7 minutes 42 seconds left, Virginia drove 90 yards, aided by a pass interference penalty on Terrapins cornerback Kevin Barnes with two minutes left.

"If I were in the NFL, I'd get fined a lot of money for saying what I want to," Barnes said. "But I don't believe it was a pass interference. But the [referee] did, and I've got to live with it. . . . I just don't want the refs to decide the game."