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Cavs Hand Terps a 2nd Tumble
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The game-breaking play occurred on fourth and one midway through the third quarter, when Virginia running back Cedric Peerman scored on a nine-yard run, flipping head-over-heels into the end zone to give Virginia an inexplicable 31-0 lead. Maryland cornerback Kevin Barnes said Virginia ran everything the Terrapins expected, and that execution was the difference.
"This wasn't about X's and O's," Friedgen said. "It was about who came to play and who didn't."
On Virginia's second possession, Verica unleashed a 51-yard strike down the middle of the field to wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, who made the catch and shook off cornerback Anthony Wiseman as he crossed the goal line. Virginia's first touchdown pass of the season was also the first Cavaliers play all season that gained more than 25 yards.
Early in the second quarter, Verica sprinted to his right on third down at the Maryland 5, outran defensive lineman Dean Muhtadi and linebacker Alex Wujciak and lunged into the end zone to give the Cavaliers a stunning two-touchdown advantage.
It got so bad for Maryland in the first half that Virginia, which struggled to generate any offense a week before, decided to go for it on a fourth-and-inches play at midfield with one minute left. With the crowd howling, fullback Rashawn Jackson barreled over the middle for a two-yard gain. Verica continued to pick apart Maryland's pass defense, completing a 15-yard touchdown pass to an open Ogletree, who had gotten away from free safety Terrell Skinner.
"It was deflating," Turner said.
With his team trailing 21-0 at halftime, Friedgen talked to his team about the matchup two years ago, when Maryland rallied from a 20-0 halftime deficit. The response from players: "a distant stare," Friedgen said.
Friedgen attempted to shift momentum at the start of the third quarter with an onside kick, but Obi Egekeze's attempt traveled just a few yards. It was a metaphor for Maryland's overall performance in a game that will be long remembered in College Park and Charlottesville.
"This," Barnes said, "hurts more than Middle Tennessee State."
