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Maryland knocks off 10th-ranked Rutgers

Sep 30, 2007 - 2:07 AM PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Maryland could not hold the lead for the second week in a row, but this time the Terrapins didn't let the game slip away.

Keon Lattimore rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown and Lance Ball added 99 yards and two scores as Maryland stunned No. 10 Rutgers, 34-24, in a non-conference game Saturday.

The Terrapins (3-2) overcame a last-minute meltdown in the first half that led to a pair of touchdowns by Rutgers in 43 seconds, the loss of quarterback Jordan Steffy to injury and three missed field goals by Obi Egekeze to end the Scarlet Knights' 10-game winning streak.

"It was a tremendous display of character by our players," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "Today, we get the lead and then at the end of the half our starting quarterback goes down. There were a lot of ways of ways we could have chucked it."

Maryland had squandered a 21-point third-quarter lead a week ago in a 31-24 overtime loss to Wake Forest in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener and blew an 11-point first-half lead against the Scarlet Knights.

But the Terrapins rallied behind sophomore quarterback Chris Turner, who replaced an injured Steffy at the end of the first half and completed 14-of-20 passes for 149 yards.

"It feels great," Turner said. "It's great for the whole team and it's great for the school. We needed this real bad."

Turner's only other action came in a season-opening 31-14 win over Villanova, where he was 4-of-6 for 33 yards and two interceptions.

"Chris is to be commended for the poise that he showed and his execution," Friedgen said. "He did a heck of a job. I'm really proud of him."

The sophomore backup turned in the biggest play of the game, hitting LaQuan Williams on a 27-yard reception on 3rd-and-12 with 8 1/2 minutes to play.

Williams made a brilliant fingertip catch while fully extended and Lattimore bulled in from the 2-yard line on the next play for a 27-17 lead.

"I told myself to focus on the ball, focus on the ball and I was able to make the catch," Williams said.

"It was a great catch. I probably put a little too much on it," Turner said. "I thought he would score a touchdown, but it ended up all right. He makes plays like that everyday in practice, like it's nothing."

Rutgers (3-1), which was playing for the first time since a 59-0 drubbing of Norfolk State on September 15, lost at home for the first time since a 34-21 defeat to South Florida on November 5, 2005.

The Terrapins had not defeated a top-10 team since knocking off Florida State, 20-17, in 2004.

"Give credit to Maryland. They played well," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. "They had a good game plan and they executed the plan very well. ... Any loss hurts, especially when you are trying to work yourself into position. But this team is resilient and the staff is resilient and we will come to work tomorrow and find out better we can get in a week's time."

Mike Teel, who threw for 309 yards on 25-of-43 passing with two touchdowns and an interception for Rutgers, sparked an 11-play, 77-yard drive that Heisman Trophy candidate Ray Rice capped with a 1-yard run to cut the lead to 27-24 with 4:41 to play.

Rutgers' defense then came up big, stopping the Terps on 4th-and-one with 2:38 left, but an unsportslike penalty on the play pushed the Scarlet Knights back to their own 21.

After three incomplete passes, Jeremy Navarre sacked Teel on 4th-and-10. Ball swept around right end 15 yards on the next play to push it to 34-24 with 2:04 remaining.

Rutgers had scored twice in the final minute of the first half to take a 17-14 lead into the break.

Teel closed the half by hitting 8-of-10 passes for 132 yards and touchdown passes to Tim Brown and Tiquan Underwood to rally the Scarlet Knights from an 11-point deficit.

"There were certain plays that worked effectively but it was never consistent," Schiano said. "We were unable to get into a flow. We had two scores at the end of the first half so the hurry-up offense worked fairly well. But we didn't run the ball the way we have been able to in the past, and that was a big factor in the game."

Underwood had eight receptions for 101 yards, his fourth game over 100 yards this season. Rice finished with 100 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries for Rutgers.

"I was getting the holes, but they play tough defense," Rice said. "We're used to getting 200 (rushing) yards, so this is pretty hard. We have to play our best football from here on in. A loss is not necessarily good, but we need to take something from it and learn. We fought to the end. With two minutes left we still had a chance."