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Hollenbach, Maryland hold on to beat Florida International

Sep 24, 2006 - 2:07 AM COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (Ticker) -- Hoping to heal their wounds after an embarrassing loss, Sam Hollenbach and Maryland found themselves in an unexpected dogfight.

Hollenbach threw two touchdown passes as Maryland held on for a 14-10 triumph over lowly Florida International.

The victory came one week after the Terrapins (3-1) yielded 28 first-quarter points en route to a 45-24 loss to No. 4 West Virginia.

Despite facing a much lower-profile opponent Saturday, Maryland struggled offensively in its first meeting with Sun Belt Conference member Florida International, collecting just 275 yards of total offense.

With the game tied, 7-7, and just 10 seconds remaining in the first half, Hollenbach found Isaiah Williams for a five-yard TD to give the Terrapins the lead for good.

But the Golden Panthers (0-4) refused to go down quietly as Dustin Rivest converted a 26-yard field goal with 10:42 remaining to cut the deficit to 14-10.

FIU had a chance to win the game in the waning seconds after Josh Padrick found Chandler Williams for a 45-yard pass down to the Maryland 9. But safety Christian Varner saved the day for the Terrapins, intercepting Padrick in the end zone on the final play.

Hollenbach completed 17-of-30 attempts for just 158 yards while Lance Ball gained 82 yards on 19 carries for Maryland, which plays its Atlantic Coast Conference opener next week at Georgia Tech.

Padrick went 15-of-32 for 221 yards, a touchdown and an interception while Samuel Smith had 104 yards on just two receptions for the Golden Panthers, which collected 310 yards of total offense to outgain the Terrapins.