Sept. 11, 1999

Game Stats

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - LaMont Jordan ran for a career-high 158 yards and three touchdowns, and Lewis Sanders returned a kickoff 98 yards as Maryland cruised past Western Carolina 51-10 Saturday night.

Jordan, who left after three quarters, became the first Terrapin since Rick Badanjek in 1984 to score three touchdowns in a game. He scored from the 4, 2 and 27.

Maryland (2-0) led 23-10 before pulling away with three touchdowns in the third period. The 51-point outburst was a stark contrast from the Terrapins' season opener, when they could muster only a pair of field goals in a 6-0 win at Temple.

Redshirt freshman Calvin McCall was 10-for-17 for 152 yards, including a 76-yard TD pass to Jason Hatala. He also ran for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Brad Hoover gained 124 yards on 32 carries for Western Carolina (1-1), which fell to 0-21 against Atlantic Coast Conference schools. The I-AA Catamounts opened their season with a 59-0 rout of Mars Hill, but this game represented a decided step up in competition.

Western Carolina trailed 16-3 late in the first half when Hatala caught a short sideline pass behind Lamont Ransby, who froze while Hatala sprinted away to complete the longest pass play for the Terrapins since he caught a 76-yarder in October 1997.

The Catamounts closed to 23-10 on a 23-yard screen pass from Shawn Snyder to Hoover, but Sanders took the ensuing kickoff all the way. He is only the fourth player in school history to return more than one kickoff for a touchdown, he also did it in 1997.

Maryland outgained Western Carolina 307-91 in the first half and also benefitted from two turnovers.

The Catamounts took advantage of a Maryland mistake to go up 3-0 with six minutes gone. After the Terrapins' Gary Guilian made an ill-advised attempt to pick up the ball on a punt, Western Carolina recovered the fumble on the Maryland 21 to set up a field goal.

McCall responded by moving Maryland 80 yards, including a 35-yard run around left end that set up Jordan's first touchdown.

The Terrapins then recovered a fumbled snap at the Carolina 23. A holding call took away a TD run by Jordan, but McCall ran 18 yards on the option before bulling in from the 1 for a 13-3 lead.