Sept. 20, 2003

Final Stats| Quotes| Notes

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Scott McBrien ran and passed his way through West Virginia's porous defense, and Bruce Perry scored two touchdowns as Maryland cruised to a 34-7 victory Saturday night.

McBrien, who played at West Virginia as a freshman in 2000 before transferring to Maryland, left early in the fourth quarter after going 14-for-25 for 220 yards and a touchdown. The senior also had a 43-yard run that set up a TD.

The Terrapins (2-2) have outscored the opposition 95-7 after starting the season with losses at Northern Illinois and Florida State.

West Virginia (1-3) got its lone touchdown on a run by Kay-Jay Harris in the closing minutes.

McBrien staked the Terrapins to a 20-0 halftime lead, producing scores on four of five possessions. That was more than enough offense to dispose of West Virginia, which had more penalties (seven) than first downs (five) entering the fourth quarter.

WVU quarterback Rasheed Marshall went 2-for-7 for 25 yards before being pulled late in the third period.

The Mountaineers were not much better on defense, allowing 411 yards before forcing Maryland to punt for the first time with 11 minutes left.

Perry starred with Maryland two years ago, but missed most of last season with injuries and saw spot-duty in the Terrapins' first two games this year because of a badly sprained ankle. He finished with 79 yards on 14 carries, including a 12-yard TD run that made it 27-0 in the third quarter.

McBrien left after hitting Latrez Harrison for a 25-yard touchdown with 13:45 remaining.

Maryland has won three straight from West Virginia by a 114-44 total to take a 20-19-2 lead in the series that began in 1919.

The Mountaineers made only three first downs in the first half while compiling more penalty yards (60) than total offense (58).

Maryland asserted itself from the outset, taking the opening kickoff and holding the ball for more than six minutes. After Jo Jo Walker dropped a pass that would have extended the drive, Nick Novak came up short on a 52-yard field goal attempt.

The Mountaineers then went three-and-out before the Terrapins went up 7-0 on a 4-yard run by Perry. The 52-yard march was aided by two WVU penalties and featured a 34-pass from McBrien to Harrison.

Maryland made it 17-0 with a 79-yard drive that showcased McBrien's versatility. He went 3-for-3 for 29 yards and ran 43 yards on a third-and-5 before Josh Allen scored from the 2.

The Terrapins got the ball back with 53 seconds left, enough time for McBrien to move the offense 38 yards for a field goal.