Game 4: Minnesota at Maryland

Saturday, September 22

Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium

12:00 PM

Maryland

Minnesota

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Darnell Savage INT return for TD vs. Temple

9/18/2018 9:53:00 PM | Football

Minnesota (3-0) at Maryland (2-1)

Sept. 22, 2018 || College Park, Md. || Noon EDT

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland football team is set to open Big Ten Conference play Saturday at noon when it hosts Minnesota, marking the third consecutive year the cross-division foes have met. The Terrapins are 3-1 overall in Big Ten openers since joining the conference in 2014.

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THIS WEEKEND'S STORYLINES

1. The Terrapins are 2-1 all-time against Minnesota in a series that dates back to the first meeting in 1977. Maryland opened Big Ten play last season with a 31-24 victory in Minneapolis, as Ty Johnson's 34-yard touchdown run with 1:10 on the clock sealed the deal. It was also the first start of the season for quarterback Max Bortenschlager, who completed 18-of-28 passes and posted two touchdowns in relief of the injured Tyrrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill.

2. Senior defensive back Darnell Savage, Jr. had a monster game against Temple last weekend, matching his career-high with a pair of tackles for loss and also returning an interception for a touchdown. It was the third touchdown of Savage's career, and the second by way of interception. Savage has totaled 4.0 tackles for loss through the first three games of the season, which is more than the previous 34 appearances of his career (3.5).

3. Maryland continues to lead the Big Ten Conference in 3rd-down defensive conversion percentage, holding opponents to a 28-percent success rate through three games. It is a marked improvement for a defensive unit which ranked last in the conference at 49-percent in 2017.

4. The Maryland offense features three players who have recorded at least 100 rushing yards this season, marking the first time since 1986 (Rick Badanjek, Alvin Blount and Tommy Neal) the program has had three different players record 100 yards on the ground in a season. Anthony McFarland was the latest to do it with 107 yards against Temple, joining Ty Johnson and Tayon Fleet-Davis, who both surpassed 100 yards against Bowling Green.

Click here for Maryland's complete game notes.