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University of Maryland Athletics

Tai Felton with a 61-yard reception vs. Villanova
20
Villanova VIL 3-1 , 1-0
38
Winner Maryland UMD 3-1 , 0-1
Villanova VIL
3-1 , 1-0
20
Final
38
Maryland UMD
3-1 , 0-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
VIL Villanova 0 0 10 10 20
UMD Maryland 17 7 7 7 38

Game Recap: Football |

Huge Days By Edwards And Felton Lead Terps Past Villanova, 38-20

COLLEGE PARK, MD – Behind 328 passing yards from quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., and 157 receiving yards for Tai Felton, Maryland football toppled Villanova, 38-20, on Sept. 21 at SECU Stadium. The Terps (3-1) improved their non-conference win streak to 15 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in the country. Under head coach Michael Locksley, the Terps are also 17-1 in non-conference games. 

Edwards continued his early season brilliance. He finished 28-of-32 (88%) while passing for a career-high 328 yards and two touchdowns. His completion percentage broke the single-game school record previously held by Taulia Tagovailoa, who completed 87.1% (27-of-31) of his passes at Charlotte in 2022. 

Felton corralled a career-high 14 receptions for 157 yards. The 14 catches tied for the second-most in a game in Maryland history and is the most since Torrey Smith had 14 against NC State in 2010. Through the first four games of the season, the senior wide receiver has 41 catches, breaking Frank Wycheck's school record of 38 catches through the first four games of the 1991 season. He also has 604 receiving yards through four games, second-most in the first four games of a season in Maryland history.  Felton also eclipsed 100 receiving yards in the first four games, becoming the first in program history to achieve that feat. He joined Jermaine Lewis as the only Terps to record 100 receiving yards in a four-game stretch. Felton is just the third Big Ten player since 1996 to start a season with 100 receiving yards in the first four games, joining Garrett Wilson of Ohio State in 2020 and Charles Rogers of Michigan State in 2002. 

Kaden Prather flanked the aerial attack with six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. The score was the 10th of his career, seventh as a Terp, and second of the 2024 season after scoring in his last outing against Virginia.  Roman Hemby rushed 14 times for 67 yards and a score. His touchdown in the first quarter was the 22nd of his career, tying him for 11th place in program history. Nolan Ray also scored on the ground for the second touchdown of his career.   The Terps scored on each of their first four drives while holding the Wildcats (3-1) scoreless until midway through the third quarter. The first-half shutout was Maryland's second of the season after leading UConn 23-0 at halftime in week one. 

Maryland's defense swarmed Villanova's offense throughout the game. Tommy Akingbesote recorded his first career game with multiple tackles for loss, one of which was a sack. Ruben Hyppolite led the Terps with six total tackles and a tackle for loss. Dillan Fontus blocked a field goal, and Michael Harris added his first career sack. 

The game was branded as Maryland's annual Mental Health Awareness Game during Family Weekend.
  Locksley's Take 
"Billy was really efficient man," Head Coach Michael Locksley said. "Billy's playing clean football for us, and Tai continues to be Tai and make the plays that he's capable of. It was great to see Kaden get off to a fast start as well. ... We can't take winning football games for granted." 

Felton On His Historic Day
"I'm doing whatever it takes for the team to win. If I have zero catches or 15 catches, whatever it takes to get a win, tackle one special team. That's what I'm all about, winning. It's honestly a blessing that I'm playing at this level, but it's a testament to all the hard work I've been putting in." 

Edwards On His Efficiency 
"The offensive coaching staff, whether it's Coach Najarian, the quarterback grad assistant coach, Gattis or Coach Locks, we always talk about handling the call. Even if that's on third and 10, sometimes they give us access to throw a hitch. I got to take the hitch and trust that my play-makers will make someone miss, or we'll be in fourth and one, and we can go for it. I think the biggest thing is just knowing to handle the call." 

Breaking Down The Action
  • Billy Edwards Jr. found Kaden Prather for an 18-yard touchdown score on the game's opening drive. The drive lasted 11 plays for 75 yards. Tai Felton caught four passes for 21 yards, and Roman Hemby rushed five times for 40 yards. 
  • The Terps forced a three-and-out and went seven plays for 57 yards to reach the end zone and lead 14-0. Hemby plunged in for the score from six yards out. 
  • Jack Howes cashed in on a 46-yarder to put Maryland up 17-0 with 1:29 left in the first quarter. 
  • Villanova reached the red zone on its third dive of the game in the second quarter. It settled for a field goal, but Dillan Fontus blocked the attempt to hold the shutout. 
  • Nolan Ray rushed for a one-yard score to put Maryland up 24-0 at 6:49 in the second frame. Edwards found Felton for a 23-yard reception and Preston Howard for a 19-yard gain on the drive. 
  • Tommy Akingbesote dragged down a Villanova ball carrier for a loss of six on first down. The Wildcats later punted, and the Terps raced down the field but could not reach the end zone before halftime.  
  • Villanova intercepted a pass and returned it to the red zone midway through the third. It finished the drive with a field goal but trailed 24-3. 
  • The Wildcats recovered an onside kick on the ensuing drive and scored a 17-yard touchdown to trail 24-10 with 4:15 left in the third.
  • The Terps responded with a score from Felton on a jump ball in the red zone. It was from nine yards out and set a new career-high in catches for the senior. Maryland led 31-10 with 36 seconds in the third.   
  • Maryland expanded its lead to 38-13 after MJ Morris rushed for a touchdown on a QB keeper from 14 yards out. Felton set up the score with a 61-yard catch in double coverage. 
Big TaIME Felton 
  • Tai Felton finished his day with a stat line of 14 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown. His 14 catches were a career-high, surpassing his previous best of 11 catches against Michigan State on Sept. 7, and are tied for second in school history for a single game (Torrey Smith vs. NC State, 2010).  
  • His 14 catches were the most by a Terp in a single game since Maryland joined the Big Ten. It surpassed Chigoziem Okonkwo's 12 catches against Penn State in 2021. 
  • Through four games, he has 41 receptions, 604 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns, all of which rank among the top in the nation. His 604 receiving yards are the second-most nationally behind San Jose State's Nick Nash (637). The 604 are the second-most for a Terp in the first four games of any season, behind only Jermaine Lewis' 617 in 1993. 
  • Felton's 41 receptions through four games surpassed Frank Wycheck's school record of 38 catches in the first four games of the 1991 season.  
  • In the first quarter alone, Felton caught eight passes, the most by any Big Ten player in any quarter since at least 2012. 
  • With 100+ receiving yards for the fourth game in a row to start a season, Felton extended his record-setting streak. He became the first player in program history to start the season with four consecutive 100-yard games.  
  • He became the second Terp to have four consecutive games with 100+ receiving yards, equalling the mark Jermaine Lewis set in 1994 with four in a row from Oct. 22 to Nov. 12, 1994. 
  • Felton is even just the third Big Ten player since 1996 to start a season with 100 receiving yards in each of the first four games, joining Garrett Wilson of Ohio State in 2020 and Charles Rogers of Michigan State in 2002. 
Non-Conference Success
  • The Terps have won 15 straight games against non-conference opponents, the second-longest streak in the country. Georgia has the longest streak with 24 consecutive non-conference wins. 
  • Under head coach Michael Locksley, the Terps are 17-1 in non-conference games, with wins over Virginia Tech, West Virginia, #23 NC State, #21 Syracuse, Virginia (twice), and Auburn. This is Maryland's longest such streak in the last 40 years.
  • In the Locksley era (2019-pres.),the Terps have scored 30-plus points in 15-of-18 non-conference games.
  • Maryland's seven straight wins by at least 14 points against non-conference opponents is also the second-longest active streak in FBS. Tennessee has the longest active streak with 11. 
  • The Terps have committed no more than two turnovers in their last 24 non-conference games. LSU (29) and Ohio State (26) are the only FBS teams with longer active such streaks.
  • Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, Maryland is 8-0 against FCS teams. 
Numbers And Nuggets 
  • 1: MJ Morris scored his first career touchdown with the Terps. 
  • 1: Michael Harris recorded his first career sack. 
  • 1: Marcus Dumervil started his first career with the Terps. 
  • 2: The Terps held a first-half shutout for the second time this season. 
  • 2: Nolan Ray scored his second career touchdown in the second quarter.
  • 3: The Terps had three sacks in the game to tie its season-high (3 vs. Michigan State). 
  • 7: Maryland's seven straight wins by at least 14 points against non-conference opponents is the second-longest active streak in FBS. Tennessee has the longest active streak with 11.
  • 8: Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, Maryland is 8-0 against FCS teams. 
  • 10: Kaden Prather scored his 10th career touchdown. Seven of his scores are with the Terps. 
  • 11: Roman Hemby is tied for 11th on Maryland's all-time touchdowns scored list. He tied with Buddy Rodgers (1994-97) and Ed Modzelewski (1949-51) with 22.
  • 14: Tai Felton corralled a career-high 14 receptions, surpassing his previous best of 11 catches against Michigan State on Sept. 7. It's also tied for second-most in program history with Torrey Smith.   
  • 15: The Terps have won 15 consecutive non-conference matchups. Only Georgia (24) has won more consecutive non-conference games than the Terps. This is the longest such streak for Maryland within the last 40 years.
  • 15: In the Locksley era (2019-pres.),the Terps have scored 30-plus points in 15-of-18 non-conference games.
  • 17: Overall, the Terps are 17-1 in non-conference games under Michael Locksley, with wins over Power Five teams such as Virginia Tech, West Virginia, No. 23 NC State, No. 21 Syracuse, Virginia (twice) and Auburn.
  • 24: The Terps have committed no more than two turnovers in their last 24 non-conference games. LSU (29) and Ohio State (26) are the only FBS teams with longer active such streaks.
  • 45: Maryland is outscoring opponents 45-10 in first quarters this season. This was the second game in which the Terps didn't allow any first-quarter points this season.
  • 1500: Prather eclipsed 1500 career receiving yards. This is the second week in a row that a Maryland receiver achieved that feat. Felton broke that milestone against Virginia on Sept. 14. 
Up Next
  • The Terps travel to Indiana (4-0) on Sept. 28 for a conference matchup. The game will kick off at noon and be streamed on Big Ten Network and Maryland Sports Radio Network. The Terps played the Hoosiers last season, resulting in a 44-17 victory.
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