Sept. 7, 2008
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Postgame Notes
Going the Distance: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey took a catch and run 80 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, cutting Maryland's deficit to 17-14. The play marked the second-longest of Heyward-Bey's career, trailing only the school-record 96-yarder he had versus Miami Nov. 11, 2006. It was the longest completion of QB Chris Turner's career, surpassing a 78-yard pass to Jason Goode last season against Virginia Tech.
Chart Climber: Darrius Heyward-Bey continued his ascent through the receiving portion of Maryland's record book. By recording 90 receiving yards Saturday, the junior wideout passed Guilian Gary (1998-2001) to move into ninth place all-time in school history with 1,640 career receiving yards. He stands just one receiving yard behind Ferrell Edmunds (1984-87) for seventh on the all-time list. Heyward-Bey's three receptions against the Blue Raiders give him 103 for his career - also good for eighth all-time, as he passed Edmunds in the Terps' record book. Heyward-Bey has now caught at least one pass in 26 of the last 27 contests.
Off to the Races: On Maryland's second offensive play from scrimmage, RB Da'Rel Scott reeled off 63-yard touchdown run. It was the longest run by a Terp since Lance Ball ran for 65 yards versus Boston College Nov. 19, 2005, and the team's longest run for a touchdown since Bruce Perry scored on an 80-yard run against Wake Forest Nov. 28, 2003. For Scott, it was his longest gain from scrimmage, surpassing a 57-yard reception he had last season versus Boston College.
No Fluke: With 11 rushes for 123 yards versus the Blue Raiders, Da'Rel Scott has 320 rushing yards through the first two games of the 2008 season. That total is the most in a two-game period by a Terp since Josh Allen rushed for a combined 401 yards against Virginia and NC State on Nov. 13 and Nov. 22, 2003. Scott's performance marks the first back-to-back 100-yard rushing games for a Maryland ball carrier since Keon Lattimore ran for 112 and 124, respectively, against Wake Forest and Rutgers last Sept. 22 and Sept. 29.
Big Play Ability: Behind Darrius Heyward-Bey's 80-yard reception and Da'Rel Scott's 63-yard run, Maryland had its first game with two offensive plays greater than 60 yards since Heyward-Bey had receptions of 96 and 65 yards against Miami Nov. 11, 2006. Through two games, Heyward-Bey leads the Terps in scoring with two touchdowns, and Scott already has five carries of at least 24 yards (40, 37 and 26 against Delaware; 63 and 24 versus Middle Tennessee State).
Opportunistic: LB Alex Wujciak's knack for making big plays continued for the Terps against the Blue Raiders. One week after the Mike linebacker blocked a field goal attempt against Delaware, Wujciak notched his first career fumble recovery in the second quarter Saturday when he pounced on a dropped lateral.
Change of Pace: QB Josh Portis used his speed to add a new dimension to the Terps offense against Middle Tennessee State. The junior signal-caller rushed six times for 31 yards, including a long of 16 yards. Portis also completed his first pass as a Terp when he connected with WR Danny Oquendo for four yards in the second quarter.
First Catch: TE Lansford Watson's first collegiate reception occurred in the fourth quarter when he made an acrobatic catch for 29 yards on a pass from Chris Turner.
Streaks continue: Several Terps extended streaks on Saturday. DL Jeremy Navarre has now played in 39 consecutive games, and his 37 career starts are the most on the team. OL Edwin Williams has now started 28 consecutive games, tops on the team.
Tackle Machine: Along with DB Jeff Allen, LB Dave Philistin paced the Terps with nine tackles Saturday and now shares the team lead with Alex Wujciak, both of whom have 15 stops on the season. The ACC's leading returning tackler from a year ago, Philistin now has tallied at least nine tackles in nine of his last 11 games.
Series record: Maryland dropped to 2-1 all-time against Middle Tennessee State, and now stands 4-1 all-time versus teams currently playing in the Sun Belt Conference, having defeated Florida International twice (14-10 in 2006; 26-10 in 2007).
Attendance: A crowd of 22,605 attended Saturday's game in Middle Tennessee State's Floyd Stadium. It was the sixth-largest home crowd all-time for the Blue Raiders.
