Oct. 8, 2011
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ATLANTA -
Postgame notes following Maryland's 21-16 loss to No. 13 Georgia Tech.
Freshman Starters: Maryland started four freshmen on defense against Georgia Tech. Linebacker Mario Rowson made his first career start and joined three other freshmen that had already started this season - defensive end Keith Bowers, linebacker Lorne Goree and safety Titus Till. Rowson started in place of Kenny Tate, who missed the game with an injury. The Terps played much of the second half with five freshmen on defense after Demetrius Hartsfield was injured and replaced by Alex Twine.
Defensive Day: Maryland's defense performed well against the high powered triple-option attack of Georgia Tech. The Terps held the Yellow Jackets well below their season averages in points (21 - GT averaged 51.6 ppg); rushing (272 - GT averaged 378.2 pg); and total offense (386 - GT averaged 587 pg). Maryland held Tech scoreless over the last 27:51 of the game. Georgia Tech's 272 rushing yards and 386 total yards were season lows (previously 296 rushing vs. NC State; 413 total offense vs. NC State).
Brown Tops 100 Yards: C.J. Brown, who came in at quarterback in the second quarter, rushed for a career-high 124 yards on just nine carries (13.8 ypc). He became the first Maryland QB to top 100 yards on the ground since Jamarr Robinson had 129 against Virginia Tech on 11/14/09. Brown also had a 77-yard touchdown that is Maryland's longest play from scrimmage this year, and the longest rushing TD for the Terps since Da'Rel Scott had a 91-yard TD against East Carolina in the Military Bowl.
Ground Attack: In addition to Brown's 124 yards, Davin Meggett ran for 86 yards on 18 carries and Justus Pickett ran for 33 yards on 10 carries. Maryland's 246 rushing yards were a season high and the most since running for 291 in the Military Bowl last year.
Top Tackler: Defensive tackle Joe Vellano came up with a career-high 20 tackles, 14 of which were unassisted. That's the most tackles by a Maryland player since Dave Philistin had 21 against Georgia Tech on 10/6/07. Vellano's previous career high of 10 came last year against Navy, which also runs the triple-option offense.
Holding Onto the Ball: Maryland hit a field on its 14-play, 80-yard drive in the opening quarter. The Terps held the ball for 6:59 which was its longest possession of the season in terms of time elapsed. Maryland held the ball for 5:02 on one of its TD drives vs. Towson (10/1). The 14 plays also matched a season high (vs. Miami, 9/5).
Trickery: Maryland's second pass completion of the game came in the third quarter on a trick play. C.J. Brown threw a lateral to Tony Logan, who then tossed it 34 yards upfield to Kevin Dorsey. It was just the second career pass attempt for Logan (also one in 2010 against Wake Forest).
Tidbits: Demetrius Hartsfield passed 200 tackles in his career ... Davin Meggett moved into 12th place on the Maryland career rushing yards list ... Dexter McDougle recorded his second career interception ... A.J. Francis had a season-high nine tackles ... in his first career start Mario Rowson had seven tackles ... Kenny Tate's streak of 17 straight starts was snapped ... Nick Ferrara averaged 45.2 yards per punt on four attempts ... the Terps were penalized just once - a false start by offensive lineman Max Garcia ... Tech won the battle for time of possession 35:28 to 24:32 ... the Terps used their fifth different starting lineup of the year on defense.
