Maryland topples No. 21 Wake Forest, 26-0
Maryland’s football team accomplished something at Byrd Stadium on Saturday it hadn’t done in 53 years: hold a ranked team scoreless.
The Terrapins overwhelmed No. 21 Wake Forest, 26-0, to remain very much in the hunt for the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division title two weeks after suffering a devastating, 31-0 loss to lowly Virginia.
The Terrapins (5-2 overall, 2-1 ACC) are one victory away from being bowl eligible for the third straight year after junior quarterback Chris Turner improved to 5-0 against ranked teams.
Turner completed 28-of-41 passes for 321 yards, and surpassed the 3,000-yard mark for his career in the victory. But it was the right arm of junior running back Da’Rel Scott that gave Maryland an early lead it would not relinquish.
After taking a pitch from Turner and running to his right, Scott hesitated and found Darrius Heyward-Bey on a crossing pattern in the middle of the end zone. The 6 foot 2, 206-pounder jumped to snare the soft throw to give the Terrapins a 7-0 lead fewer than five minutes into the game.
Scott’s first career completion was Heyward-Bey’s fourth touchdown reception of the season and 12th of his career — tying him with Gary Collins for fourth-most in school history. Heyward-Bey finished with 11 catches for 101 yards, as the Terrapins ended a two-game losing streak to the Demon Deacons (4-2, 2-1).
The Terrapins put the game away when senior receiver Danny Oquendo caught a Turner pass and sliced through the Wake Forest defense en route to a 50-yard touchdown with 4:33 remaining in regulation, bringing chants of “Over-rated!” from the crowd of 46,257.
Senior Obi Egekeze made four field goals, and Wake Forest’s reserve kicker Shane Popham — filling in for the school’s all-time leading scorer Sam Swank, who was out with a leg injury — missed his two field goal tries. Maryland last blanked a ranked team with a 7-0 victory over then-top-ranked UCLA on Sept. 24, 1955.
The Maryland defense limited Demon Deacons junior quarterback Riley Skinner to 127 yards on 14-of-30 passing, and held Wake Forest’s rushing attack to just 73 yards on 33 carries.
Up next
TERPS (5-2 overall, 2-1 ACC) VS. N.C. STATE WOLFPACK (2-5, 0-3)
When » Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Where » Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium
TV/Radio » None/106.7 FM
