Tag: Maryland

Maryland's Roman Hemby (24) runs during the Indiana versus Maryland football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.

Report: Ex-Maryland RB Roman Hemby signs with Indiana

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Maryland running back Roman Hemby is staying in the Big Ten and signing with Indiana, ESPN reported Monday.

The 6-foot, 208-pound junior entered the transfer portal last week and has one year of eligibility remaining.

Hemby rushed for 607 yards and six touchdowns and caught 40 passes for 273 yards and one score in 12 games this season.

His only 100-yard game in 2024 came against the Hoosiers on Sept. 28 when he rushed 10 times for 117 yards in Indiana’s 42-28 win in Bloomington, Ind. He had a 75-yard touchdown run and a 12-yard touchdown catch.

In four seasons with the Terrapins, Hemby accumulated 3,268 yards from scrimmage with 27 touchdowns in 42 contests.

–Field Level Media

Nov 30, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) runs with the ball against the Maryland Terrapins during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

No. 4 Penn State runs away from Maryland, into Big Ten title game

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No. 4 Penn State tripped out of the gates, then lapped visiting Maryland for a 38-7 victory Saturday in State College, Pa.

Win No. 11 on the season sends the one-loss Nittany Lions to Indianapolis for the Big Ten conference championship game to challenge No. 1 Oregon in Indianapolis next Saturday.

Penn State running back Nick Singleton scored two touchdowns and Tyler Warren, the Nittany Lions’ record-setting tight end, had another game for the books.

After trailing 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, the Nittany Lions (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) found overdrive in the second quarter, scoring four touchdowns before halftime.

Quarterback Drew Allar’s desperate toss behind the line of scrimmage to his left found Warren, who hurdled one tackler, busted through another and kept driving for what registered as a 29-yard run to set up PSU’s third rushing touchdown in a span of barely six minutes to give the Nittany Lions a 24-7 lead with 6:53 left in the half.

Penn State wasn’t done, with Warren catching a 7-yard scoring pass from Allar to make it 31-7 with 1:46 left in the second quarter.

In all, the Nittany Lions scored the game’s final 44 points after spotting the Terrapins an early 7-0 lead.

Allar plowed for a 1-yard touchdown with 10:11 on the clock in the second quarter to make it 17-7, Beau Pribula jogged in from 6 yards out a few ticks under the seven-minute mark, then Penn State took the ball right back. Audavion Collins intercepted MJ Morris to set up Allar’s TD pass to Warren — the tight end’s 17th career touchdown reception (a school record for the position).

Moments after Happy Valley erupted in celebration of the Michigan upset at Ohio State, Maryland took the air out of the stadium.

Maryland forced a fumble on Penn State’s opening play and the Terrapins scored a touchdown on their first offensive snap — a 25-yard pass from Morris to Kaden Prather — to claim a 7-0 lead.

Warren set the Big Ten career record for receptions by a tight end with a catch in the first quarter, which was his 15th gain of 20-plus yards in 2024. The same 13-play drive ended with Penn State’s first touchdown of the game, Singleton’s 2-yard plunge off left guard two minutes into the second quarter. Singleton later broke through for an 18-yard score in the fourth quarter.

Pribula rounded out the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tyseer Denmark on the game’s final play.

Morris was intercepted three times.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) celebrates with fans after defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

No. 4 Penn State focused on task at hand: Maryland

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Penn State fans waited almost 11 years to see their Nittany Lions reach the College Football Playoff for the first time.

Their patience would almost certainly be rewarded if No. 4 Penn State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) beats visiting Maryland (4-7, 1-7) on Saturday in University Park, Pa.

The Nittany Lions held their place in the latest CFP poll after escaping Minnesota with a 26-25 win last Saturday. They are currently projected to host Indiana in a first-round game as part of the inaugural 12-team playoff field, which will be finalized Dec. 8.

A win would essentially clinch a playoff spot and could even propel Penn State to the Big Ten championship game if No. 2 Ohio State loses at home to Michigan on Saturday.

That’s a lot to look forward to, but all Nittany Lions coach James Franklin sees are potential distractions. Tripping up against the Terrapins on senior day could wash everything away.

“We want an opportunity to compete as many times as we possibly can this year. If that includes a conference championship game, we would be very, very excited about that opportunity,” Franklin said.

“All we have to do is focus on playing Maryland this week, and if we’re not focused on that, then a lot of these other things that everybody else wants to talk about, then those things become questionable. Those things become challenging.”

Quarterback Drew Allar has been sharp for Penn State over his last three games, completing 77.3 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

He carved up Maryland’s defense last season, tossing four touchdowns in a 51-15 road win.

Allar’s offensive line will look different on Saturday without star tackle Anthony Donkoh, who suffered a right knee injury against Minnesota. Wisconsin transfer Nolan Rucci will start in Donkoh’s place.

The Terrapins come in amid a down year that will end without a bowl appearance for the first time since 2020. Maryland has lost four straight, including a 29-13 home setback to Iowa last week.

It remains uncertain who will be under center for the Terrapins on Saturday.

Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland’s regular starter, has regressed over the past few games and left last week’s contest after taking a big hit in the third quarter. North Carolina State transfer MJ Morris entered for Edwards and completed 12 of 23 passes for 103 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.

Terrapins coach Michael Locksley said Edwards practiced on Monday but remains “a little banged up.”

“He fought through all year with some of these (injuries), and I expect him to fight through, to try to make himself available this weekend,” Locksley said.

Whichever signal-caller takes the field will throw to one of the nation’s top pass-catchers this year in Tai Felton, whose 92 receptions and 1,097 receiving yards rank second (tied) and fourth, respectively, in FBS. The senior needs 143 yards to eclipse Maryland’s single-season receiving record.

Despite the disappointing campaign, Locksley said Felton and the Terrapins’ other veterans have needed no extra motivation ahead of what could be the final game of their collegiate careers.

“I got a bunch of seniors that are all for the smoke,” Locksley said. “They’re all for it. They’re showing up, they’re doing the work. Nobody’s hanging their heads.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) rushes as Maryland Terrapins defensive back Dante Trader Jr. (12) defends during the first half at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Kaleb Johnson, Kamari Moulton help Iowa run over Maryland

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Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson gashed Maryland for 164 yards, leading the Hawkeyes to a 29-13 win Saturday afternoon in College Park, Md.

On a windy afternoon, Drew Stevens tied a program record with five field goals and Kamari Moulton scored on a 68-yard sprint as Iowa (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) bounced back from a loss two weeks ago at UCLA.

In his first college start, Jackson Stratton completed 10 of 14 passes for 76 yards as Iowa stuck with its traditional run-heavy attack. Stratton is the third quarterback to start a game this season for the Hawkeyes.

Johnson, who carried a career-high 35 times, scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter, which gave him a program-record 21 touchdown rushes this year. Shonn Greene was the Hawkeyes’ previous record-holder with 20 touchdown runs in 2008.

In its final home game this season, Maryland (4-7, 1-7) lost for the sixth time in its last seven games. The defeat ends the Terrapins’ streak of three straight seasons reaching a bowl game.

MJ Morris came off the bench to replace injured quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and rallied Maryland with two touchdown passes in the second half.

But after the Terrapins whittled a 16-point deficit to six points, at 19-13, Morris threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Just before the picks, Moulton scored untouched on his 68-yard burst through the middle of the Maryland defense. The run put Iowa up 26-13 with 9:19 left. Moulton finished with 114 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Later in the quarter, Stevens booted a 26-yard field goal to make it 29-13. Stevens’ other 3-pointers came from 27, 54, 50 and 49 yards. He is the first Iowa kicker to hit from 50 or more yards twice in a game.

Morris finished 12-of-23 passing for Maryland for 103 yards. Tai Felton, who leads the Big Ten in receptions and receiving yards, had six catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns.

Iowa went up 3-0 on Stevens’ field goal with 22 seconds left in the first quarter. After Johnson’s touchdown, Stevens added his second field goal to give Iowa a 13-0 lead at the break.

–Field Level Media

Nov 16, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (16) throws a pass during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Kyle Monangai scores twice in return as Rutgers tops Maryland

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Kyle Monangai rushed for two touchdowns and Athan Kaliakmanis tossed for two scores Saturday as Rutgers secured bowl eligibility with a 31-17 win over Maryland in College Park, Md.

Monangai scored from 2 and 6 yards out, the latter giving the Scarlet Knights a 21-17 lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter. He finished with 97 yards on 25 carries after missing last week’s game with an undisclosed injury.

Kaliakmanis completed 20 of 30 throws for 238 yards for Rutgers (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten), which clinched bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons for the first time since making four straight bowls from 2011-14.

Billy Edwards Jr. went 32-of-55 for 335 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Roman Hemby tallied 87 rushing yards and a score as the Terrapins lost their third straight game. Maryland (4-6, 1-6) must win its last two games to make a fourth straight bowl.

The Scarlet Knights seized control after Hemby’s 1-yard run slid the Terrapins ahead 17-14 early in the second half. Monangai’s second score put Rutgers back in front, and Dymere Miller’s 32-yard catch on the first play of the fourth quarter extended the lead to 28-17.

Miller finished with eight receptions for 107 yards, both game-highs.

Jordan Thompson intercepted Edwards at the Scarlet Knights’ 28-yard line on Maryland’s next possession, and Jai Patel drilled a 46-yard field goal to make it 31-17 with 9:53 left. Rutgers’ defense notched fourth-down stops on the Terrapins’ next two drives to seal the victory.

Maryland converted 3 of 6 fourth downs overall, while the Scarlet Knights finished 3-for-3.

Jack Howes’ 48-yard field goal with 2:01 left in the first quarter put Maryland up 3-0. Rutgers responded with a 17-play, 75-yard drive that lasted almost nine minutes and ended with Kaliakmanis’ 12-yard touchdown pass to Ian Strong.

Edwards hit Tai Felton for a 12-yard score on Maryland’s next possession for a 10-7 lead. The Scarlet Knights answered again, this time on Monangai’s 2-yard run to swing Rutgers ahead 14-10 with 1:01 remaining in the first half.

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (16) throws a touchdown pass during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Win over Maryland would send Rutgers bowling

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Rutgers’ second rebuild under coach Greg Schiano could take a big step on Saturday when the Scarlet Knights visit Maryland in College Park, Md.

A win over the Terrapins (4-5, 1-5 Big Ten) would make Rutgers (5-4, 2-4) bowl-eligible in consecutive seasons for the first time since it made four straight bowls from 2011 to 2014.

Schiano returned for his second stint with the Scarlet Knights in 2020 after Rutgers endured five straight losing seasons. He previously had led the Scarlet Knights to relevance during his first head coaching tenure from 2001 to 2011 before leaving to coach the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Schiano’s second Rutgers tenure started with three losing campaigns — albeit with a bowl appearance in 2021 — but began to take shape last year, when the Scarlet Knights finished 7-6 and won the Pinstripe Bowl.

Rutgers now is on the brink of something it has not achieved in a decade, but the Scarlet Knights must first snap their head-to-head skid against Maryland. The Terrapins won each of the past three meetings by at least 18 points.

“Offensively very explosive,” Schiano said of Maryland. “Coach (Michael) Locksley does a great job. Certainly he’s been a handful for us in our time back here. We haven’t had a ton of success against them, especially playing on the road.”

Terrapins quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. ranks third in the Big Ten with an average of 280.0 passing yards per game, but Maryland has lost four of five since a 3-1 start. Edwards threw for 206 yards while completing 22 of 44 passes with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 39-18 loss at No. 1 Oregon last week.

Needing two wins in their last three games to reach their fourth straight bowl, Locksley said his team is playing its own version of “playoff football.”

“The pillars of our program (are) how we start and how we finish, and obviously we’ve got some work to do to finish the right way,” Locksley said.

Rutgers snapped a four-game slide with a 26-19 win over visiting Minnesota last week.

Athan Kaliakmanis tossed three touchdown passes while Antwan Raymond and Ja’shon Benjamin combined for 139 rushing yards as star running back Kyle Monangai sat out due to an undisclosed injury.

It was uncertain whether Monangai, who ranks second in the Big Ten with an average of 116.4 rushing yards per game, would play against the Terrapins.

–Field Level Media

Oct 26, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Daniel Jackson (9) catches a touchdown pass against the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Max Brosmer (4 TDs) leads Minnesota’s attack vs. Maryland

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Max Brosmer threw four touchdown passes to propel Minnesota to a 48-23 romp over Maryland in the Golden Gophers’ homecoming game on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Justin Walley added a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown as Minnesota (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) won its third straight, all in the conference.

Brosmer completed 26 of 33 passes for 320 yards without an interception. His touchdown and yardage totals were his most in a Golden Gophers uniform after transferring this year from New Hampshire.

Minnesota’s Daniel Jackson caught nine passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Elijah Spencer added six receptions for 99 yards and two more scores.

Darius Taylor had a 51-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter for Minnesota and finished with 115 yards rushing and receiving on 20 touches.

The Minnesota defense stymied Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who entered with the second-most passing yards of any quarterback in the Big Ten.

Edwards finished with 19 completions in 35 attempts for 201 yards with two interceptions. In the final minute of the first half, Edwards scored on a touchdown run for Maryland (4-4, 1-4), which has lost three of its last four games.

Coming off a bye, Minnesota was sharp from the start. The Golden Gophers scored on their first two possessions and when Walley dashed up the sideline for his pick-six, it provided a 21-0 lead before the game was 11 minutes old.

Brosmer was working against an injury-riddled Maryland secondary, which was further depleted in the first quarter when Judah Jenkins was ejected for targeting as he made a helmet-to-helmet hit on Jackson.

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s defensive backfield thrived. Koi Perich returned his fifth interception of the season 45 yards to set up a 40-yard field goal by Dragan Kesich, which gave the Golden Gophers a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Kesich’s second field goal, a 34-yarder with two seconds left in the first half, gave Minnesota a 34-10 lead at the break.

The Golden Gophers scored on the first possession of the second half, needing five plays to traverse 75 yards. Brosmer capped the drive with a 25-yard pass to Spencer in the back corner of the end zone.

In relief of Edwards in the fourth quarter, MJ Morris completed 7 of 8 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

Maryland’s Tai Felton, who entered as the Big Ten leader in receptions, had nine catches for 104 yards.

–Field Level Media

Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck looks on during the second half against the USC Trojans at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Maryland, Minnesota maneuver for momentum, win No. 5

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Minnesota and Maryland meet in Minneapolis in the Golden Gophers’ homecoming with budding optimism following slow starts to the season.

After losing its first two conference games, Minnesota (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) has rebounded this month, pulling off second-half comebacks to topple then No. 11 USC and UCLA.

Maryland (4-3, 1-3) dropped its first three Big Ten games before staging a fourth-quarter rally last week in a 29-28 victory over USC.

The Terrapins’ win after they trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter was particularly timely as sixth-year coach Mike Locksley had been the target of harsh criticism in the wake of a 37-10 loss at home to Northwestern.

“I saw our team grow up right before our eyes,” Locksley said.

The orchestrator of the comeback was Billy Edwards Jr., who completed 39 of 50 passes for 373 yards with two touchdowns. Edwards also scored the game-winning touchdown on a 3-yard run with 48 seconds left.

The junior leads the Big Ten in passing yards (2,113) and completions (195). His top target, Kai Felton, paces the conference in receptions (64) and receiving yards (803).

Minnesota counters with the second-best pass defense in the league (139.6 yards per game) and leads the Big Ten in interceptions (13).

“They all play in synch,” Edwards said. “They play the ball really well. They’re all aggressive.”

Edwards specifically mentioned the challenge of facing Golden Gophers cornerback Ethan Robinson, a transfer from Bucknell, and safety Koi Perich, who leads the team with four interceptions in his first college season.

“When you’re talking about the impact that he’s making on defense, special teams, that’s hard to do as a true freshman,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “He came in June. He hasn’t even been through the strength program, the off-season program yet.”

Minnesota got back to work after a bye week that followed back-to-back clutch victories over the Big Ten’s two California teams.

In the win over USC, quarterback Max Brosmer ran for two touchdowns in the final eight minutes as the Golden Gophers pulled out a 24-17 victory after trailing by seven points.

In the UCLA win, 21-17, Minnesota scored all of its points in the second half as Brosmer threw two touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Darius Taylor with 27 seconds left.

Fleck expects a tougher matchup on Saturday against Maryland, which leads the series 4-3.

“They’re twitchy, they’re stout, they’re good, they’re long, they’re athletic,” Fleck said. “It just keeps coming at you. That’s the good and bad of our league.”

– Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs tight end RJ Maryland (82) scores a touchdown after a catch against the Stanford Cardinal during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

SMU star TE RJ Maryland (knee) will miss rest of season

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SMU standout tight end RJ Maryland is done for the season after sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee during last weekend’s 40-10 rout of Stanford.

Maryland was injured in the third quarter when he took a hit from Stanford cornerback Collin Wright after catching a short pass in the left flat.

Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee termed the blow as a “violent hit.”

“RJ is going to be out for the year,” Lashlee told reporters Tuesday. “Got the news we expected yesterday, so probably will have more detail on that in the coming weeks, but he’s gonna have to have surgery and he’ll be out for the rest of the season. Yes (it’s an ACL), but there are some other things, so just kind of waiting on the specifics, but yes, that is part of it.”

Maryland is the team’s top target. He leads the No. 22 Mustangs with 24 receptions, 359 yards and four touchdowns.

The junior has 86 receptions for 1,173 yards and 17 touchdowns in 34 career games.

He is the son of Russell Maryland, the College Hall of Famer who was a star defensive tackle for the Miami Hurricanes before being the No. 1 overall pick of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He was a part of three Super Bowl titles with the Cowboys.

SMU (6-1, 3-0) visits Duke in Athletic Coast Conference play on Saturday. Matthew Hibner is listed at No. 1 on the depth chart at tight end.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) reacts after throwing a touchdown during the first half against the Southern California Trojans at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Maryland scores late to hand USC another close loss in Big Ten

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Billy Edwards Jr. went 39-of-50 passing for 373 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for the game-winning score in the final minute as Maryland edged Southern California 29-28 on Saturday in College Park, Md.

Maryland (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) took possession for its decisive drive when Donnell Brown sprang up to block Michael Lantz’s 41-yard field-goal attempt, which would have put USC ahead by two possessions with under two minutes remaining.

A wild sequence on the return, including a Quashon Fuller lateral to Ruben Hyppolite, set the Terrapins offense up at midfield.

Edwards made savvy plays under pressure, including a shovel pass while under duress and then his successful 3-yard scramble to the end zone with 57 seconds left in regulation. Edwards fooled the USC defense with a zone-read hand-off fake to running back Roman Hemby. Jack Howes’ extra-point was good for 29-28.

The Trojans (3-4, 1-4) could not muster a scoring drive in the remaining seconds in suffering their fourth one-possession loss in league play.

Hemby scored a 10-yard touchdown earlier in the fourth quarter as Maryland cut a two-touchdown deficit down to 28-22. Edwards then converted a two-point try with his pass to Kaden Prather with 9:56 left in regulation.

USC moved the ball into Maryland territory on all four of its fourth-quarter possessions but only scored on the first when Miller Moss threw the third of his three touchdown passes. This one was a 26-yarder to Duce Robinson, with Moss’ other scoring passes going 15 yards to Ja’Kobi Lane and 22 yards to Kyron Hudson.

Moss finished the game 34 of 50 for 336 yards, but his one interception was pivotal. Lavain Scruggs picked off Moss midway through the third quarter with USC ahead 21-7 and driving to go ahead by three scores.

Scruggs’ ensuing 51-yard return led to Edwards’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Tai Felton on the very next snap, injecting life into the Terps for their strong finish. Felton matched Prather with a team-high nine receptions and had 84 yards. Prather totaled 111 yards.

Makai Lemon led USC with eight receptions for 89 yards. Woody Marks rushed for 82 yards on 17 carries in the loss.

Maryland’s comeback marked the fourth time, all in Big Ten games, that USC lost on a score in either the final minutes of regulation or in overtime.

–Field Level Media