11:07 p.m. — The Terps (1-1) will now face Middle Tennessee State next Saturday and will attempt to extract some revenge after the FCS school upset them a year ago.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
You can check out the final box score of tonight’s game right here.
11:04 p.m. — The big play of the first half was Torrey Smith’s 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but apparently two teammates inadvertently opened a running lane for him on the big play.
Smith said two members of the return team ran into each other, and it actually created a path through which he could run.
When asked about the offense’s morale after Turner through the “pick-6,” Smith mentioned how most members of the offense came together on the sideline.
“We’ve been here before,” he said. “We can come back and tie it up.”
11:01 p.m. — Freshman Nick Ferrara may still be adjusting to life as a freshman in College Park, but he’s the big man on campus tonight after hitting the game-winning 26-yard field goal in overtime.
Ferrara said it was his first game-winning kick, including high school. When the game went into overtime, he thought to himself, “This is my time.”
His head coach apparently knew it would happen before the Terps even took the field tonight. Friedgen claims he had a dream last night that the Terps would kick a field goal in overtime on a third-down play—and that’s exactly what happened.
Ferrara knew James Madison would try to ice him on the overtime kick and credits his head coach for keeping him loose when he attempted to jog over to the Maryland sideline.
“[He told me] ‘Hey, Nick, get back out there. You’re fine.'”
10:58 p.m. — Defensive coordinator Don Brown admitted the difficulty in preparing for a triple-option team like James Madison, especially after playing such an explosive offense last week. The option forced Brown to move away from his blitzing preferences, as players must play specific assignments in the option game.
After allowing over 500 yards last week against Cal, the Terps surrendered 417 yards of offense tonight with 268 coming on the ground.
Brown said his players are still adjusting to his new defensive system but took full accountability for the defense’s performance in the first two games.
Despite the rough evening, the defensive coordinator was pleased with how the defense “raised” its intensity late in the fourth quarter and in overtime.
“In the overtime, I thought we were extremely decisive,” he said. “It’s something to build on.”
10:51 p.m. — Friedgen was pleased with the performance of his quarterback despite throwing an interception returned for a touchdown that put the Terrapins behind late in the third quarter.
“Chris has always been at his best in the toughest times and I think he came through for us big-time tonight,” he said.
Turner expressed a desire to get the running game going more consistently. The Terps rushed for 132 yards on 32 carries against James Madison.
10:49 p.m. — When asked his thoughts on the team after getting blown out last week and barely beating a FCS school at home, Friedgen cited how inexperienced the team is and how it will take time for younger players to feel comfortable at this level.
“I do think we’re getting better,” he said. “It’s just a question of how fast [we do it].”
10:45 p.m. — Friedgen expressed satisfaction—and relief—about tonight’s overtime victory.
“I’m very proud of the way our players hung in there and fought,” he said after the game.
The head coach expressed a need for the defense to attack more and not be as cautious when blitzing. Friedgen also wants the number of penalties to decrease. The Terps were penalized five times for 50 yards, one of them a personal foul penalty late in the fourth quarter.
10:41 p.m. — The Terps will feel relieved after pulling out the 38-35 overtime victory over James Madison, but the news is not so good for starting cornerback and co-captain Nolan Carroll.
Ralph Friedgen told the media Carroll suffered a broken tibia and is likely done for the year.
“I feel very bad for Nolan, because he was playing so well,” Friedgen said.
Carroll is a highly-respected member of the team, and you can tell by talking to his teammates. In fact, Alex Wujciak and Chris Turner were both unaware of Carroll’s fate and were visibly shaken when told by the media.
9:31 p.m. — You have to tip your hat to James Madison today, as the Dukes gave the Terps everything they could handle today.
For Maryland, it’s a nice win but certainly not the convincing performance you wanted to see over a FCS school.
9:29 p.m. — Ferrara hits the 26-yard field goal, and the Terrapins win!
Final score: Maryland 38, James Madison 35
What a great moment for the true freshman.
9:28 p.m. — Turner fakes the handoff and keeps for a gain of 6. 2nd-and-4 from the 7-yard line.
He then takes the handoff and moves to the middle of the field for the field goal. It will be a 26-yard field goal attempt.
James Madison takes a timeout to freeze the true freshman Ferrara.
9:27 p.m. — Maryland begins at the 25, as Scott carries for five yards down to the 20. Maryland only needs a field goal to win, keep in mind.
Scott runs for seven yards, and a first down at the 13.
9:26 p.m. — On third down, Dudzik is hit while he throws, and the pass falls incomplete.
Wright will attempt a 41-yard field goal, and it is NO GOOD!
Maryland will go on offense with a chance to win.
9:24 p.m. — On first down, the Maryland defense bottles up Dudzik after only a gain of one. Dudzik then lines up in the shotgun and runs option left where he’s wrapped up by Wujciak for no gain.
9:22 p.m. — Maryland wins the toss and will elect to play defense first. JMU elects to defend the east end zone—away from the Maryland student section.
Each team will receiver a possession starting at the 25-yard line with an opportunity to score.
9:20 p.m. — JMU has an astonishing 265 yards on the ground. Unbelievable. And they’ve been penalized 11 times for 105 yards tonight.
9:19 p.m. — We’ve reached the end of regulation with Maryland and James Madison locked up at 35 apiece.
Hard to believe the Terps have put themselves in this position with a terrible second half of football.
9:18 p.m. — After a four-yard completion to Corwin Acker, Sullivan is stopped short of the first down on 3rd-and-6.
Madison will use its final timeout with 22 seconds remaining. The Dukes will contemplate going for it but decide to punt.
Goff’s punt rolls down to the 4. With 0:12 remaining on the clock, we’re going to see some extra football barring a miracle play.
9:14 p.m. — On 3rd-and-2, Sullivan busts one for 18 yards and a first down.
With 38 seconds on the clock, JMU clocks the ball. The ball is on the Maryland 49.
9:12 p.m. — On 2nd-and-2, Dudzik’s pass is nearly picked off by Wiseman.
For the second time tonight, we have a late timeout negating a play. Sullivan had been stopped on 3rd-and-2, but Maryland called a timeout before the snap.
Not sure what’s going on with the crew here.
9:10 p.m. — On first down, Dudzik carries for a gain of eight. The Dukes will use a timeout with 0:50 remaining on the clock.
9:08 p.m. — On 3rd-and-9, Turner throws the slant to a wide-open Tyler, bu the sophomore drops it.
Baltz must punt drives it to the 11, but the Terps are called for interference–a 15-yard penalty. JMU will have it at their own 26 with 58 seconds to go.
9:08 p.m. — Smith catches another short pass, but the Terps are flagged for a personal foul. Unbelievable.
Now 2nd-and-21, Turner completes one to Smith for a gain of 12, setting up third down.
9:06 p.m. — The Terps begin the drive at their own 34-yard line. The first-down pass is caught for a loss of five as the defender came up quickly to make the tackle.
After another incompletion, Turner hits Scott out of the backfield for an 18-yard gain and a first down. The crowd gives a roar as we have less than two minutes remaining!
9:02 p.m. — On 3rd-and-16 from the JMU 41, Dudzik throws downfield right into the arms of Cameron Chism, but the defensive back drops the sure interception.
A much-needed stop there for the Terps with 2:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.
9:01 p.m. — Madison apparently calls timeout before throwing an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-16. The Terps’ faithful are not happy.
9:00 p.m. — On 2nd-and-19, Sullivan is stopped after only a three-yard gain.
A huge third-down play here for the Dukes.
8:58 p.m. — Long takes the kickoff and returns it all the way to the JMU 47. The kick coverage has been pretty poor throughout the evening.
The Dukes are obviously sticking with Dudzik at QB, and he hands to Sullivan for no gain. Wujciak in on the stop.
Dudzik hands to Sullivan running right for a huge gain, but a penalty will thankfully negate the long run into Maryland territory.
8:54 p.m. — The drive covers 8 plays, 78 yards, and 2:53.
8:53 p.m. — On fourth down, Turner hits Tyler on the square out for 26 yards. Huge play!
And, an even bigger play! Turner hits Cannon for the 27-yard touchdown. A tremendous throw by Turner.
With 5:09 remaining, Ferrara’s extra point ties the game at 35.
8:52 p.m. — Smith catches another short pass and gains 6 yards. I’d still love to see Turner pump and throw deep to Smith.
On second down, Turner throws incomplete to Furstenburg.
On 3rd-and-4, Turner’s pass to Scott is deflected by D.J. Bryant. The Terps will go for it.
8:50 p.m. — Turner runs for a first down and then carries again for four yards.
On 2nd-and-6, Turner hits Tyler on the slant for for 11 yards and a first down at the Terps’ 47.
8:48 p.m. — Let’s see how the Terps respond after Carroll is carted off the field.
Goff’s punt is fielded by Wiseman, and he’s dropped immediately at the Maryland 22-yard line.
8:02 remaining in the game, and Maryland trails by 7.
8:46 p.m. — Not a good sign for the Terps, as they’re bringing the cart out onto the field. Carroll is a defensive captain for the Terps and a player they cannot afford to lose.
8:45 p.m. — After the punt, Francis stuffs the ball carrier Sullivan for no gain. On second down, Sullivan is stopped by Moten and Wujciak after a gain of three. On 3rd-and-7, Sullivan carries again. He’s short of the first down, thankfully.
Carroll is down on the field for the Terps.
8:41 p.m. — Maryland will start at their own 31-yard line. Let’s see if the offense can answer again.
Turner gets good protection and tries to connect with Smith on the bomb, but the ball is overthrown. On second down, Turner throws a hitch to McCree for nine yards. Cannon did a great job blocking his man all the way into the Terps’ sideline.
On 3rd-and-1, Tyler Bowen is called for a false start. That simply cannot happen.
Backed up five yards, Turner finds a wide-open Meggett over the middle, and he drops it. It would have been at worst a 15-yard pickup and possibly more.
8:36 p.m. — JMU is called for delay of game on first down, moving them back to their own 28. Dudzik is still in the game, so it appears Matthews will stick with the hot hand now.
The quarterback keeps it for only a two-yard gain on first.
On second down, Dudzik fakes the handoff and runs 70 yards for the touchdown. Unbelievable. The Maryland defense has NO CLUE where the ball is in this JMU offense.
So much for snatching back the momentum. Terps trail 35-28 with 11:23 remaining.
Dudzik has 11 carries for 103 yards. He’s a quarterback.
8:31 p.m. — Turner keeps it on second down, taking the ball all the way to the 8-yard line. First-and-goal.
Turner runs option right and pitch it to Smith running in the opposite direction. No one will catch him. TOUCHDOWN, Maryland! Beautiful play call there.
Ferrara’s extra point ties the game at 28. 12:18 remaining in the game.
The drive covers three plays, 39 yards, and less than two minutes.
8:28 p.m. — Turner throws deep to Smith (thank you!), but the pass falls incomplete. However, JMU is flagged for pass interference, giving the Terps the first down at the Dukes’ 25. That’s why you throw deep.
Turner then throws another hitch to Smith who takes it upfield for six yards.
8:26 p.m. — On 2nd-and-7, Dudzik runs the option and is blown up by Tate in the backfield for a loss of six yards. He should’ve pitched that one.
On 3rd-and-13, the Dukes go conservative and hand off to Sullivan. He picks up three, and Madison must punt. A nice series for the defense that was BADLY needed.
Wiseman fields the punt in James Madison territory and returns it to the 40-yard line.
8:22 p.m. — We’ve reached the end of the third quarter, and Maryland trails JMU, 28-21. A disastrous third quarter for the Terps.
8:20 p.m. — Meggett catches out of the backfield for one yard. 2nd-and-15 now as Turner is pressured and must throw incomplete. On third down, Cannon catches a 10-yard pass, short of the chains.
The JMU fans in attendance—a nice showing coming up from Harrisonburg—are fired up and rightfully so.
Baltz hits a high 49-yard punt all the way down to the JMU 9 yard-line.
8:18 p.m. — Let’s see how Turner and the offense responds. After Smith returns to the 36, the Terps are flagged for illegal procedure.
Turner then must take a timeout. The crowd is not happy after that.
8:13 p.m. — The up man Tommy Galt fields the kick and returns it to his own 36. JMU is definitely kicking away from Smith, and who can blame them?
The Terps run a reverse to Smith for a gain of 14 yards, getting the Byrd crowd back into the game. Turner then keeps on first down and picks up five yards.
On 2nd-and-5, Turner fakes the pitch and tries to throw to Tommy Galt. Bad choice. The pass is intercepted by Jon Williams for a 62-yard touchdown. Oh dear God.
JMU now leads, 28-21.
8:10 p.m. — The play stands, and the Wright extra point is good.
With 3:05 remaining in the third quarter, Maryland and James Madison are tied, 21-21.
45 yards and six plays on the drive. This is not good.
8:09 p.m. — On 2nd-and-6 from the Terps’ 10, Sullivan runs right into Harrell and Galt at the line of scrimmage. However, James Madison is called for a chop block, which will move the ball back 15 yards.
On 2nd-and-21, Dudzik hits running back Scott Noble for 15 yards.
On 3rd-and-6 from the 10, James Madison jumps, moving them back five yards to the 15. Dudzik then throws the 15-yard touchdown to Caussin again, beating Moten for the score.
A great throw and a great catch, but hold on, we’ll have a review.
8:03 p.m. — Dudzik is back in the game after the turnover.
On second down, Jared Harrell pressures the quarterback into throwing the ball away.
On 3rd-and-8, Madison lines up with trips to the right, and Dudzik finds Charlie Neuman on the near sideline for a big gain down to the Maryland 14.
8:02 p.m. — Thorpe is back in at quarterback and runs left for only a yard before Carroll makes the tackle from his corner spot. Thorpe has only attempted two passes tonight.
Sullivan goes in motion and takes the quick handoff for a big gain, but JMU is called for a holding penalty, making it 2nd-and-19.
Thorpe looks to throw but keeps it and runs for 15 yards. Demetrius Hartsfield missed an open-field tackle, allowing the quarterback to pick up an extra 10 yards.
On 3rd-and-4, Thorpe is stuffed by Hartsfield, immediately making up for the missed tackle. No gain, and Madison must punt.
Tate fumbles the punt, giving the Dukes the ball at the Maryland 45-yard line. That’s not good.
7:57 p.m. — 46,485 is the announced attendance for tonight’s game. As I said earlier, the upper deck has quite a few empty seats, but the lower bowl is completely filled.
7:56 p.m. — Meggett takes the first-down pitch and has nowhere to go, losing two yards. On second down, Meggett takes the quick hand-off in the shotgun formation and carries for five yards.
On 3rd-and-7, Turner throws incomplete, intended for Tyler. JMU brought two defenders on the blitz, and Turner barely got the ball away.
Baltz’s punt goes to the 20-yard line.
7:52 p.m. — Dudzik starts the second half for the Dukes and throws incomplete on first down. Sullivan carries for about five yards on the next play.
On 3rd-and-5, Dudzik runs to the right, but A.J. Francis stops him after only a gain of two. Madison must punt.
Wiseman makes the fair catch at the Maryland 45. Good field position after the first punt, and a good series for the defense to begin the second half.
7:49 p.m. — Scott just put nice moves on two defenders, picking up eight yards on second down. On 3rd-and-2, Turner lines up in the shotgun and is sacked by linebacker Pat Williams who appeared to come free on the blitz.
Baltz with a beautiful punt, but Trenton Hughes cannot down the ball inside the 5-yard line. The kick goes into the end zone, and JMU takes over at their own 20.
7:46 p.m. — JMU angles the kick away from Smith, but he still manages to return the ball to his own 31.
On the first play, Turner throws another hitch to Cannon for a gain of 3. It’d be nice to see Franklin mix in a hitch-and-go at some point. The JMU corners continue to creep up to the line of scrimmage on those hitch patterns.
After a short Scott run, Turner throws complete to Ronnie Tyler for a first down and 16 yards. Tyler used a nice move to shake a defender on the play.
7:42 p.m. — Maryland will receive to begin the second half, so let’s see if Smith can spark the offense at the start of the third quarter.
7:39 p.m. — You have to be pleased with the offensive performance so far today. Despite Campbell being out on an already-inexperienced offensive line, Turner is using the short passing game to move the chains.
The senior quarterback is 11 of 14 for 97 yards. Scott has 50 yards on 13 carries and has a 1-yard touchdown run to his name.
Smith’s 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown is the play of the first half, but the sophomore receiver has also caught 4 passes for 51 yards. The Terps must continue to use his speed, and they did a good job getting him touches in the first half.
Defensively, you have to be disappointed with the Terrapins’ effort. Though JMU is rotating two quarterbacks and keeping the defense guessing, the Terps cannot allow 130 yards on the ground in one half of football.
Dudzik has rushed for 36 yards, Thorpe for 35, and the tailback Sullivan for 44 yards and a touchdown. Dudzik also has 79 passing yards and a touchdown pass to Caussin late in the first quarter.
Brown and the defense need to get more pressure on the quarterback and then contain Dudzik and Thorpe when they decide to tuck it and run.
James Madison has 217 total yards in the first half. Not as bad as Cal last week but not a great performance by the defense in the first half. Moten leads the Terps with five tackles.
7:23 p.m. — The punter Matt Goff lines up to attempt the long 50-yard field goal, and the Terps take a time out to “ice” him.
After the timeout, the left-footed kicker’s attempt is blocked by Deege Galt. Huge play by the Terps to go into the half with a 21-14 lead.
I’ll be back in a few for my first-half thoughts.
7:20 p.m. — On 3rd-and-4, Dudzik keeps and is stopped short of the first. Galt makes the stop.
On 4th-and-2, Dudzik fakes the handoff to Sullivan and picks up 21 yards on the play. That cannot happen. JMU spikes the ball with two seconds to go from the Maryland 33 yard-line
7:18 p.m. — Dudzik carries the ball for six yards after failing to find an open receiver. Madison takes a timeout with only 51 seconds to go in the half.
Ball is on their own 48.
After the Dukes line up in the shotgun, the Terps will now use a timeout.
7:15 p.m. — Dudzik remains in at QB and completes one for no gain.
Would be nice to see some pressure on Dudzik from Brown’s defense.
7:14 p.m. — Moats continues to give the Terps problems as he nearly sacks Turner and forces an incompletion.
On 3rd-and-2, Turner throws incomplete as he tries to find Matt Furstenburg. Baltz will have to punt.
A short punt of only 30 yards gives Madison the ball at its own 42-yard line. Not good. 1:18 to play in the second quarter.
7:13 p.m. — Maryland takes over at their own 20 after a touchback.
Turner comes out throwing and hits Meggett out of the backfield for eight yards. Under two minutes to go.
7:07 p.m. — Sullivan runs for the 4-yard touchdown, definitely a disappointing drive for a defense that should have felt very rested.
The Dukes will go for two points, and Dudzik tries to keep, is stood up at the goal line, and after a large gang of pushing ensues, the quarterback breaks the plane.
JMU cuts the score to 21-14 with 2:06 remaining in the half. The Madison drive covers 56 yards in 6 plays and lasts only 2:35.
JMU picked up very large chunks of yardage on the ground on that drive, a very disappointing series for this defense.
7:05 p.m. — Sullivan finds a seam and carries for 13 yards down to the Maryland 25-yard line. You don’t want to give up points here if you’re Maryland after such a methodical scoring drive just a few minutes ago.
Marcus Turner gets the pitch and picks up 21 yards all the way down to the Maryland 4.
7:02 p.m. — Dudzik attempts to run a play resembling the option and only picks up one yard.
On 3rd-and-9, Dudzik finds Caussin over the middle of the field for a gain of 17 yards and a first down. 3:33 remaining in the first half.
7:00 p.m. — You have to think Don Brown and the defense has figured out the pattern for the JMU quarterbacks with Dudzik being the more traditional passer and Thorpe always looking to run.
Dudzik is back at QB as the Dukes begin on their own 44 after another nice return. Coverage has been spotty throughout the first half for the Terps.
6:58 p.m. — On 2nd-and-10, Turner attempts the fade to Cannon, and JMU is called for pass interference, giving the Terps a 1st-and-goal on the 3.
Scott carries for no gain on first down as Moats stops him at the line of scrimmage.
After a pump fake, Turner runs up the middle for the score! Beautifully run play there, as the Terps go up by a score of 21-6.
The drive covers 81 yards in 14 plays and covers 8:20. This definitely gave the defense a nice breather.
6:53 p.m. — Scott is tripped up for a loss of one, making it 3rd-and-9 from the JMU 30-yard line with just over 7 minutes remaining in the half.
Turner hits Smith on a crossing route over the middle for a gain of 12 yards and moving the ball inside the red zone.
6:51 p.m. — Turner, working out of the shotgun, throws a dart to McCree for the first-down completion, covering 13 yards.
After Scott runs for three on first down, he picks up the first down after a 13-yard pickup. Scott is showing good speed and has rushed for 47 yards on 10 carries so far today.
6:49 p.m. — Scott is back in at tailback for Maryland and takes the pitch left for a gain of six on first down. Pinegar seemed to do a nice job getting out to block, as he’s moved over to the left side in Campbell’s place.
On 2nd-and-4, Turner throws to Quintin McCree who is stopped immediately for only a gain of one yard.
Scott picks up the first down after running for 10 yards.
The Terps continue to run the hitches and bubble screens as LaQuan Williams catches a short pass and picks up seven yards.
6:45 p.m. — On 1st-and-20, Thorpe runs a draw but is bottled up by Moten and Derek Drummond after only three yards. It’s clear Thorpe is in there to run the ball.
As I type that, Thorpe tries to throw long to Long (ha!), but the ball falls incomplete.
On 3rd-and-17, Thorpe cannot find an open receiver and keeps it for a nice gain close to the first-down stick. The Dukes are flagged for holding and Maryland accepts, making it 3rd-and-32.
Thorpe continues to work out of the shotgun and keeps again after not finding an open man downfield. Antwine Perez trips him up after a 15-yard gain.
Wiseman takes the punt all the way back into JMU territory, but an illegal block in the back will negate the nice return. Maryland takes over at their own 19-yard line.
6:40 p.m. — The lower bowl of Byrd has filled up very well, but there are still plenty of empty seats on the third level. Late-arriving crowd seems to be settled in.
6:39 p.m. — JMU is called for false starts on successive plays, moving them back to their own 35.
We’ve reached the end of the first quarter with the Terps leading the Dukes, 14-6.
6:36 p.m. — Ferrara kicks to the 22 where Griff Yancey, an up-man, calls for the fair catch.
Thorpe is back in the game at QB and hands off to Sullivan for a huge gain. Carroll finally brings him down after a 23-yard pickup. I’m impressed with the Madison offense so far. The quarterback rotation has to be difficult to handle when you consider the different skill set of Dudzik and Thorpe.
6:34 p.m. — Smith takes the return, and he’s gone! 81-yard kickoff return for the touchdown. You give Smith an opening, and on one will catch him. Blinding speed.
Ferrara’s extra point is good, and the Terps are up 14-6.
Maryland’s last kickoff return for a TD came last season when Smith returned a 99-yarder against Nevada.
6:31 p.m. — Dudzik is back at QB for JMU, as Mickey Matthews will rotate the two throughout the game it appears.
After Sullivan carries for four, Dudzik completes a 29-yard pass to Scott Noble all the way down to the Maryland 21.
On 2nd-and-9, Dudzik finds tight end Mike Caussin wide open for a 20-yard Dukes touchdown. Nobody was around him.
JMU kicker Dixon Wright misses the extra point. Maryland still leads, 7-6 with 1:30 remaining in the first quarter.
6:27 p.m. — Davin Meggett is in at tailback for the Terps to begin the series and carries for three yards on his first touch. Meggett carries for two on second down.
On 3rd-and-5, Ronnell Brown brings heavy pressure as Turner nearly throws an interception.
Travis Baltz has to punt, and McGee returns the 45-yard punt to the JMU 46.
6:23 — Sullivan carries on 2nd-and-2 for no gain. On third down, Thorpe is absolutely STUFFED by Adrian Moten for a loss of four yards, and JMU will have to punt. Big defensive play.
Kenny Tate and Anthony Wiseman are back to return the punt (Logan is the normal returner but sat out last week). Wiseman fair catches the 42-yard punt, and the Terps take over at their own 8-yard line.
6:18 p.m. — Again, the kick coverage is shaky as Kerby Long returns the ball to his own 28 after the return man breaks a couple tackles.
Thorpe is now in at quarterback, and he carries for three yards on his first play.
On 2nd-and-7, Thorpe keeps again but picks up 13 yards and a first down. He’s a true frosh and is very agile.
6:15 p.m. — Adrian Cannon makes his first grab of the game, moving the chains again.
On first down, Scott runs left for six yards to the 10.
The Terps run the hitch to Cannon, and he carries to the 2.
First-and-goal, and Scott is in for the touchdown!
Ferrara’s extra point is good, and Maryland leads 7-0 with 8:05 remaining in the first quarter. 71 yards in 10 plays and covered 4:30.
Quite a difference from last week’s start so far, but JMU is a LITTLE different than facing Cal.
6:12 p.m. — After a short Scott run on first down, the Terps run the same play to Smith on the opposite sideline, and he ALMOST breaks it, picking up 22, as the Terps have moved down to the JMU 30-yard line.
Scott then carries right for eight yards. The Terps certainly look sharp early, but they’ll need to finish off the drive with six points.
6:11 p.m. — Maryland takes over on its own 28-yard line as we’ll get our first look at Chris Turner and the Terps offense.
Turner completes his first pass to Torrey Smith on first down for a gain of six. Nice to see them get the ball to Smith early.
On 2nd-and-4, Da’Rel Scott is leveled by Arthur Moats after a gain of two.
On 3rd-and-2, Turner throws the hitch to Smith for 11, giving the Terps a first down. Smith has two early catches after not catching a pass until the third quarter last week.
6:06 p.m. — After Dudzik completes a 13-yard pass to Rockeed McCarter, JMU fumbles the snap on 3rd-and-4 as they try a direct snap to Sullivan.
On 4th-and-5, the Dukes go for it. Dudzik keeps it and is stopped by Wujciak right at the sticks. After the measurement, the Terps take over on downs. Definitely a big play by the middle linebacker on that play.
6:03 p.m. — Nick Ferrara kicks off and Scotty McGee returns the short kick all the way down to the Maryland 38. A return of 50 yards is not what you want to see right off the bat.
Drew Dudzik gets the start at quarterback for JMU who will also give Justin Thorpe some reps today.
The Dukes are called for a delay of game before Jamal Sullivan runs for a loss of two on 1st-and-15.
6:01 p.m. — The Terps come out first followed by the Dukes from James Madison who come out to a chorus of loud boos. The student section has filled up very nicely, but definitely not a large crowd overall.
The captains meet at the 50, and Maryland will kick off to begin the game.
A pregame video of “Red! White!” between Bruce Campbell and Travis Ivey really got the crowd going.
5:56 p.m. — It’s cloudy with a 20% chance of precipitation, and the current temperature is 70 degrees here at Byrd Stadium.
5:50 p.m. — Gonnella will carry the American flag on to the field today, and Deege Galt (Good Counsel HS in Silver Spring) will bring the Maryland flag to the field.
5:48 p.m. — Terps captains are Turner, Costa, Carroll, and Moten, who are all season-long captains. Today’s special teams captain is Kevin Dorsey.
Today’s honorary captains are football alumni Jack Scarbath and Joe Horning.
5:45 p.m. — Here are the scheduled starters for the Terps this evening:
Offense:
QB Chris Turner
TB Da’Rel Scott
FB Cory Jackson
WR Adrian Cannon
WR Torrey Smith
TE Tommy Galt
LT Paul Pinegar
LG Bennett Fulper (true freshman – the first to start since Jared Gaither in the 2005 season finale)
C Phil Costa
RG Andrew Gonnella
RT R.J. Dill
Defense:
DE Jared Harrell
NT A.J. Francis
DT Travis Ivey
DE Deege Galt
LB Adrian Moten
LB Alex Wucjiak
LB Demetrius Hartsfield
CB Anthony Wiseman
FS Terrell Skinner
SS Kenny Tate
CB Nolan Carroll
5:34 p.m. — Other than the student section, Byrd is very empty as we count down to the 6:00 kickoff. Not a complete surprise considering the FCS opponent and the brutal loss from last week.
The students are fired up, however, and were giving the JMU mascot a very hard time when he came down to stir them up.
5:20 p.m. — Today’s ACC winners include North Carolina (with a late safety to beat UConn, 12-10), Wake Forest, Duke, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. Georgia Tech knocked off Clemson on Thursday night.
Florida State and N.C. State will also kick off their respective games at 6:00 p.m.
Virginia trails TCU, 14-0 in the third quarter. I think Al Groh is in major trouble.
5:12 p.m. — Maryland is dressed in their red home jerseys and white pants, and the Dukes will wear gold helmets, white jerseys, and purple pants.
5:08 p.m. — The Terps will be without left tackle Bruce Campbell (toe) and safety Jamari McCollough (foot) this evening, as both players sustained injuries against Cal.
Other Terps who are out include Louis Berman (leg), Caleb Porzel (leg), and Joe Vellano (foot).
5:03 p.m. –Tony Logan is out on the field and warming up, so it appears he’ll give it a go this evening. The Terps’ punt returner missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury.
The student section is beginning to fill up, but the stadium is still very empty considering we’re less than an hour away from kickoff. Let’s hope it’s simply a matter of Terps fans getting some extra tailgating in before kickoff. After all, this is the first opportunity to do it this season.
Plenty of tickets will still available this week, so maybe we’ll see a bigger walk-up crowd with the game only being shown on ESPN360.
4:38 p.m. — I’m live from the brand new press box in Tyser Tower, and we’re an hour and a half away from kickoff here at Byrd Stadium, as the Terps take on FCS power James Madison this evening.
The Terps (0-1) are coming off a horrific 52-13 loss at California last Saturday while the Dukes are playing their first game of the season. James Madison was ranked No. 6 in the FCS preseason poll, so Maryland cannot take this team lightly.
We’ll see how eager the Terps are to put last week’s loss behind them, as they were thoroughly dominated in all phases of the game.
The game can only be seen on ESPN360 (webcast), so WNST.net is the place to be, as I’ll be blogging throughout the game. As always, you’re encouraged to leave your comments, questions, and rants throughout the evening.
