COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The final day of August was a long one for the UConn football team, which was routed 50-7 at Maryland on Saturday.
The Terrapins were led by QB Billy Edwards Jr., who threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns while completing 20 of 27 pass attempts with no interceptions. Edwards Jr. added 39 yards on the ground on five carries and was Maryland’s fourth leading rusher.
The Maryland ground game was led by Roman Hemby, who carried the ball 14 times for 66 yards and a touchdown. Not far behind was Nolan Ray, who rushed for 60 yards on six carries. Ray’s 48-yard touchdown run in the first quarter put Maryland ahead by double digits, a lead it never surrendered. Colby McDonald also contributed 44 yards on the ground on six carries for the Terps.
UConn’s new QB Nick Evers, a transfer from Wisconsin, came up short in his first game as a Husky. He completed only six of 17 passes, throwing for 73 yards with an interception. UConn head coach Jim Mora took Evers out of the game in the third quarter after a personal foul on Maryland and substituted in backup QB Joseph Fagnano.
Fagnano, who was UConn’s starting quarterback last season before being injured in the second game at Georgia State, threw an interception on his first drive but responded with a touchdown drive of 82 yards. Fagnano connected with Purdue transfer TJ Sheffield for a 27-yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 30-7. It would be UConn’s only points of the game.
Maryland scored early and often, beginning the game with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that saw a fumble recovery by UConn overturned. After a UConn punt, Maryland drove the ball 92 yards on seven plays, capped by Ray’s 48-ayrd touchdown. Maryland led 14-0 after the first quarter, as UConn failed to move the ball with consistency, a trend that lasted the entire game.
The Huskies did force a punt at the beginning of the second quarter but were forced to punt themselves after a drive that yielded negative seven yards on three plays. The UConn defense showed some signs of life in the quarter, holding the Terrapins to three field goals. Maryland led 23-0 at halftime.
After a UConn punt to begin the second half, Maryland drove the ball down field for a touchdown on a 78 yard, seven play drive to take a 30-0 lead. Not long after, Fagnano was substituted in for Evers and threw the touchdown pass to Sheffield for UConn’s only points.
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Maryland answered immediately; on the first play of the next drive, Edwards Jr. found Tai Felton for a 75-yard touchdown. The Terps missed the extra point and led 36-7, which was the score at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Maryland embarked on a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive led by backup QB Cameron Edge, who completed a 24-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 43-7. On its final drive of the day, Maryland scored again to bring its lead to 50-7, the final score.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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