NBC29Cavalier Beat Maryland In The Rain, Move Into 1st In ACC Coastal

Cavalier Beat Maryland In The Rain, Move Into 1st In ACC Coastal

The Virginia football team continued its strong turnaround on the road at Maryland Saturday, and knocked off the Terps 20-9.

The Cavaliers won their third-straight contest, and improved to 2-0 in the ACC.

There weren't a lot of fans in the stands for homecoming at Maryland, with only a hearty few braving the cold rain.

Those in attendance were not treated to an offense showcase in the first half, with turnovers for both teams, and nothing but field goals.

The Cavaliers trailed 9 to 3 at halftime, and head coach Al Groh said, "We came in here anticipating the toughest of games. 6-3 up, 6-3 down, 10-7 up, 10-3 down, whatever. We anticipated it would look something like that at the half."

Virginia encountered an unexpected problem in the 2nd half, as quarterback Jameel Sewell injured his leg running for a first down, and would not return to the game.

Robert Randolph would cap off that series with a 31 yard field to close it to a 3-point game.

On the ensuing Maryland drive, the Virginia defense would step up big, as Darren Childs deflected the pass, and Nate Collins plucked the ball out of the air, returning it 32 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

Collins says, "Best touchdown I ever scored in my life. Darren Childs made a great play, put his hands up, and knocked the ball down. It fell in my lap. I saw green, and just took off running. Thank God it wasn't more yards that it was, because I probably would have gotten caught."

In the 4th quarter, the Cavaliers were looking to put the game away, and Rashawn Jackson scampered down the sideline for a touchdown, but a holding call would bring the ball back.

"I honestly thought that was just a great block," says Jackson. "Maybe they don't see that too much around here, but that was a really good block."

Virginia had to punt, and the special teams would pin the Terps deep in their own territory.

Collins pushed them back even farther, almost picking up a safety.

"It was something we knew all week was going to happen," says Collins.  "We knew which way their line was going to slide. It opened up for me, and came at a great time."

Maryland would turn the ball over on downs, and Jackson scored the first rushing touchdown of his career on the next play, punching it in to seal the win.

Jackson rushed for 90-yards in the game, and says the rain wasn't much of a factor for him.

"Man, the weather was fun for me," says Jackson. "I'm from Jersey, so I'm used to this stuff."

Darren Childs adds, "I think the weather made a lot of us play a lot better. I knew we had to step it up."

The Cavalier have now won their third game in a row, and Collins says he was motivated by the schedule.

"No one wants to be put on someone's schedule as their homecoming," says Collins, "and to be put on their schedule, a rivalry game, on someone else's homecoming, to come out and get a win as we did is great. It's a great feeling."

The ACC Coastal Division-leading Cavaliers return to action Saturday, as they're back at home to face #11 Georgia Tech.

Kick-off is at noon.

Reported by Mike Shiers
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