West Virginia Mountaineers vs Maryland Terrapins Match Player Stats On Sep 17, 2011

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 17, 2011

Geno Smith shredded the Maryland defense for the second straight year, and No. 18 West Virginia halted a furious comeback with a late interception in its 37-31 road triumph.

The Mountaineers (3-0) claimed a 34-10 third-quarter advantage after a 34-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Stedman Bailey.

But they needed Eian Smith’s interception of Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien deep in their own territory with 1:13 to play to seal a sixth straight victory over the Terrapins.

O’Brien, who finished 34-for-52 for 289 yards and a touchdown pass, had completed 14 straight passes at one point while guiding the Terrapins (1-1) on three unanswered scoring drives. Maryland cut it to 34-31 after D.J. Adams’ 2-yard scoring run and Davin Meggett’s 2-point conversion with 10:29 remaining.

Geno Smith, who had tossed four touchdown passes last year when the Mountaineers built a 28-0 lead en route to a 31-17 victory, ended 36-for-49 for 388 yards.

The Terrapins, who had last Saturday off after opening with a 32-24 victory over Miami (Fla.) on Sept. 5, opened the scoring with a field goal before yielding 24 straight points.

Terence Garvin’s 37-yard interception return for a touchdown gave West Virginia a 14-3 lead. West Virginia made it 24-3 on a 10-yard scamper by freshman Andrew Buie, set up by Smith’s 36-yard hookup to Ivan McCartney.