Everything seemed normal midway through the third quarter. Villanova was lining up for the kickoff after scoring its first three points of the game. Maryland was set to receive. Graduate kicker Ethan Gettman made his run up to the ball and kicked, though the ball never entered the air.
The Wildcats surprised the Terps with an onside kick that Gettman collected himself. Villanova scored its first touchdown on the subsequent drive, pulling within 14 going into the final five minutes of the third quarter.
Maryland (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) weathered Villanova’s (3-1, 1-0 CAA) ten third quarter points to beat the Wildcats, 38-20, Saturday afternoon. With the win, Maryland improves to a perfect 8-0 against FCS teams since joining the Big Ten.
Maryland dominated most of the game, ending the contest with 493 total yards of offense and creating 15 big plays throughout the game. The Terps’ defense held the Wildcats under 240 total yards, not allowing a point until the second half.
Maryland’s defense was the catalyst for the Terps’ domination and it started in the first quarter.
The Terps’ defense held the Wildcats to just nine total yards and two three-and-outs through the first 15 minutes. Villanova didn’t earn a first down until the end of the quarter.
The Wildcats’ offense finished the first half with just 51 total yards and five first downs.
The Terps scored 17 points on three drives that took up over 11 minutes of game action in the first quarter. Edwards Jr. led the offense completing, 12 of his 14 pass attempts for 92 yards through the air.
Eight of those completions went to senior receiver Tai Felton. Felton’s eight catches in the first quarter were the most of any Big Ten player in any quarter since 2012.
“That first touchdown drive and then defensively, going three and out and then getting another score was huge,” said head coach Michael Locksley.
The Terps tacked on in the second quarter with their third touchdown of the game. Redshirt freshman Nolan Ray ran one yard for the score — his second of the season — completing a 13 play drive that spanned 80 yards over six minutes.
Maryland entered halftime leading 24-0, scoring on all but one of its drives in the first half. The one drive the Terps didn’t score on ended on a fumble by senior Colby McDonald in the red zone.
The Terps scored their own touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter on a pylon pass from Edwards Jr. to Felton.
Felton’s touchdown grab was his 12th of the game on 13 targets. The catch was the senior’s 39th through the first four games of the season, setting a new Maryland record for receptions through the first four games of a season.
Felton led Maryland with 14 receptions and 157 yards receiving. Felton’s fourth consecutive game with 100 or more receiving yards made him the first Terp to start a season with four consecutive 100 yard or more receiving games.
“I’m doing whatever, what it takes for the team to win,” said Felton. “So that’s if I have zero catches or 15 catches so, whatever it takes to get a win … that’s all I’m about, is winning.”
Edwards Jr. completed 87.5 percent of his passes, throwing for 328 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt junior’s completion percentage put him atop the Maryland record books for the highest single game completion percentage of any quarterback.
“Our quarterback’s playing at a really, really high level,” said Locksley. “I feel like we can put a little bit more on him to allow him to get those pieces [offensive playmakers] involved.”
Edwards Jr.’s only blemish was an interception that went through the hands of a Maryland receiver.
Roman Hemby led the Terps’ ground attack with 67 yards and one touchdown.
Maryland’s defense ended the game with three sacks, allowing scores on four of Villanova’s 11 drives.
“It was all about getting pressure there,” said defensive lineman Tommy Akingbesote. “I feel like they’re [Terps secondary] doing a great job so it’s all about getting pressure on the quarterback so they can throw errant throws, so they can look good on the back end.”
Maryland held the Wildcats running attack under 100 yards for the first time this season; however, the Terps didn’t force a single turnover, losing the turnover battle for the first time this season.
Maryland will try and take this momentum to Bloomington, Indiana, next Saturday when they play Indiana. It will be the Terps’ first conference road game of the season.
