[Baltimore Sun] Maryland football sprints past Villanova, 38-20, behind nearly perfect Billy Edwards Jr.
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COLLEGE PARK — Maryland football did what it was supposed to do against a smaller opponent.
The Terps scored the game’s first 24 points and then withstood a shaky third quarter to overpower visiting Villanova, 38-20, on Saturday afternoon before an announced 38,006 at SECU Stadium.
Redshirt junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. completed 28 of 32 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns to help Maryland (3-1) earn its 15th consecutive win against non-Big Ten opponents. His completion rate of 87.5% surpassed the previous program record of 87.1% set by his predecessor, Taulia Tagovailoa, in a 56-21 romp over Charlotte on Sept. 10, 2022.
Edwards frequently targeted senior wide receivers Tai Felton (14 catches for 157 yards and one touchdown) and Kaden Prather (six receptions for 57 yards and one touchdown) with great success.
Felton continued to rewrite school records. A week after becoming the first player to compile 100 receiving yards in each of his first three games, he tied Jermaine Lewis’ mark of 100-plus yards in four consecutive games set in 1994. And with 41 catches in his first four games, Felton broke the record for receptions in the first four games set by Frank Wycheck (38 in 1991).
A Terps running game that had been quiet in matchups against Michigan State and Virginia accounted for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Redshirt junior running back Roman Hemby, an Edgewood native and John Carroll graduate, led the way with 14 attempts for 67 yards and one score, and freshman running back Nolan Ray added five carries for 25 yards and one touchdown.
Although the defense finished a game without producing a turnover for the first time this season, the unit forced the Wildcats to go three-and-out on their first two series, limited them to 51 yards of total offense in the first half and denied them on 9 of 13 third-down chances.
The last time the Terps played at home, they squandered a seven-point lead with less than five minutes to go and allowed the Spartans to score 10 unanswered points for a 27-24 victory.
Maryland ensured a similar fate would not be repeated by Villanova (3-1), an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision member that is ranked No. 5 at that level and was hoping for its first victory over a Football Bowl Subdivision school since Sept. 1, 2018, when that squad upended Temple, 19-17.
The Terps scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, added a 46-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Jack Howes on their third and then punched in another touchdown on their fourth. The offense had an opportunity to make it 5-for-5 in the first half by marching to Villanova’s 15-yard line with less than 30 seconds left in the second quarter, but senior running back Colby McDonald was stripped by junior linebacker Shane Hartzell at the 9, and graduate student cornerback Isas Waxter recovered the fumble at the 5.
Still, Maryland enjoyed a 24-0 advantage at halftime and seemed in complete control of the game.
But on the opening series of the third quarter, the Wildcats drove to the Terps’ 26 and appeared to hit paydirt when sixth-year senior quarterback Connor Watkins found junior wide receiver Jaylan Sanchez on a corner route for a 26-yard touchdown. But replays showed the ball slipping from Sanchez’s grasp and hitting the turf, and an official review overturned the touchdown ruling midway through the period.
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On the next play, Edwards’ pass intended for sophomore tight end Dylan Wade was intercepted by safety Ty Trinh, and the Owings Mills native and Calvert Hall graduate returned the interception to Maryland’s 8. Villanova eventually settled for a 33-yard field goal by graduate student kicker Ethan Gettman, who had a 33-yard attempt in the second quarter blocked by sophomore defensive lineman Dillan Fontus.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Wildcats pulled off a successful onside kick when Gettman recovered the ball at their 47. Six plays and 53 yards later, Watkins connected with graduate student Devin Smith for a 17-yard touchdown that trimmed the deficit to 24-10 with 4:15 left in the quarter.
Needing a reply, the Terps consumed 75 yards in eight plays with Edwards lobbing the ball to Felton for a 9-yard touchdown and a 31-10 advantage with 36 seconds remaining. The Edwards-to-Felton connection worked again as the pair dialed up a 61-yard play in the fourth quarter that contributed to redshirt sophomore quarterback MJ Morris’ 14-yard touchdown run with 9:06 left.
This article will be updated.
Maryland at Indiana
Saturday, noon
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: 105.7 FM
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