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Maryland-Virginia Postgame Notes
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MARYLAND-VIRGINIA POSTGAME NOTES
Saturday, Oct. 20 (Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium, College Park, Md.)
Series Record: Maryland 41-29-2
Virginia Notes
The Cavaliers have won two straight games by one point for the first time in school history.
Virginia extended its winning streak to seven in a row, tying the school record for most consecutive wins in a season. The Cavaliers also won seven in a row in 1914, 1949, and 1990.
The win is Virginia’s third road win in a row, its longest since winning three in a row in 1999. The three road wins are also UVa’s most since winning three in 2004.
The one-point win is UVa’s fifth of the season by six points or fewer. Virginia leads the nation in close wins.
Virginia has won two more games than last season, one of nine teams with at least two more than 2006 so far (Illinois, BYU, Colorado, Miami (Ohio), Air Force, Connecticut, Stanford, Temple).
Virginia’s 15-play, 90-yard drive that used up 7:26 and led to the game-winning touchdown was notable on several accounts. It is the longest in terms of time since an 8:02 drive vs. Georgia Tech in 2004 (that drive ended in a field goal). It ties for the longest of the season in terms of plays and second in terms of yards.
Virginia won on its final drive for the second time in three games.
Sophomore TB Keith Payne made the first start of his career tonight. Payne finished with 69 yards rushing, one off his career high.
WR Maurice Covington returned to action after missing the previous four games and started.
Virginia scored on its opening drive for the fifth time this season and the first time since the Pittsburgh game.
Mikell Simpson became the first Cavalier with 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game since Thomas Jones vs. Buffalo in 1999.
Simpson’s rushing and receiving totals in the first half tonight were greater than his career totals coming into the game. He finished with 119 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and caught 13 passes for 152 yards. His 13 receptions tie for the second most in school history, while his 152 receiving yards are the most by a Cavalier since Deyon Williams also had 152 vs. Miami in 2005. Simpson’s yardage total is also the most ever by a UVa running back.
Simpson’s 22-yard run in the second quarter is his longest career run. He topped that later in the quarter with a 44-yard touchdown run, the team’s second-longest run of the season. The TD was his first since the Duke game last year and his first this season. He finished with his first multi-touchdown game of his career.
Simpson is the first Cavalier running back with 100 yards receiving since Alvin Pearman had 134 vs. Florida State (16 receptions) in 2003.
Simpson’s 271 all-purpose yards are Virginia’s most since Thomas Jones had a school-record 333 vs. Buffalo in 1999. Simpson’s total is sixth in school history.
Maryland’s touchdown on its first possession marks the second game in a row Virginia’s opponent scored on its opening drive and the third time this season.
Chris Long recorded UVa’s first safety since the North Carolina game in 2005.
Long became the seventh Cavalier with at least 10 sacks in a season. He tied his career high with 10 tackles. He had two sacks, his third multi-sack game of the season. He was in on five TFLs, the most by a Cavalier since Jamie Sharper had five vs. North Carolina in 1996. (Sharper was in attendance at tonight’s game.)
Linebacker Jon Copper made a career-high 12 tackles. His previous high was 11 vs. Wyoming last season.
Chris Long is one of 37 players named to the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award. The list will be shortened to include five to six
finalists in November, and the final vote will be concluded on December 3rd. The 2007 Hendricks Award winner will be announced December 5th.
Long has also been named to Midseason All-American teams selected by CBSSports.com and CollegeFootballNews.com.
CollegeFootballNews.com also named Branden Albert a second-team Midseason All-American, while Ryan Weigand was an honorable mention choice.
Maryland Notes
Terps at home: Maryland has won seven of its last 10 at home. The Terps are 32-10 at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium in Friedgen’s six-plus seasons. Friedgen has directed the Terps to two undefeated home seasons (7-0 in 2001; 6-0 in 2003).
Starting streaks continue, but Crummey sits: Several Terps extended starting streaks in the game. Safety Christian Varner has started a team-high 29 straight games and 30 of the past 31 games. Linebacker Trey Covington has started 28 of the past 29 games. Guard Andrew Crummey had started 29 of the past 30 and 34 overall, but suffered a broken leg in the win over Georgia Tech.
Rushing scores: Running backs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball have become quite familiar with the end zone this season. The seniors have scored a combined 17 touchdowns on the year, and both continue to climb the single-season list for rushing touchdowns. Lattimore is currently tied for 15th on the list with nine scores, while Ball is tied for 17th with eight.
Only two pairs of Maryland backs have ever rushed for more combined touchdowns in a single season. Chris Downs (13) and Josh Allen (8) totaled 21 in 2002, and Bruce Berry and Marc Riley had 10 each for the Terps in 2001.
Veteran Rushers: Lance Ball remained 9th on the career rushing chart, now with 2,138 yards. He is within two yards of Willie Joyner, who is eighth with 2,140. Keon Lattimore’s 65 yards moved him to 17th on the career rushing list with 1,568 yards. He will open next Saturday’s game three yards behind Alvin Maddox, who has 1,571.
Moore steps up: Defensive Tackle Dre Moore matched his season high in the first half with two sacks for a loss of 11 yards. Moore also had a pair of sacks against Villanova in the season opener. The Terps had three sacks as a team, the second-highest total this season. Maryland totaled four against Villanova.
Dependable Darrius: Sophomore wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey has caught a pass in each of the Terps’ last 19 games, the longest active streak on the team. Heyward-Bey had four catches for 109 yards against Georgia Tech, going over 100 yards receiving for the third time in his career. (2006 vs. Georgia Tech 111, vs. Miami 175).
Henderson back in form: Erin Henderson, the Terps’ active career leader in tackles with 169, returned to the lineup after missing the Georgia Tech game with an injury and picked up right where he left off, totaling a career-high 18 tackles against Virginia. The junior has led Maryland in stops in all six games he has played in this season. It was his 12th career game with double-digit tackles, and his fifth straight.
On Thursday Henderson was selected as one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s best collegiate linebacker, as announced by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando (DACO).
Prior to Saturday night’s game, he was tied for 14th in the NCAA in tackles per game (11.00) and ranked 55th in tackles for loss per game (1.20). He was the second-leading tackler in the ACC.
Booming Baltz: Punter Travis Baltz, a true freshman, had another good game for Maryland, averaging 44.7 yards on six punts. He had three of more than 50 yards and placed two balls inside the 20-yard line.
Quick starters: Maryland grabbed a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, and has now outscored its opponents 57-19 in the opening quarter of games this season.
Protecting the lead: Maryland is 3-2 in games this season when leading at the half.
Maryland’s Homecoming Edge: Maryland is 5-2 in Homecoming games under coach Ralph Friedgen, including last season’s 26-20 win over NC State. (Also 2005: W, 45-33 over Virginia, 2004: L, 13-3 to NC State, 2003: W, 59-21 over North Carolina, 2002: W, 24-21 over NC State, 2001: W, 59-17 over Duke.)
Stuffed Byrd: The University of Maryland welcomed 52, 782 fans to Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium for Saturday’s Homecoming game. The crowd was the seventh-largest ever at Byrd Stadium. The game marks the second sellout for the Terps this season (also West Virginia on Sept. 13) and third in the last five home games.