Virginia Hosts Maryland on Saturday for Homecomings

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Oct. 8, 2012

Virginia Football Returns Home to Host ACC Rival Maryland on Homecomings
• Virginia seeks to halt its current four-game losing streak when the Maryland Terrapins come to Scott Stadium for an Atlantic Coast Conference football match-up. Kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the game will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Network (Comcast SportsNet in the Charlottesville area).
• The contest will serve as the 88th Homecomings game at the University of Virginia.
• Former UVa standout Heath Miller will have his No. 89 jersey retired and will be honored with a plaque on Legends’ Walk in the north end of Scott Stadium. Miller will be honored at halftime.
• UVa owns a 45-40-2 (.529) all-time Homecomings record.
• Saturday marks the second time in UVa Homecomings history that the Cavaliers play on Oct. 13 – also doing so in 2007 against UConn (UVa, 17-16), which ironically was a Huskies team coached by current Maryland head coach, Randy Edsall. The 2007 Homecomings game also happens to be the last visit to Scott Stadium by Edsall.

Virginia vs. Maryland
• Maryland owns a 42-32-2 record in the series, including a 22-19 mark in Charlottesville and a 20-17 record at Scott Stadium.
• The Cavaliers and Terps have played every season since 1957, the second-longest current streak for a Virginia opponent behind North Carolina (1910).
• Virginia and Maryland have met 76 times on the gridiron, making the Terps the fourth-most common opponent in UVa history (Virginia has faced North Carolina 116 times).
• Virginia is winners of four of the last five games in the series, but only one of those wins was at Scott Stadium.
• Since 1988 UVa is 9-3 against Maryland at Scott Stadium, but two of those losses (2010, 2006) have come in the last three meetings in Charlottesville.
• Since 1988 UVa is 17-7 against Maryland, including a nine game winning streak from 1992-2000.

UVa-Maryland Connections
• Virginia has 11 players from the state of Maryland on its roster – Vincent Croce (Olney), Darius Jennings (Baltimore), Kelby Johnson (Hyattsville), Marco Jones (Baltimore), Kyrrel Latimer (Hyattsville), Jeremiah Mathis (Bowie), Mike More (Hyattsville), Brandon Phelps (Damascus), Colter Phillips (Darnestown), E.J. Scott (Ellicott City) and Khalek Shepherd (Upper Marlboro).
• This will be Maryland head coach Randy Edsall’s fourth time facing Virginia – he was 1-1 against the Cavaliers while he was the head coach at Connecticut and is 0-1 as the Maryland head coach.

UVa Ground Game Key to Victory
• Virginia is 23-8 vs. Maryland since 1937 when gaining at least 150 rushing yards. UVa has rushed for at least 150 yards in 3-of-6 games in 2012 and has rushed for at least 145 yards in three-straight games.
• In 2005, the Cavaliers rushed for 295 yards, their fourth-highest total ever against Maryland, to gain a 16-0 win.
• In the 2006 loss to Maryland, UVa rushed for 181 yards, ending a streak of 10 consecutive wins with at least 150 yards rushing.
• In contrast, when Virginia is unable to run the ball, Maryland typically comes out on top. UVa will have its work cut out for itself as Maryland currently ranks No. 7 nationally and No. 2 in the ACC in rush defense, allowing 81.00 yards per game.
• Prior to 2009, Virginia had lost 15-consecutive games to Maryland when rushing for fewer than 100 yards, dating back to 1957; UVa rushed for just 63 yards in 2009 and yet still came out on top.
• In Maryland’s last trip to Scott Stadium in 2010, UVa lost and rushed for 92 yards.
• Since 1937 the team with the most rushing yards is 57-6 and won all 38 meetings from 1937-86. The only years the loser had more occurred in 1987, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2006 and 2009.

Virginia Defense Tough vs. Terps
• Another factor that has enabled the Cavaliers to win 15 of the last 20 meetings against Maryland is an ability to hold the Terrapin offense in check.
• Virginia has held Maryland under 380 yards of offense 18 times since 1988 and won 16 of those games.
• Overall, Maryland has topped 200 yards rushing only four times since 1987 (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005).

Will The Third Quarter Determine 2012 UVa vs Maryland Winner?
• Will the winner of the 2012 UVa and Maryland contest be determined by who comes out of halftime quicker?
• UVa has only scored 14 total points in the third quarter this season and has been shut out in the third quarter four games in a row. The last time UVa scored in the third quarter was when it started the second half with an 11-play, 77-yard TD drive against Penn State. UVa also scored a TD against Richmond in the opener in the third quarter, making UVa 2-0 when scoring third quarter points and 0-4 when it does not.
• Since the Penn State third quarter TD, UVa has been outscored in the third quarter by opponents, 48-0.
• Maryland has had more futility in the third quarter, managing only three points through five games. The Terps have not scored in the third quarter in the past three games and only managed a field goal at Temple in week two – its only third quarter scoring. Maryland has had a little better luck, going 2-2 when not scoring in the third quarter.
• Overall UVa is outscoring Maryland in the first half (73-60) and in the second half (69-44).