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After a slew of big upsets in the opening weekend of college football, there was some concern that Maryland may fall to visiting Old Dominion, one of the most potent offenses in the FCS last season. Those worries were quickly put to rest Saturday, as Maryland easily dispatched of the visiting Monarchs 47-10 in College Park.
Brandon Ross and Stefon Diggs each set career highs on the day, as Maryland's offense was clicking on just about every level. Ross ran 18 times for 149 yards and a score, while Diggs caught six passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.
Maryland's defense excelled for the second straight week. The Terrapins held Old Dominion star quarterback Taylor Heinicke, the reigning winner of the FCS's version of the Heisman, to a line of 18/34 for 166 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Will Likely had 11 tackles, and Maryland put together four sacks against the Monarchs.
The Terrapin D got started early, with a tackle for a loss, a tackle for no gain, and an interception by Isaac Goins on the Monarchs' first drive. The ensuing Maryland possession ended with a 32-yard field goal for Brad Craddock.
Old Dominion nearly scored a touchdown on their next drive, as Heinicke threw an 18-yard strike to the corner of the end zone to Blair Roberts that was called incomplete under review. The Monarchs instead settled for a 35-yard field goal from Jarod Brown, tying the game at 3-3.
From there, it was all Maryland. Ross ran four times for 49 yards on the next drive, capping it off with a five-yard touchdown run and a lead the Terrapins would never relinquish. Heinicke threw for another interception on his next drive, as Sean Davis picked off a very poor pass and returned it to the house. The return was negated by a Will Likely block in the back, forcing the Maryland offense to put up points on their own.
The Terrapins obliged, as Brown found Diggs for a ridiculous 41-yard jumping catch on the first play of the drive. Brown ran to the left side on the next play, scoring from five yards untouched and giving the Terps a 17-3 lead.
Maryland got their third interception of the game on the next drive, after the Monarchs made it all the way down to the goal line. Marcus Whitfield tipped a Heineke pass on third down, and true freshman linebacker Yannick Ngakoue brought it down. It was Maryland's fourth interception of the season - tying their total from all of 2012.
Later on in the second, Maryland drove from their own three yard line for a touchdown on just nine plays. Ross ran six times for 46 yards on the drive, setting up Diggs for an additional display of excellence. The receiver caught a short pass on the outside, blowing past and running around nearly a half-dozen Old Dominion defenders before flipping into the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown.
Maryland scored once more in the half, on a 27-yard run from Albert Reid up the middle -- his first carry of the game. Brown ran another one in during the third quarter, taking the ball 31 yards down the sideline and dodging two defenders for the score and the 38-3 lead. Brown would expand the lead later in the third with a four-yard touchdown pass to Nigel King.
Brown did not quite match his dominating performance against FIU, but still completed 14 of 22 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns while running four times for 30 yards and two scores.
Old Dominion got on the board late, as Cam Boyd ran for a three-yard touchdown, bringing the deficit to 47-10 with around five minutes to play.
Maryland travels to East Hartford next week to take on head coach Randy Edsall's former program, as the Terps will visit the Connecticut Huskies.