Andre Monroe, the Maryland football team's undersized, eccentric and prolific defensive end, set the university's all-time sacks record with a quarterback takedown against Stanford on Tuesday.
It was Monroe's 25th career sack, vaulting him ahead of Mike Corvino for the school's all-time mark, which stood at 24. Before pulling even and then ahead of Corvino, Monroe passed Shawne Merriman for second place on the list with a sack against Michigan State on Nov. 15. Corvino played in College Park from 1979 to 1982. He died tragically in a 2007 car crash.
Despite his 5-foot-11 figure, Monroe has routinely beaten high-end offensive tackles to get quarterback pressure this year. He was Maryland's most dominant player in a win against Iowa in October, on a day when he was predominantly matched against top NFL tackle prospect Brandon Scherff. Monroe's got his ninth sack of 2014 in the fourth quarter against Michigan on Nov. 22, taking down Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner. His 9.5 regular season sacks placed him second in the Big Ten and in a tie for 22nd nationally.
Monroe, a redshirt senior from Upper Marlboro, said previously he hadn't spent a great deal of time dwelling on the record.
"I think about it from time to time, but I don't really try to focus on that, because I want to win games with my teammates," Monroe said before the end of the regular season. "And I know if we all just focus on winning and doing what we've got to do to win, that'll all just take care of itself."
Now, it has.