Returning to Scott Stadium after an electric victory in Winston-Salem, expectations were high moving forward for Virginia. The campus was buzzing coming into their Week 3 bout against the Maryland Terrapins, as fans and students wondered if this could be a turnaround year for the program. Maryland entered the contest 1-1, while the Cavaliers were undefeated and hoped to keep their strong start rolling. The Terrapins were fresh off losing a heartbreaker to Michigan State the previous week as Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles shredded their secondary. This fueled hopes that the exciting sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea would be able to exploit Maryland’s weak defense and lead Virginia to a third consecutive victory.
The game started off sluggish. The result of the first seven drives went as follows: punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, interception, capped off with a missed field goal by Maryland. It was not the prettiest sight for the student section, who packed the hill and bleachers just as Coach Elliot asked them to do. Colandrea was loose with the football, fumbling in the red zone two drives in after a terrific 33-yard toss to wide receiver Kameron Courtney. He looked a bit uneasy following this gaff, forcing balls into tight windows, eventually resulting in an interception to Dante Trader Jr. on the following drive. But, after one more stop by the defense, the Cavaliers broke the seal on a 19-yard Will Bettridge field goal, going up 3-0 to end the first quarter. The feature play of the drive was a 45-yard launch from Colandrea, which was caught by a sprawling out, fully horizontal Trell Harris at the Maryland 6-yard line. Unfortunately, the team could not strike pay dirt following the great reception.
Virginia followed up the score with a stop, and, after an excellent punt from Bryce McFerson, began their next offensive possession from their own 11. Colandrea seemed to settle in, completing five passes in a row, and the Cavaliers began to mix in a running attack with Xavier Brown and Kobe Pace. The drive eventually teetered out at the Maryland 12-yard line, ending in another field goal on the leg of Will Bettridge. Penalties hurt the Terrapins on their ensuing possession, leading to a punt, but they would get the ball back quickly, forcing Virginia into a three-and-out. Junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. took this opportunity to march his squad down the field. He connected with wide receiver Tai Felton twice, including a 19-yard strike over the middle for six. With 40 seconds left, it looked like the Cavaliers were going to head into the half down 7-6. Colandrea had other ideas, however. From around midfield, he lofted the ball over the middle into the waiting hands of Tyler Neville with just nine seconds remaining. The pass went for 39 yards and set Virginia up in the red zone. From the 10-yard line, Colandrea tucked the ball and made a risky dash for the end zone with time expiring. He showed off his elusiveness, gliding by two Terrapin defenders and dove into the endzone for six with one tick left on the scoreboard. Virginia went into the half up 13-7 and with all the momentum.
Unfortunately, that is pretty much where the highlights end for the Cavaliers. Upon receiving the second-half kickoff, they immediately went three and out. The Terrapins, now with possession, proceeded to easily plow through Virginia’s defense with a blend of runs and passes. Edwards Jr. capped the drive off with a 26-yard, back-shoulder beauty to Kaden Prather in the endzone. Maryland reclaimed the lead, now up 14-13. On the next drive, Colandrea, faced with a 3rd and 10, danced out of the pocket and attempted to make his patented magic happen again. Unfortunately, this time, the only thing he managed to pull out of his hat was an interception. Maryland could not do anything following the turnover, punting the ball right back to the Cavaliers. And, in what seemed to be a game of hot potato, Virginia said, “Here you go!” punting it right back to the Terrapins again after three plays. Maryland decided they would not be stopped on this drive as Edwards Jr. completed a short toss to Tai Felton, who then shrugged off two defenders and galloped for 37 yards. The drive stalled in the red zone, and a kick from Jack Howes made it 17-13 Terrapins. Virginia’s offense, with a chance to reclaim the lead, would proceed to run three plays for negative three yards and give the ball back to Maryland almost instantly. With the ball, the Terrapins would sustain an 11-play drive, running out the remaining time in the third quarter up by four. Between runs and check-downs, they scurried their way down the field and kicked a field goal to make it a touchdown game—Maryland 20, Virginia 13.
With a shot to tie up the game, Colandrea started off the Cavaliers’ next offensive drive with a 15-yard pass to Malachi Fields for a first down. He would then follow it up with a 3rd and 8 completion to Fields short of the sticks, who attempted to turn upfield but was stripped of the football. Quashon Fuller of the Terrapins recovered the ball, and just like that, the Virginia defense was back on the field. Unfortunately, there was not much they could do as Edwards Jr. bullied them on the ground, running five times on the drive, including a 1-yard push for a score. In what would be the last-gasp effort for the Cavaliers down two scores, Colandrea and the offense managed to push the ball down into Maryland territory. However, at the Terrapins’ 37, Colandrea threw three straight incompletions, leading to a 4th and 10 that, if not converted, would end the game. After looking around, Colandrea dashed out of the pocket, diving near the first down marker. The refs got the spot and placed the ball right near the sticks. Ultimately, his efforts were ruled to have come up inches short. With the ball back in their offense’s hands, the Terrapins could simply whittle the rest of the clock away. The game ended with a score of 27-13. The Cavaliers were shut out in the second half, while Maryland scored 20 points.
Colandrea had a disappointing day, going 21/37 for 247 yards, no touchdowns, and throwing two interceptions on the way. He also lost a fumble. The running backs averaged decent yards per carry, with Pace carrying the ball 11 times for 46 yards and Brown 7 times for 43 yards, but Virginia was never truly able to establish the run game. Trell Harris was the leading receiver for the squad, catching four passes for 72 yards. The Cavaliers (2-1) will take on Coastal Carolina (3-0) next week at Brooks Stadium and look to get back on track. It will be a tough game, but very winnable for Coach Tony Elliot’s squad.
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