West Virginia fans couldn't really begin to breathe easily until Eain Smith picked off Danny O'Brien for the Maryland quarterback's third interception of the afternoon. At that point, West Virginia was able to kneel out the clock and escape with a 37-31 victory.
West Virginia Vs. Maryland Final Score: Mountaineers Escape With 37-31 Win
It shouldn’t have been that close; Maryland led 34-10 at one point. But three unanswered touchdowns by Maryland turned a laugher into a close game.
Geno "Genocide" Smith was 36-of-49 for 388 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Smith's favorite target was Tavon Austin, who had 11 catches for 122 yards, but he was one of just three receivers with 100 yards through the air. Stedman Bailey had eight grabs for 113 yards and a touchdown, and Ivan McCartney caught eight passes for 101 yards. The Moutaineers were held to 84 yards -- even before a few kneel-downs to kill clock -- and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. They didn't have a carry for more than 10 yards in the game.
Maryland, meanwhile, churned out yardage and points through the land and the air. O'Brien was 34-of-52 for 289 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions -- one of which was the most painful. Davin Meggett's 18 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown led the way for the Terps ground attack, which gained 188 yards on the day.
West Virginia now turns its attention to LSU from the SEC. Maryland prepares for Temple, which narrowly lost to Penn State today.
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For more on the West Virginia win, visit The Smoking Musket. Join other Maryland fans in chewing over the loss at Testudo Times. And stay with our gameday college football stream to keep an eye on all the goings-on.
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