The UConn Huskies won the Edsall Bowl Saturday, traveling to College Park and beating the Maryland Terrapins 24-21. Terps head coach Randy Edsall couldn't beat his old team, though the Terps had a chance. They were driving and on UConn's side of the field with more than two minutes to go, but freshman quarterback Perry Hills was sacked, threw an incomplete pass, passed for a four-yard loss and threw an incomplete pass on fourth down, and the game was essentially over.
UConn Vs. Maryland Final Score: Huskies Win Edsall Bowl, Beat Terps 24-21
Hills was sacked five times, frequently in key situations, and looked overmatched at other points, but played well in the fourth quarter, including a key 10-yard rushing touchdown with 5:49 left to bring the game to a three-point margin. Fellow freshmen Stefon Diggs, who brought in a crazy tipped pass for a 29-yard score, and Wes Brown also scored touchdowns, the first of their careers for the high school teammates. Here's Diggs' special moment.
Despite the freshman heroics, UConn was just too effective. Running back Lyle McCombs carried 27 times for 93 yards and a touchdown, Scott McCummings scored on a keeper and Nick Williams returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown, which, of course, was the difference in the game. Special teams, baby.
Maryland falls to 2-1 with the loss, and UConn goes to 2-1 with the win.
Box Score Hero: In the loss, freshman Stefon Diggs showed why he was the most-hyped recruit Maryland has had in years, catching three balls for 58 yards, including the above GIF-ed touchdown, a massive third down conversion in the fourth quarter and a fourth down conversion in the first half. He was also sensational in the return game, with 7 punt returns for 69 yards, including a 32-yarder, and five kick returns for 96 yards, including a 44-yard runback.
Rankings Ramifications: Neither of these teams have to worry about silly things like rankings at this stage of the season.
But Did They Cover? That depends on the betting service you use. UConn was a three-point favorite in some places, which would have pushed, and 2.5 points in others, meaning they didn’t cover.
For More On This Game: For more on Terps football, visit Maryland blog Testudo Times, plus SB Nation DC. For more on Huskies football, visit UConn blog The UConn Blog, plus Big East blog Big East Coast Bias.
Next Week's Schedule: The Terps are about to get air-raided in their next game, because they travel to West Virginia at noon, Sept. 22. The Huskies have a much easier go of it, visiting Western Michigan the same day, for a 2 p.m. start.
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