Story By Richard Thomas
Photos By: Erin Zollars
College Park, MD–
For Maryland, this was a must win game in the Big Ten if they wanted to stay on track for a possible bowl bid this season. Tonight they needed a second half effort to knock of Michigan State, which now finds itself winless in the Big Ten on the season.
Led by fifth-year senior quarterback Perry Hills, who returned after being hurt in the first half at Penn State, Maryland (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten Conference) moved to within one victory of becoming bowl-eligible in Durkin’s first season as a head coach. The loss was the fifth straight for Michigan State (2-5, 0-4).
“I want our players to know we’re not just talking about it, we are about it,” Durkin said. “We just went out there and let loose. I loved the response our guys had. This is a huge win for us. Obviously beating Michigan State, a conference division opponent and all that.
For Michigan State their second half team looked nothing like what they put on the field the first half.
The Spartans took their first lead, 17-14 on a 34-yard field goal by Michael Geiger with 1:35 left in the third quarter. Johnson continued to find a holes and a 44-yard run put Maryland into Michigan State territory. Two plays later, the Terrapins retook the lead on a 2-yard run by Kenneth Goins Jr.
The big difference in this game for Maryland came down to the running game that was Ty Johnson’s 115 yards on nine carries, while Lorenzo Harrison finished with 105 yards on 17 carries.
