Defenseless Cavs Fall to Terps, 45-33

Ahmad Brooks made just two tackles and sprained an ankle.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Virginia’s defense was shredded for 570 yards and six touchdowns as Maryland handed the 19th-ranked Cavaliers their first loss of the season, 45-33, this afternoon at Byrd Stadium. The Terrapins, hardly an offensive juggernaut, mounted three scoring drives of 80 yards or more in the fourth quarter to put away the Wahoos after the lead changed hands four times.

Not even the return of Ahmad Brooks helped UVa (3-1, 1-1 ACC), which simply couldn’t stop the Terps (3-2, 2-1 ACC) when it mattered most. Lance Ball, who had never enjoyed a 100-yard day, ran for 163 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Sam Hollenbach threw for 320 yards and two more scores, and Keon Lattimore also rushed for a pair of TDs.

Lattimore’s 1-yard run with 1:50 left capped off a nine-play, 80-yard drive that sealed Virginia’s fate. The Cavs already had yielded touchdown drives of 80 and 94 yards in the fourth quarter as well as second-quarter scoring marches of 84 and 88 yards.

”The promise of this team is in the power of the team, not the individual,” said UVa coach Al Groh. “It’s important that the team remain together and not let itself get fragmented by a game like this.”

Virginia’s offense had its own problems. D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Brian Barthelmes did not play and Wali Lundy was ineffective once again, but Marques Hagans produced 325 yards (270 passing, 55 rushing) to keep the Cavs in contention. Connor Hughes drilled four field goals, including a 36-yarder late in the third quarter that gave UVa its last lead at 26-24.

Maryland scored twice on Ball touchdown runs of 14 and 35 yards to take a 38-26 lead. Hagans sliced it to 38-33 on his second touchdown run of the day, a 3-yarder on fourth-and-goal with 5:27 left.

Needing a stop, UVa’s defense didn’t get it. Ball ran 15 yards on a draw up the middle – the same play Maryland used effectively all day – and Hollenbach twice found Danny Melendez for long gains on third down, setting up Lattimore’s plunge up the middle.

Brooks, coming back from a knee injury, played his first game of the season, starting at outside linebacker in place of injured Jermaine Dias . He was credited with two tackles and barely played in the fourth quarter after spraining an ankle.

“It’s frustrating. I really don’t know what to say,” said Brooks, who said the ankle shouldn’t keep him from playing next week at Boston College. “You want to do something to help your team. We just didn’t make the plays.”