CHARLOTTE VILLE, Virginia. — The Virginia Cavaliers took a six-point lead into halftime on Saturday night, but that lead quickly evaporated in the second half. In its first game at Scott Stadium since 2012, Maryland outscored UVA 20-0 in the final two quarters to secure a 27-13 victory.
Virginia, looking to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2019, lost the ball four times against its former ACC rival. The Terrapins (2-1) had no turnovers on a night when they extended their non-conference winning streak to 14 games.
The Terps sacked quarterback Anthony Colandrea just once, but applied tremendous pressure for much of the game and managed to disrupt the Cavaliers’ offense. In the second half, Maryland managed 250 total yards on offense, while UVA managed just 82.
The Wahoos had chances to pull away in the first half, but their inefficiency in the red zone proved costly. Three times in the first 30 minutes, the Hoos advanced to the Maryland 15-yard line, but they could only convert those possessions into six points, with field goals of 19 and 29 yards by Will Bettridge.
After Maryland scored a touchdown with 54 seconds left in the second quarter, however, Virginia fought back in stunning fashion. Colandrea opened the Cavaliers’ 71-yard touchdown drive with a 9-yard run and finished it with a daring 10-yard run. He crossed the goal line with one second left in the game and Bettridge’s extra point gave UVA a 13-7 lead at halftime.
Virginia’s only touchdown drive also included a 13-yard run by tailback Kobe Pace and a pass from Colandrea to tight end Tyler Neville for a 39-yard gain to the Maryland 10-yard line.
Colandrea finished the game completing 21 of 37 passes for 247 yards and had two interceptions, as well as losing a fumble on a third-and-goal run that ended UVA’s first trip to the red zone in the first quarter.
After each of Virginia’s first three turnovers, the defense prevented the Terps from scoring. After the fourth down, however, Maryland managed a 52-yard run for a touchdown, and the Cavaliers trailed by two touchdowns with 7:10 left.
Three UVA players finished the game with double-digit tackles: safety Antonio Clary (14), linebacker James Jackson (12) and safety Jonas Sanker (11). Defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter recorded Virginia’s only sack by forcing quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. for a 10-yard loss in the third quarter.
NEXT: In its second road game of the season, Virginia (2-1) will play Coastal Carolina (3-0) next Saturday at 2 p.m. at the 20,000-seat Brooks Stadium in Conway, SC, about 15 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
This will be the first meeting between these programs. Coastal was scheduled to play at Scott Stadium in 2022, but the game was canceled after the shooting at the site.
The Hoos will host the Chanticleers in next year’s season opener.
Coastal defeated Temple 28-20 in Philadelphia on Saturday.
