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09/26 17:04 CDT UCLA stays unbeaten with a 54-3 drubbing of hapless Maryland
UCLA stays unbeaten with a 54-3 drubbing of hapless Maryland
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) --- Ta'Shawn James and Scooter Jackson returned
interceptions for touchdowns in the third quarter, and UCLA dominated Maryland
54-3 on Saturday.
Wayne Knight ran for 100 yards and a touchdown for the Bruins, who enter their
open date undefeated under new coach Bob Chesney. UCLA (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) led
20-3 after the first half and then extended its margin as rain began to fall
harder in the final two quarters.
"I thought we finally played a complementary game of football, where offense,
defense and special teams all got each other's back," Chesney said. "And at the
same point, when you got to make some plays, we made some plays. So I thought
overall, a good day at the office."
After a loss last week to Virginia Tech, Maryland coach Michael Locksley
entered the game under increasing pressure, and the Terrapins (2-2, 0-1)
responded with a desultory showing. They tried to establish the run early on,
when the weather wasn't that bad yet. That failed miserably, and Malik
Washington threw four interceptions when Maryland tried to pass.
"A lot of belief in this team, the guys in the locker room," Locksley said. "I
won't stop fighting or coaching for them. We've got a long Big Ten season ahead
of us. Now isn't time for us to hang our heads."
UCLA's first three touchdowns came on direct snaps to non-quarterbacks. Knight
took one 45 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-1 to open the scoring in the
second quarter. Anthony Woods made it 14-0 with a 1-yard run off a direct snap,
and the crowd was really disgruntled when Maryland's next drive began with two
runs for minus-4 yards.
Jaivian Thomas ran 3 yards for a touchdown on a direct snap to make it 20-0.
James' interception return for a TD went 39 yards, and Jackson's was 65 yards
after Washington and his receiver were clearly not on the same page.
Nico Iamaleava threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to Aidan Mizell in the fourth,
and Troy Leigber added a 63-yard TD run.
The takeaway UCLA: This wasn't the type of weather the Bruins usually see in California, but they handled it fine. So far Chesney has made the transition to a new coaching staff look seamless at UCLA. "We have everything against us. We're traveling. Three-hour difference, five-hour plane flight," linebacker Sammy Omosigho said. "Windy conditions, rain, all that stuff. Just focus on what we know how to do, and focus on the controllables that we can control. We did that. Outcome. Business trip." Maryland: Wanting balance is understandable, but Maryland's attempts to establish the run left Washington in some difficult third-down situations. The Terps failed to convert their first nine third downs. History UCLA's margin of victory was its highest in a conference road game since 1955, when it beat Washington State 55-0. Up next UCLA: Off next week before playing at Oregon on Oct. 10. Maryland: At Nebraska next Saturday. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here |
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