In between a fumble and a punt during the first three series, the Maryland football team’s offense got on the board when wide receiver Levern Jacobs hauled in a 48-yard touchdown from quarterback Caleb Rowe.
That type of “boom or bust” offense carried on throughout in the Red team’s 51-35 win over the White squad Saturday afternoon at Maryland Stadium. The Terps did not make a trip into the red zone the entire game.
Hills, who started eight games last year, began the game under center. He completed 14 of 25 attempts for 102 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Caleb Rowe, who saw action in 10 games last season, completed seven passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Coach DJ Durkin threw out the traditional scoring system and instead pitted the defense, clad in Red, against the offense, which wore white. While the offense scoring system remained the same, the defense received points for a defensive touchdown (seven), forced turnover (seven), three and out (three) and a defensive stop (two). Each quarter was 12 minutes, and the final two frames had a running clock.
In a half where most of the Terps’ drives ended in a punt, their four scores came from at least 40 yards. Jacobs caught his second touchdown, a 57-yarder from quarterback Gage Shaffer, later in the quarter, while running back Ty Johnson broke off a 64-yard touchdown run.
The defense shut out the Terps’ attack for nearly the entire second quarter before wide receiver Malcolm Culmer found the end zone from 40 yards out with 34 seconds to go before halftime. This time, the pass came from Hills.
Possessions were limited in after intermission, but the offense continued to struggle sustaining drives.
The lone offensive scoring play came courtesy of wide receiver Jacquille Veii, who transferred back to the Terps this winter after leaving to play at Towson last season. He caught a 63-yard touchdown to cap the offensive scoring.
