Maryland Terrapins @ Purdue Boilermakers
Maryland's 2nd half turnaround leads to 34-29 win at Purdue to snap long losing streaks
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- — Malik Washington ran for two scores and threw for two more Saturday as Maryland overcame a sluggish first half to get its first win in nearly two months, 34-29 at Purdue.
The Terrapins (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) snapped a six-game losing streak and a 13-game skid in conference play. It gave Aazaar Abdul-Rahim his first win since being named interim coach following the firing of Michael Locksley.
Washington was 13 of 18 for 253 yards with one interception. He also rushed eight times for 32 yards despite wearing a brace over his left knee in the second half. DeJuan Williams had 14 carries for 99 yards and scored on a 75-yard run. Chris Durr Jr. finished with four catches, 127 yards and a nifty 87-yard TD catch that essentially sealed the win.
Purdue (3-6, 2-4) has lost three straight. Ryan Browne was 24 of 38 for 296 yards and lost a fumble. Fame Ijeboi and Xavier Townsend each had a scoring run. But the Boilermakers had four red-zone trips end with field goals.
Washington wasted no time showing everyone how different the second half would be.
He capped the first possession of the third quarter by hooking up with Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding on a short screen pass that Gladding took 44 yards for a score to give Maryland a 14-12 lead. Washington converted on the next series with 1-yard scoring plunge after Browne fumbled at the Boilermakers 2-yard line.
Purdue answered with Townsend's 30-yard TD run as the teams were still settling down from two shoving matches and three personal foul calls. That made it 21-19.
Williams' long run on the next offensive play made it 28-19.
A bad snap on third-and-goal inside the 1-yard line resulted in a 3-yard loss and forced the Boilermakers to settle for another field goal.
Then Durr caught a screen pass on second-and-19, broke multiple tackles as he raced all the way across the field and outran the defense for a TD to give Maryland a 34-22 cushion.
Purdue cut the deficit to 34-29 on Ijeboi's TD run and drove to Maryland's 11-yard line with 5 seconds to play. But Browne was sacked on the game's final play.
Maryland: The Terrapins lethargic offense produced just five first downs and 108 total yards in the first half, but whatever Abdul-Rahim said at halftime worked. They looked like a different team in the second half, hitting big play after big play in what may have been their last chance this season to end their Big Ten skid.
Purdue: The Boilermakers certainly will regret this loss. They settled for four field goals in the red zone and couldn't get the Terrapins stopped in the second half. A win would have put Purdue at .500 in league play — a solid step forward for second-year coach Barry Odom. Instead, they'll be trying to snap another losing streak next weekend.
Maryland defensive back Dontay Joyner took another twist Saturday when he was ejected for a flagrant personal foul just 96 seconds into the game. He got into it with a Purdue player on the game's second play. Three plays later, he was called for a shoving a player at the end of a play.
Purdue kicker Jacobo-Echeverria Lozano shattered the school's single-season record for a freshman with his first of five field goals Saturday. He made kicks from 47, 26, 24 and 36 yards to give the Boilermakers a 12-7 halftime lead. His 22-yard field goal in the second half gave him 21 this season — five more than the previous record.
Maryland: Hosts the Badgers next Saturday.
Purdue: Travels to No. 21 Iowa next Saturday.
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