Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Maryland Terrapins Match Player Stats On Oct 15, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 15, 2016

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- In a battle of back-up quarterbacks, Minnesota picked up a 31-10 Big Ten road win at Maryland Saturday afternoon.

Conor Rhoda, in for injured Mitch Leidner, complete 7 of 15 passes for 82 yards and his first career touchdown. He outdueled Maryland freshman Tyrrell Pigrome, subbing for an injured Perry Hills.

Leidner underwent concussion protocols this week, and Hills couldn't come back from a shoulder injury suffered at Penn State. Rhoda, a redshirt junior, had thrown just two passes in his career before his first start Saturday.

The Golden Gophers (4-2, 1-2) snapped a two-game losing streak and won the first-ever regular-season meeting with Maryland, thanks to some cooperation from the Terrapins. A muffed punt set up Minnesota's first score, when Rodney Smith dashed in from eight yards with 13:27 left in the second quarter.

Rhoda hit Shannon Brooks for 17 yards on a screen against a Maryland blitz with 20 seconds remaining in the half to give the Golden Gophers a 14-0 lead at the break.

The Terrapins (4-2, 1-2) lost for the second straight week and were shut out for the first time in the opening half this year. In the previous five games, Maryland had outscored opponents 119-38 in the opening 30 minutes.

Smith's 70-yard touchdown run at 9:30 of the fourth quarter was the clincher, making it a 24-3 cushion and highlighting a performance that included 144 yards on 18 rushes and two scores. Minnesota rushed for 228 total yards on 48 attempts, marking the third time in the last four games it has rushed for over 200 yards.

The two teams combined for 16 penalties, nine by the Terrapins, in a sloppy game. Pigrome finished 18 of 37 passing for 161 yards with two interceptions. He added a team high 70 yards rushing on 25 carries.

Pigrome got the Terrapins into the end zone with an 11-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Moore with 5:42 remaining in the game.

Minnesota moves on to host Rutgers next week, while Maryland will host Michigan State.