SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Big plays doomed the Syracuse football team on Saturday at the Carrier Dome as the Orange lost its first game of the season to Maryland, 34-20, dropping 'Cuse to 2-1 on the year.
The Terps (3-1) used an interception return for touchdown, a 90-yard touchdown pass and a blocked punt to set up another score to open up an 18-point halftime lead that the Orange couldn't overcome.
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"Usually you rush 280-yards more then you have a shot to win," said head coach Scott Shafer. "But I look at those fleeting opportunities and you've got to come down with the ball. I never felt like we gave ourselves a push in the momentum to get ourselves on track. The defense came out there in the second half and kept fighting. Almost pitched a shutout in the second half, minus the fumble and the points off the field goal, so I was pleased with that."
The Orange out-gained the Terrapins in total yards, 589-369, led by 370 rushing yards. Quarterback Terrel Hunt led the way with 156 yards on 23 carries and two scores. It was the first time a SU quarterback went over 100 yards on the ground since Donovan McNabb against Miami in 1997.
Prince-Gulley piled up 138 yards on 14 carries, his second100-yard day of the season and fourth of his career, while Adonis Ameen-Moore added 68 yards on nine attempts.
Hunt completed 14-of-28 passes for 219 yards on the day. His 375 yards of total offense ties him with Don McPherson for eighth in program history for a single game.
Syracuse got on the board first with Ryan Norton's 35-yard field goal capping off an 11 play, 59-yard drive on the game's first possession.
Maryland tacked on a pair of quick touchdowns, with C.J. Brown finding Marcus Leak in the back corner of the end zone for the game's first touchdown on the Terps' first drive and Brandon Ross breaking off a 90-yard touchdown on a screen.
The Orange scored on its next two possessions, with Cole Murphy converting his first-career field goal attempt – a 49 yarder, followed by an eight-yard touchdown rush by Hunt to cut Maryland's lead to one at 14-13.
The Terrapins answered with three unanswered scores, which were set up by Maryland's defense and special teams to head into the locker room with a 31-13 lead, despite the Orange holding a 357-256 first half advantage in total offense.
After a Brad Craddock field goal with 12:38 to go in the half, the Terps blocked an SU punt deep in the Orange's territory on the ensuing possession that set up a Jacquille Veil touchdown run from four yards out.
Just over two-minutes later, William Likely intercepted Hunt's pass and took it 88 yards down the sideline for the touchdown and final score of the half. The turnover was the Orange's first of the season.
Coming out of the locker room, both defenses held strong with neither team finding the scoreboard for over 25 minutes. A Craddock field goal with 4:17 remaining in the game and a Hunt two-yard run with 48 seconds left were the only second half scores.
For the third-consecutive game, Cameron Lynch led all Orange tacklers with 7 tackles and added a sack.
Syracuse will next play on Sept. 27 in the New York College Classic against Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium. The game is scheduled for a prime-time start of 8 p.m. on ABC. Tickets can be purchased NYCollegeClassic.com.
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