Lattimore Lifts Maryland Past FIU
posted 10:23 am Sun September 09, 2007 - MIAMI
Lattimore ran for 111 yards and two early touchdowns, and Maryland held off pesky Florida International 26-10 on Saturday night.
"I just approached it like any other game, but it definitely had a little more memory behind it," Lattimore said. "I grew up in this place."
Jordan Steffy completed 18 of 25 passes for 135 yards and Lance Ball had a 1-yard scoring run with 53 seconds left to seal the win for Maryland, now 2-0 for the fourth time in Ralph Friedgen's seven seasons. The Terrapins host No. 3 West Virginia Thursday night.
"I don't want to make any excuses, but this was a trap waiting to happen," Friedgen said. "I don't like playing in these games. There's no one in the stadium, you've got a big game coming up on Thursday, this team just got beat. ... But we did win the football game."
Moses Hinton caught a 49-yard TD pass from Wayne Younger for Florida International (0-2), losers of 14 straight games - the second-longest current drought in major college football behind Duke, which saw its winless skein extend to 22 with a 24-13 defeat at Virginia earlier Saturday.
FIU put a major scare into Maryland last season, losing 14-10 when the Terrapins intercepted a pass near the goal line on the game's final play.
This one wasn't easy for the Terps, either - who scored 10 fourth-quarter points off a pair of FIU turnovers.
"We gave up too many big plays at the beginning," FIU coach Mario Cristobal said. "But I was encouraged at the way we played ourselves back into the game. We got within a touchdown of winning."
FIU plays Miami next Saturday, a rematch of last year's game that was marred by a bench-clearing brawl and led to 31 players getting either suspended or dismissed from their respective teams.
Lattimore watched Lewis play with the Miami Hurricanes plenty of times in years past at the Orange Bowl - the field FIU is using this season while its own stadium is remodeled.
He made his own memories this time, dominating play early.
"I was definitely fired up," he said.
Lattimore had a 42-yard run on Maryland's first play, and he scored from 1 yard out to make it 9-0. The scoring started with a safety on a botched FIU punt 26 seconds into the game.
FIU went three & out on its next possession and Lattimore came through again, this time with a 14-yard TD to make it 16-0 with 8:13 left in the quarter.
A big play helped FIU get back into the game.
Off play-action, Younger found Hinton down the left sideline for the first score in Cristobal's era as FIU coach. Cristobal - in dress pants, white shirt and tie - thrust his fists into the air and slapped whomever was within reach in celebration.
"We fell asleep on one play," Friedgen said. "Never should have happened - but it did."
FIU got within 16-10 early in the fourth on Chris Abed's 42-yard field goal. But Lionell Singleton fumbled a punt return away deep in FIU territory with 12:27 left, setting up Obi Egekeze's 36-yard field goal that restored Maryland's nine-point lead.
Younger - who was 8-for-22 for 81 yards - was intercepted by Maryland's Kevin Barnes with 3 minutes left, leading to Ball's score.
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