Defensive end Aidan Hubbard scored a touchdown by returning a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter, helping Northwestern defeat Maryland 37-10 on Friday night for their first Big Ten win this season.
Jack Lausch and Cam Porter both rushed for touchdowns in the first half for the Wildcats (3-3, 1-2), even though they were outgained 355-283 in total yards.
Billy Edwards Jr. scored a rushing touchdown for Maryland (3-3, 0-3), which had a season-high four turnovers. This loss marked the Terrapins’ 10th straight defeat after a bye week, a streak that has been ongoing since 2017 and includes two losses following pandemic cancellations in 2020.
Maryland was down 17-10 early in the fourth quarter when Edwards was hit hard by defensive tackle Carmine Bastone and lost the ball. Hubbard picked it up at the Maryland 2 and stepped into the end zone.
“Everybody was just juicy and was excited,” said Bastone, a senior who missed the first five games due to injury. “I was trying to get everybody excited, so I’m glad I got that response. Everybody was just happy to see me back out there.”
This was the first of three turnovers for Maryland in the fourth quarter. Northwestern scored 20 points to Maryland’s 3 in the final quarter, with 17 of those points coming from turnovers.
“We talk about valuing the football,” said Northwestern coach David Braun. “This has to be part of our formula — winning in the turnover margin. We did that in a big way tonight.”
The Wildcats started the game strong with Lausch’s 9-yard run in the first quarter. After Maryland punted and pinned Northwestern at their own 8, Lausch led a 16-play drive that ended with Porter’s 3-yard touchdown run with 12:08 left in the half.
Maryland’s Ricardo Cooper Jr. fumbled the next kickoff, which allowed Luke Akers to kick a 43-yard field goal just four plays later, putting Northwestern ahead 17-0.
Maryland struggled to score as efficiently. Edwards got a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 3:22 remaining in the first half, capping a 16-play drive. Jack Howes added a 31-yard field goal at the start of the fourth quarter after an 18-play possession.
Turnovers caused problems for the Terps for the rest of the game. They had only three turnovers in their first five games, and their plus-11 turnover margin was the second best in the country before Friday.
“We’re here to build this team to compete to win championships,” said Maryland coach Mike Locksley, who took over playcalling from offensive coordinator Josh Gattis after the bye week. “Nobody ever said it would be linear. Today, we took a step back. We’re going to find a way to turn this frustration into something positive and productive.”
Lausch completed 10 of 18 passes for 203 yards.
Edwards went 28 of 51 for 296 yards and had one interception.
Maryland’s Tai Felton, who is the leader in receiving yards in the Big Ten, returned after leaving the Terps’ game on September 28 against Indiana due to an undisclosed injury. He caught nine passes for 77 yards.
