Maryland vs. Connecticut: Terps" comeback bid falls short in 24-21 loss to Huskies With the pregame script all about Maryland Coach Randy Edsall taking the field against his former squad, the Terrapins had a chance to win. Down 24-21, they drove into Connecticut territory with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter. Freshman wide receiver Stefon Diggs flew through the air like Superman as he stretched for a first down with just more than a minute left. But senior wide receiver Kevin Dorsey, who had made two clutch receptions as Maryland closed out its first two wins in the fourth quarter, dropped a sure-fire first down. With 36 seconds remaining, on third and 14, Dorsey got shut down on a misdirection bubble screen for a loss. Hills's fourth-down heave to Kerry Boykins then sailed out of the end zone, ending Maryland's chances. The Huskies brought the house, the farm and all other matters of residential structures on defense, blitzing and battering Hills all afternoon with a pass rush designed by former Maryland defensive coordinator Don Brown. Penalties and backfield stops stalled a Terrapins offense that shined against Temple. Maryland had eight drives of three plays or less, and as many plays that went for zero or negative yards. They finished with only 205 yards. Resiliency nearly brought Maryland back from a 10-point halftime deficit, engineered in the second half by Diggs. The freshman escaped Connecticut's special teams coverage throughout the afternoon (eight returns, 166 yards) with runs that included spins, hurdles and escape artistry only missing a velvet cape and a puff of smoke. But he saved the greatest wizardry for his first career touchdown. With Perry flushed out of the pocket on third and 10 just seconds into the fourth quarter, the freshman quarterback heaved a prayer toward the end zone. Tipped by Marcus Leak, Diggs came rushing across the field and snagged it for the 29-yard score that brought the Terrapins within three points. But a 10-play, 76-yard Connecticut drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown rush by Lyle McCombs stamped the lid on Maryland's first loss of the season, providing an insurmountable deficit. It was a rare defensive breakdown by a Terrapins defense that hadn't allowed a drive of more than 70 yards until that point. The Huskies" march included included an 18-yard completion on third down, a 21-yard scramble by backup quarterback Scott McCummings and McCombs's third touchdown of the season. Hit high and hard and driven backward into negative territory, the Terrapins found themselves with just eight total yards after the first quarter. U-Conn. wasn't much better with 85 yards on 17 plays, its only points coming on a 58-yard punt return by Nick Williams. Any semblance of first-half offense for Maryland came from Wes Brown and Diggs. Both freshmen from Good Counsel, Brown atoned for his two fumbles against Temple with a 19-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, bouncing off a lineman and trotting in untouched, a play set up by an 18-yard completion from Hills to Diggs. The anticipated defensive stalemate emerged through a sluggish first quarter. Huskies quarterback Chandler Whitmer coughed up a fumble on a quarterback sneak on the game's first possession, but Hills followed suit with an interception on Maryland's first play when he underthrew Marcus Leak on a slant pattern across the middle. Early in the second quarter, McCummings plunged in from three yards to put the Huskies up 14-0, before Brown's burst cut the deficit heading into the break. The second half opened sluggishly, as well. In the third quarter, before Maryland's 75-yard scoring drive that ended with Diggs's tipped touchdown, the two sides combined for 20 plays that netted minus-24 yards. With 5:13 left in the third, Hills got cracked in the backfield on a strongside blitz, fumbling just outside the Maryland 20-yard line, his sixth turnover in three collegiate starts. Three plays later, Chad Christen drilled a 34-yard field goal that put the Huskies up 17-7. The fourth quarter proved far more exciting, coming down to the wire. But a Maryland team that previously thrived on late-game perseverance fell just short.