Verica salts Terrapins’ wounds

Virginia brought back more than just signs to Scott Stadium.

The Cavaliers actually showcased a real offense.

In a shocking reversal of fortune, Virginia blanked Maryland, 31-0, in front of an announced crowd of 50,727, snapping a two-game losing streak that included a disappointing 28-point loss at Duke.

Virginia (2-3, 1-1 ACC) managed a season-best 427 yards of total offense, dominated time of possession and double Maryland’s output of first downs.

“Well, we took a little step forward here tonight,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “All four phases had a good evening — offense, defense, special teams, coaching staff.

“We have a ways to go yet. There are a lot of things to improve upon.”

Virginia’s resurgence was fueled by quarterback Marc Verica. The sophomore was nearly flawless in his third career start, passing for 226 yards as he completed 25 of his 34 attempts. He avoided throwing an interception just a week after four second-half miscues.

Verica, who also ran for a second-quarter score, connected on the Cavaliers’ first two passing touchdowns of the season, finding wide receiver Kevin Ogletree for both point-producing plays.

“He had a very, very good game tonight, obviously,” Groh said. “He was on target from the start. This was a challenging week. Some people said, ‘Why did we leave him in the [Duke] game.’

“Because we said, ‘Quarterbacks can’t run for the hills when things aren’t good. They are going to have to walk around all week with it.’ We could see it was wearing on him and it wasn’t an easy win for him. What he was able to do and come out and play with that kind of confidence and energize his team, we hope, is a positive sign for what might follow.”

Maryland (4-2, 1-1) managed 13 first downs and struggled converting on third downs. In the first half alone, the Terps moved the chains on just one of their seven third-down plays.

Ironically, Virginia’s victory coincided with the return of running back Cedric Peerman. After missing the Duke game last week with a knee injury, Peerman rushed 17 times for 110 yards.

“I have never played with a player that has as much heart as him,” said Virginia offensive lineman Eugene Monroe. “He was tremendous.”

Peerman also reached the end zone, scoring the contests final touchdown with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter.

“It felt great to get into the end zone,” Peerman said. “The blocking was awesome on that play.”

Peerman’s touchdown was merely icing on the cake after Virginia’s impressive start.

The Cavaliers opened the game’s scoring with 2:41 left in the first quarter as Verica connected with Ogletree on a 51-yard pass.

“It was very important for us to be able to open things up a little bit,“ Verica said. “Kevin did a great job to get downfield and haul in the ball. His second effort was crucial as the team really fed off getting in the end zone early.“

It marked the first passing touchdown of the season for the Cavaliers, who were the last NCAA Division I-A team to do so.

Verica padded Virginia’s cushion in the second quarter, using his feet and his arm.

On the designed run, the sophomore quarterback faked out Maryland defensive lineman Dean Muhtadi and beat linebacker Alex Wujciak to the corner of the end zone. The 5-yard touchdown run, which came with 10:14 left in the first half, capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive.

The Cavaliers’ final first half score came as Verica marched the offense 88 yards just before halftime. On the touchdown play with 11 seconds left, he connected with Ogletree again on a 15-yard strike.

“When teams are point-producers, it is usually because they turn in some big plays,” Groh said. “We certainly got some big plays tonight.”

The drive was highlighted, however, by Groh’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 at the UVa 49. The Cavaliers kept the drive alive as fullback Rashawn Jackson dove over the defensive line for a 2-yard run.

“I am glad they called the play that they called,” Peerman said. “Rashawn has been a workhorse for us and that just the type of guy that he is. He is going to do whatever it takes to get that yard when his number is called.”

Groh added: “The thought was, ‘Don’t over-coach this. Just give the game to the players and let the players execute it and take ownership of the victory and they did that on two occasions.’”

Virginia, which entered the contest ranked last in the nation in scoring offense, torched the Terps’ defense in the opening half for 241 yards.

UVa will entertain East Carolina (3-2) on Saturday at noon. The Pirates are coming in off a bye week.

“Our challenge is to try to keep moving forward next week,” Groh said.

The contest will be televised by Raycom.