Cardiac Cavaliers do it again

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - No Cedric Peerman- No problem. Mikell Simpson did just fine.

The seldom-used Cavalier sophomore leapt over the pile to score the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds remaining to lift U.Va. to an 18-17 win.

Simpson had touched the ball six times all season before the game. But with Peerman out with an injury, the Wahoos had to find another way to spark the offense.

Enter Simpson. Lining up at wide receiver and tailback, he racked up 126 yards of total offense by halftime, including a 44-yard touchdown with 3:35 remaining in the second quarter that kept the game from getting away from the Cavs.

He finished with 16 carries for 119 yards and 13 catches for 152 yards.

It was the big-time game that the Cavaliers needed. Despite the fact that U.Va. had more total yards (439-235), Maryland used a two-back running game to control the tempo.

It was no secret what Maryland wanted to do on offense. The Terrapins are a running team and when Keon Lattimore wasn't bulling past defenders inside the tackles, Lance Ball had the speed to go the distance.

Coming into the game, the Terrapins had run the ball almost twice as often as they'd thrown it. It was more of the same Saturday. Lattimore and Ball combined for 103 yards by halftime and each scored a first-half touchdown. But after the strong start, the duo quieted in the second half.

But the Cavalier defense stepped up in the second half. Defense had been the calling card all year long for the Wahoos. Senior Chris Long led a fast and active defense that thrived by putting pressure on the quarterback. When the Cavaliers needed a spark in the third quarter, Long delivered. After Chris Gould pinned the Terrapins inside the 5-yard line with a punt, Long shot up the middle untouched and hit Maryland quarterback Chris Turner in the end zone for a safety. It closed the Cavaliers to within five at 17-12 and seemed to swing the momentum to the Cavaliers
Simpson and Keith Payne were productive on offense, but the Cavaliers struggled to find the endzone. Kicker Chris Gould hit a 36-yard field goal in the first half, but pushed a 32-yard attempt wide right.

The Cavaliers (7-1, 4-0 ACC) have been finding ways to hang around all season. This was their fifth win by fewer than six points, tops in the nation.

Jason Simcoe can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 166 or