Maryland's Scott runs wild in the fourth quarter to lead Terps to H-Bowl title

Maryland running back Da'Rel Scott spent about 2 hours Tuesday afternoon at Bronco Stadium standing on the sideline and wondering if he would be allowed to play in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl.

He was pulled from the starting lineup as one of seven Terrapins, including four starters, who committed curfew violations over the weekend.

"At the end of the first quarter, I kind of thought I was going to get in," Scott said. "After the second quarter, I was getting a little worried - I'm not going to lie."

Finally, midway through the third quarter, offensive coordinator James Franklin unleashed his star sophomore.

And almost immediately, Scott took over the game.

Scott rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns despite the delayed start to carry the Terrapins (8-5) to a 42-35 victory over Nevada in a game that matched the H-Bowl scoring record.

Scott was named the Terrapins' MVP by the media - an award that had to leave the Maryland coaching staff a little conflicted.

"I talked to Da'Rel (Monday) night and he assured me if he got his opportunity to play, he would play to the best of his ability," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "He kind of did."

Nevada (7-6) rallied to tie the game 28-28 with 14 minutes, 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Scott, who looked sharp on his first few carries on the previous drive, responded with a 49-yard touchdown run with 12:21 left and 66 yards and a touchdown on the next drive for a 42-28 lead.

"He just ran through us like we weren't there," Nevada coach Chris Ault said. "They ran the weak-side gap, we knew that was one of their base plays, and he did a great job. He's a heck of a back, no question about it. He was breaking tackles, and that's not only a difference-maker but a morale-changer."

Still, the Wolf Pack had a chance.

Sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick - the Pack MVP with an H-Bowl-record 370 passing yards and four total touchdowns - ran 15 yards for a score on a sprained right ankle to make it 42-35 with 2:19 left.

Kicker Brett Jaekle shanked the onside kick, though, and the Terps put away the game on a 19-yard run by Scott. Kaepernick also squandered two scoring chances with ugly interceptions.

"We had our opportunities," Ault said, "and Maryland is a good enough team that you better cash in on those opportunities."

Scott certainly did - making his 14 carries count.

His appearance was the culmination of a game-long storyline - when would the busted players appear?

The seven suspensions were for various incidents spread over at least two nights, Friedgen said. They affected starters Scott, wide receiver Danny Oquendo, linebacker Moise Fokou and linebacker Trey Covington and backups linebacker Derek Drummond, linebacker Antwine Perez and defensive back Jamari McCollough.

All but Covington played, but some got into the game earlier than others.

The players snuck out after the team's midnight curfew, Friedgen said, but were caught by his second round of bed checks at 1 a.m.

"I was hurt," Friedgen said. " I don't want to be a Gestapo agency, but I think there are some times you're almost forced to do it if people don't respect the rules you have in place."

Friedgen, who had threatened to send rules violators home by bus, said athletic director Deborah Yow talked him out of suspending the players for the entire game.

"It probably was good that she was there because I was sending them all home," Friedgen said.

Friedgen told Franklin he could play Oquendo, a slot receiver and third-down specialist, and Scott, who was trying to become the seventh 1,000-yard rusher in school history, after the first quarter.

Neither played in the first half, when the Terps built a 28-14 lead with touchdowns from freshman kickoff returner Torrey Smith (first career return TD), sophomore wide receiver Adrian Cannon (first TD catch, a 59-yarder), sophomore running back Morgan Green (a 53-yard run after eight games without a carry) and freshman wide receiver Ronnie Tyler (first TD catch, a 14-yarder with 6 seconds left in the half).

Cannon replaced Oquendo in the slot on his touchdown, which came on third-and-3.

"(The suspended players) have to make some sacrifices, some other guys have got to step up - and that's what happened today," Friedgen said. "They made some plays and made us a better football team."

At halftime, Friedgen instructed Franklin to play Oquendo, a senior who earned his degree in three and a half years. Oquendo entered for the first possession of the third quarter but didn't have a catch or a punt return.

Scott didn't enter until the Terps' third possession of the half and didn't have a carry until the fourth. He ran for 14 and 11 yards on his first two touches - a sign of the damage he was about to inflict.

His long touchdown run came on the next drive. Moments later, he carried on all four plays of a 66-yard drive - including back-to-back runs of 23 and 30 yards.

"He was very hungry and fresh when he came in the game," senior center Edwin Williams said. "He was ready to get out there and go. I'm so proud of him. It just shows what he's going to do next year."

Scott said he was "very disappointed" in himself for breaking curfew. Friedgen said Scott was trying to "help somebody and got put in a bad situation," but didn't elaborate.

"I guess I just felt as though I had to run with a purpose," said Scott, who finished the season with 1,133 yards and was an All-ACC first-teamer. " I made some big plays and they just wanted to keep rolling with it."