Sept. 9, 2007

The Road to Jacksonville - Week Two

Box Score

MIAMI (AP) -- Keon Lattimore ran for 111 yards and two early touchdowns, and Maryland held off pesky Florida International 26-10 on Saturday night.

Jordan Steffy completed 18 of 25 passes for 135 yards and Lance Ball had a 1-yard scoring run with 53 seconds left to seal the win for Maryland, now 2-0 for the fourth time in Ralph Friedgen's seven seasons. The Terrapins host No. 3 West Virginia Thursday night.

Moses Hinton caught a 49-yard TD pass from Wayne Younger for Florida International (0-2), losers of 14 straight games -- the second-longest current drought in major college football behind Duke, which saw its winless skein extend to 22 with a 24-13 defeat at Virginia earlier Saturday.

FIU put a major scare into Maryland last season, losing 14-10 when the Terrapins intercepted a pass near the goal line on the game's final play. This one wasn't easy for the Terps, either -- who scored 10 fourth-quarter points off a pair of FIU turnovers.

Lattimore is the brother of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who starred at Miami before entering the NFL. Lattimore has fond memories of seeing Lewis play at the Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes' home field that FIU is using this season while its own stadium is remodeled. Now, he's got memories of his own.

Lattimore had a 42-yard run on Maryland's first play, and he scored from 1 yard out to make it 9-0. The scoring started with a safety on a botched FIU punt 26 seconds into the game.

FIU went three-and-out on its next possession and Lattimore came through again, this time with a 14-yard TD to make it 16-0 with 8:13 left in the quarter.

A big play helped FIU get back into the game.

Off play-action, Younger found Hinton down the left sideline for the first score in Mario Cristobal's era as FIU coach. Cristobal -- in dress pants, white shirt and tie -- thrust his fists into the air and slapped whomever was within reach in celebration.

FIU got within 16-10 early in the fourth on Chris Abed's 42-yard field goal. But Lionell Singleton fumbled a punt return away deep in FIU territory with 12:27 left, setting up Obi Egekeze's 36-yard field goal that restored Maryland's nine-point lead.