COLLEGE PARK, Md. – – Defensive end Aidan Hubbard recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Northwestern pulled away from Maryland 37-10 on Friday night for its first Big Ten victory this season.

Jack Lausch and Cam Porter rushed for touchdowns in the first half for the Wildcats (3-3, 1-2), who won despite leading 355-283 yards.

Billy Edwards Jr. rushed for a touchdown for Maryland (3-3, 0-3), which committed four times as many turnovers. The Terrapins dropped their 10th straight game after an open date, a streak that dates back to 2017 and includes a pair of losses after pandemic cancellations in 2020.

Maryland trailed 17-10 early in the fourth quarter when Edwards was blindsided by defensive tackle Carmine Bastone and lost possession of the ball. Hubbard collected the ball at the Maryland 2 and took a step into the end zone.

“Everyone was just juicy and excited,” said Bastone, a senior and former walk-on who missed the Wildcats’ first five games due to injury. “I tried to get everyone excited, so I’m glad I got that reaction. Everyone was just happy to see me there again.”

For the Terpen it was the first of three turnover figures in the fourth quarter. Northwestern outscored Maryland 20-3 in the final 15 minutes, with 17 of the points coming from takeaways.

“We talk about appreciating football,” Northwestern coach David Braun said. “This must be part of our formula: winning in the turnover margin. We did that in a big way tonight.”

The Wildcats opened the scoring on Lausch’s 9-yard scramble in the first quarter. After Maryland’s punt on the next possession put Northwestern up 8, Lausch led a 16-play drive capped by Porter’s 3-yard touchdown run with 12:08 left in the half.

Ricardo Cooper Jr. van de Terps fumbled the ensuing kickoff and set up Luke Akers’ 43-yard field goal four plays later, putting Northwestern up 17–0.

Maryland couldn’t produce points nearly as efficiently. Edwards scored on a 1-yard jumper on fourth-and-goal with 3:22 before halftime, completing a 16-play drive. Jack Howes made a 31-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter, capping an 18-yard possession.

The turnover caused a short circuit in the Terpen. They had just three giveaways in their first five games, and their plus-11 turnover margin entering Friday ranked second nationally.

“We’re here to build this team to compete for championships,” said Maryland coach Mike Locksley, who took over playcalling responsibilities from offensive coordinator Josh Gattis after the open date. “Nobody ever said it would be linear. Today we took a step back. We are going to find a way to turn this frustration into something positive and productive.”

Lausch completed 10 of 18 for 203 yards.

Edwards was 28 of 51 for 296 yards and an interception.

Maryland’s Tai Felton, who leads the Big Ten in receiving yards, returned after leaving the Terps’ Sept. 28 loss in Indiana with an undisclosed injury. He had nine catches for 77 yards.

The takeaway

Northwestern: The Wildcats took care of the ball, exploited Maryland turnovers and limited the Terps to 59 rushing yards. It was a winning formula on Friday and Northwestern will no doubt look to repeat it in the second half of the season.

Maryland: The Terps fell to .500 while losing at home for the second time this season. With a second-half schedule that includes Southern California, Minnesota, Oregon, Rutgers, Iowa and Penn State — who entered the week with a combined record of 23-8 — Maryland’s chances of winning remain fourth consecutive bowl berth to be earned narrow.

Akers gets his kicks

Akers, a redshirt junior, normally handles Northwestern’s punting and kickoff duties. But the son of former Pro Bowl kicker David Akers added placekicking responsibilities and was perfect, making three field goals of at least 38 yards plus all four extra points.

“I’ve never seen anyone compete at the level he did and score points the way he did,” Braun said. “That extra point is the first point he scored in his college career. And because of the efficiency he had on field goals at different distances and the way he kicked the ball tonight, I’m so excited for that young man.

Next

Northwestern will host Wisconsin on Oct. 19.

Maryland stays home to face new Big Ten foe Southern California on Oct. 19.

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