Embed from Getty Images
Maryland quarterback Perry Hills was sideline for the past two weeks with a shoulder injury, which was why there was uncertainty on whether he would be taking snaps in the conference game against Michigan State.
When Hills came on the field as the starter, he was clicking at all cylinders and helped the Terps (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) defeat the Spartans (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) 28-17 on Saturday evening.
“It just wanted to go out there and managed the offense,” Hills said as he went 21-27, threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
Hills rushed for 10 yards, but threw two incomplete passes on the Terps first offensive drive of the game. He did manage to go 5-7, tally 42 yards in the air, and play a role in Maryland’s 96-yard scoring drive that put the team up 8-0 at the end of the first quarter. It was the Terps longest scoring drive of the season.
Hills found his rhythm in the second quarter as he threw for 87 yards and a touchdown. After Michigan State running back L.J. Scott ran for a 48-yard touchdown, Hills saw his receiver D.J. Moore run past busted coverage and threw a 36-yard touchdown pass.
When the Terps were down 17-14 at the start of the fourth quarter, they needed their quarterback to step up. And Hills did just that. He led an eight play, 75-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Goins, which gave Maryland a 21-17 advantage.
In the final three minutes of the game, Hills found wide receiver Levern Jacobs for a nine-yard touchdown pass that sealed the win for Maryland and capped off one of his strongest performance of the season.
Hills credit his and the rest of the offense success to the offensive line, who allowed only one sack throughout the game.
“The offensive line played one of the best games of the year. They pretty much deserve all the credit for the game,” Hills said. “They gave the running backs lanes to run in and gave me time to pass.”
Inside The Locker Room 