COLLEGE PARK, Md. _ Ever since Maryland jumped from underdog to a slight favorite going into Saturday's home game against No. 21 Syracuse, first-year coach Mike Locksley tried to diffuse any hype that followed his team's 79-0 opening win over Howard.
"Syracuse is a team that's won 10 games (a year ago), well-coached," Locksley said Wednesday of a Maryland team that hadn't beaten a ranked opponent at home since 2010. "We're not there yet."
Maybe they are.
Sparked by an offense that scored touchdowns six of the seven times it touched the ball in the first half Saturday, Maryland shocked the Orange, 63-20, finishing with the most points it has ever scored against a ranked opponent.
By halftime, when the Terps (2-0) led 42-13, they had already scored more points in back-to-back games than any team in school history.
Graduate transfer Josh Jackson completed 21 of 38 passes for 296 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Redshirt sophomore running back Anthony McFarland Jr. scored three times _ two runs and a catch. Junior running back Javon Leake ran for two touchdowns, including a career-high-tying 64-yard run to open the second half. Leake had 107 yards on just seven carries.
The 42 points in the first half were Maryland's most against a Power 5 opponent since they scored 45 in the first half against North Carolina in 2003. That output tied the Terps' most against a ranked team since what many consider the most iconic game in Maryland football history _ the 1984 "Miracle in Miami," when the Terps erased a 31-0 halftime deficit to beat the Hurricanes 42-40.
Even though the offense slowed down after Leake's long touchdown to open the second half gave Maryland a 49-13 lead, the defense held up after immediately giving up a 52-yard touchdown pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Tommy DeVito to redshirt junior wide receiver Trishton Jackson.
The Terps stopped the Orange (1-1) on three straight fourth-down plays to keep its large lead.
After Jackson was intercepted in the third quarter _ the first turnover for the Terps and their new quarterback this season _ Syracuse took over at the Maryland 26. But DeVito was forced out of the pocket on fourth-and-8 and misfired badly, giving the ball back to Locksley's team.
On Syracuse's next possession, the defense put enough pressure on DeVito on fourth-and 3 from the Maryland 42 that he threw wildly again. This time, third-string running back Tayon Fleet-Davis provided the offense. After two incompletions by Jackson, Fleet Davis rushed the next seven plays for 58 yards and scored on a 5-yard run.
The last fourth-down stop came after Syracuse drove to Maryland's 8-yard line, with DeVito throwing out of the end zone on fourth-and-5. Redshirt junior Jake Funk took over from there, with runs of 54, 28 and 10 yards to score Maryland's ninth touchdown of the game. Funk finished with a career-high 94 yards on just five carries.
The victory gives the Terps some momentum going into their first road of the season, next Saturday at Temple. Last season, the Owls came to Maryland Stadium having lost their first two games. The Terps, coming off a 2-0 start, including an upset of then-No. 23 Texas at FedEx Field, lost 35-14.
