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Runaway Seminoles pummel Maryland 59-7 on the road
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- The game was decided by halftime, just like all the other mismatches between Florida State and Maryland. Chris Weinke threw three touchdown passes before leaving early in the third quarter with a sprained ankle, and second-ranked Florida State cruised to a 59-7 victory Thursday night. William McCray scored on two short runs and Atrews Bells caught two TD passes for the Seminoles (5-0, 3-0 ACC), who built a 32-7 halftime lead en route to their 17th straight victory. Weinke left after his third touchdown pass made it 38-7. With rival Miami next on the Seminoles' schedule, coach Bobby Bowden was probably ready to pull his senior quarterback anyway. Weinke went 11-for-15 for 234 yards. His final TD pass gave him 58 for his career, breaking Danny Kanell's school record. It was 25-0 before Maryland (2-2, 0-1) got its initial first down, on a 74-yard touchdown run by LaMont Jordan. Jordan finished with 114 yards rushing, his first 100-yard game of the season, but Maryland managed only eight first downs, four on the final drive of the game. Calvin McCall, who was victimized by several dropped passes, went 10-for-27 for 100 yards and one interception. Florida State is 11-0 against Maryland, winning by an average of 34 points. The Seminoles have scored at least 48 points in eight of the last nine games between the teams. After the Terrapins took the opening kickoff and gained only 1 yard in three plays, the Seminoles quickly covered 59 yards to go up 7-0. Weinke went 3-for-3 for 36 yards before McCray ran in from the 1. Maryland again did nothing on offense, and a 28-yard punt return by Clevan Thomas set up a career-long 44-yard field goal by Matt Munyon. The Terrapins' next possession featured two dropped passes, and after the Seminoles' first punt, a botched pitchout by McCall was recovered by FSU at the Maryland 16. Although the Seminoles couldn't convert, a coffin-corner punt by Keith Cottrell set up a safety for a 12-0 lead. Immediately after the free kick, Robert Morgan slipped behind Curome Cox on the right sideline and hauled in a 58-yard touchdown pass. The Terrapins not only found it impossible to get a first down, but they couldn't help giving the ball away. An interception by the Seminoles' Chris Hope led to a 2-yard touchdown run by McCray and a 25-0 lead. Maryland ended its first-down drought and snapped the shutout with one play, Jordan's lengthy touchdown run off a block by tight end Jeff Dugan. Undaunted, the Seminoles made it 32-7 on a 2-yard pass from Weinke to Bell with 14 seconds left in the half. At that point, a good portion of the 47,044 at Byrd Stadium headed for the exits. It was the biggest crowd at Maryland since 1995.
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