Brown

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Sophomore quarterback and Seneca Valley graduate C.J. Brown certainly did his part Saturday, but it wasn’t quite enough as the University of Maryland football team fell to No. 8-ranked Clemson 56-45.

Brown, making his first start for the Terrapins in place of Danny O’Brien, completed 17 of 35 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

Brown also led the team in rushing with 162 yards on 22 carries and added a 24-yard score.

Brown had led Maryland (2-4, 1-2) to a 28-10 lead late in the first half before the Tigers (7-0, 4-0) cut the deficit to 11 at the half, then posted 39 second-half points to seal the win.

Maryland coach Randy Edsall named Brown the starter during pre-game warmups.

Brown’s 162 yards rushing were a school record for a quarterback. He also became the first Terrapin signal-caller to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games. He came off the bench to rush for 124 yards a week ago against Georgia Tech.

“We couldn’t catch Brown,” Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said after the game. “He added a new dimension to their offense.”

Brown tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Furstenburg to give Maryland its final lead of the game at 45-42 midway through the third quarter.

Clemson freshman Sammy Watkins quickly vanquished that margin when he returned the following kickoff 89 yards for a score. Watkins set a Clemson record of 345 all-purpose yards in the contest.

Edsall was non-committal on Maryland’s website as to the Terps’ future quarterback situation.

“I have to watch the film, but looking at the numbers, you can see that C.J. did a lot of good things out there,” Edsall said.

Brown was just happy to get on the field.

“Getting my first start was exciting and I was nervous and I had the energy,” he said. “It felt good to go out there and show what I can do.”