Brendan Sullivan threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and added 56 yards on the ground, leading Northwestern to a 33-27 victory against Maryland on Saturday in Evanston.
Trailing 27-17 early in the third quarter, Maryland was held to a field goal after a 12-play, 38-yard drive. With the Northwestern defense holding its own, Sullivan helped secure the lead by scrambling in the pocket and finding A.J. Henning for a 34-yard catch up the left seam, setting up a 19-yard field goal from Jack Olsen that put Northwestern (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) ahead 30-20 with 9:19 left.
After another stop by the Northwestern defense, Sullivan connected with Joseph Himon II for a 53-yard catch-and-run to set up another Olsen field goal to extend the lead to 33-20 with 5:03 left.
Terps quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa then engineered a quick 4-play 61-yard scoring drive, capping it off with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jeshaun Jones with 3:42 left. Maryland’s defense finally held Northwestern to a three-and-out, and Tagovailoa was threatening with a potential winning drive but was picked off by Coco Azema at the Northwestern 8-yard line.
Tagovailoa threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He was sacked six times, including a costly strip sack in the first quarter that led to a Northwestern touchdown.
Sullivan displayed great chemistry with senior wide receiver Bryce Kirtz. They hooked up for a 24-yard pass and then a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Maryland (5-3, 2-3) was without a key assistant coach: Co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin was arrested Oct. 22 in Florida on suspicion of driving while under the influence and was not with the Terrapins.
Northwestern: The Wildcats came into the game with only one touchdown in the previous six quarters. Sullivan, making his third straight start for the injured Ben Bryant (upper body injury), showed a complete grasp of the offense and might have secured the QB1 job going forward.
Maryland: The Terrapins started the season 5-0 and led Ohio State 17-10 in the second quarter before giving up 27 unanswered points to the Buckeyes. They then lost to Illinois before a week off.
Maryland: The Terrapins will play host to Penn State on Saturday.
Northwestern: The Wildcats will face Iowa at Wrigley Field on Saturday.