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Game commentary

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Hot Maryland passing game leads Terps to victory**

Montana to Rice, Terrapin-style.

Saturday night, Maryland's quarterback-receiver tandem of Brian Cummings and Jermaine Lewis summoned the magic of the mid-1980's San Francisco 49ers.

Connecting on nine passes to Lewis--including two bombs over 40 yards--Cummings racked up nearly 300 passing yards, while Lewis totaled 205 receiving yards, running circles around the Blue Devil secondary.

Granted, the Terrapin twosome may be mere shadows of NFL greats Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, but for 60 minutes they were light years ahead of any Duke-mustered offensive attack.

"When I hit Jermaine on the deep ball, that's when everything started clicking," Cummings said.

Clicking indeed.

After senior quarterback Spence Fischer could only muster a Duke three-and-out, the Maryland offense got another shot. On the Terps' next possession, Cummings again connected with Lewis. The 44-yard pass set up a first-and-goal situation from the Duke four-yard line. A touchdown and another feeble Duke possession later, Cummings found Bruce James for a 48-yard touchdown.

"We came in thinking we have to stop the run," Duke head coach Fred Goldsmith said. "Obviously, we knew [Cummings] could throw the ball, but for him to be able to do things he does, my hat is off to the guy."

By halftime, Lewis had accumulated 131 yards on five catches. He would go on to up those numbers to 205 yards on nine catches by the end of the game.

"What a night [Lewis] had," Duffner said. "Nine big catches and all kinds of yardage."

"I put this game as one of my bests," Lewis said. "It just seemed like I was in the zone out there. Everything was going my way, and Brian was getting me the ball right when I needed it."

While the Cummings-Lewis tandem gave Maryland an early lead, there was no Fischer-to-anyone connection for Duke fans to support. Fischer finished with a respectable, but lacking, 18-of-36 passing for 174 yards.

The play of Fischer, in contrast to the multi-faceted Cummings, highlighted what has become a glaring weakness on offense for the Blue Devils. With no deep threat and insufficient arm-strength, the three-year starter is unable to open up the field by throwing deep.

Sophomore wide receiver Corey Thomas, the Blue Devils' supposed big-play receiver, caught only one pass on the day. That 29-yard strike came in the fourth quarter and resulted only in a field goal.

Cummings, on the other hand, tested the Blue Devils, passing deep early and often. By spreading the defense, his long-ball success translated into easier opportunities for the Maryland offense for the rest of the game.

"He's improved from week to week," Duffner said of Cummings. "His poise out there tonight, his confidence to make big plays was really, really special."

For Lewis, this was just one of many big games in his four-year career. But for Cummings, the Terps' big performance couldn't have come at a better time. With two-year starter Milanovich returning this week after serving a four-game NCAA suspension for gambling, Cummings played the best all-around game of his career.

"Today, he played with a lot more confidence," Lewis said. "I could feel he was a lot more relaxed and he made all the right reads."

The decision as to who will run the Terp offense will be made sometime this week, according to Duffner. But for now, Cummings and Lewis can rest assured that their efforts have been noted by the Blue Devils defensive coaches and Fischer.