Taylor, Hokies rip Terps

Maryland switched quarterbacks out of necessity this week.

It didn’t do anything to change the results for the woebegone Terrapins.

Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw three touchdowns as the No. 20 Hokies ripped Maryland 36-9 Saturday at Byrd Stadium.

Sophomore quarterback Jamarr Robinson made his first career start as Chris Turner (left knee ligament sprain) missed the game. But Robinson found the same problems Turner endured for the Terps (2-8, 1-5 ACC) — an inability for Maryland’s running backs to find room to run.

That left it to Robinson himself, who actually fared well when left to his own scrambling devices. Robinson ran for 129 yards, the first Maryland quarterback to crack 100 yards on the ground since Shaun Hill did it against Duke in 2001.

The shiftiness didn’t translate into touchdowns, and the Terps needed plenty of those to keep pace with Taylor and the Hokies (7-3, 4-2), who were eliminated from ACC Coastal Division contention earlier in the day.

Taylor led a pair of long drives in the first quarter to quickly establish a 14-0 lead. After the Terps settled for a field goal, Taylor tossed two more touchdowns — the second a 64-yard strike to Jarrett Boykin — to make it 27-3.

Maryland’s offense never made it to the end zone. Instead, the Terps got their only score on Jared Harrell’s fumble recovery in the end zone after safety Jamari McCollough sacked Taylor early in the fourth quarter.

As is usually the case, Maryland endured an injury or two along the way to its latest loss. Safety Kenny Tate was helped off after suffering a right ankle injury in the first half, and punter Travis Baltz left with a hand ailment.