COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The way Minnesota ran the ball and performed defensively against Maryland, it really didnt matter who played quarterback.Thats not taking anything away from Conor Rhoda, who did everything asked of him in his first college start.Rodney Smith ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns, Rhoda threw for a score and the Golden Gophers cruised past error-prone Maryland 31-10 Saturday.Starting for senior Mitch Leidner, who was out with a concussion, Rhoda went 7 for 15 for 82 yards without an interception. The former walk-on had previously thrown only two passes in a mop-up role.He managed the game well, coach Tracy Claeys said. Our kids believed in him. He did the things he needed to do.Rhoda spent most of the afternoon handing off the football to Smith and Shannon Brooks, who ran for 86 yards on 22 carries.I felt good once I got out there and took a couple hits, Rhoda said. Everything settled in from there and we got things cooking on offense.Minnesota (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) limited Maryland to 100 yards and four first downs through three quarters in building a 17-0 lead.Smiths 70-yard touchdown run with 9:30 left made it 24-3, and Antoine Winfield Jr. sealed the victory late in the game with an 82-yard interceptions return.Maryland also started its second-string quarterback, using true freshman Tyrrell Pigrome for injured Perry Hills (shoulder). The Terrapins made a variety of mistakes on both sides of the ball in their second straight lopsided loss.Obviously, a very sloppy performance, first-year coach DJ Durkin said. We killed ourselves with penalties and turnovers, especially early in the game. Playing from behind is a hard thing to do with a freshman quarterback.Dukin said Hills was not healthy enough to play.I dont feel it was in his best interest or our team to put him out there today, Durkin said. I think its one of those things where its a ticking time bomb, where its going to get hit again.Pigrome threw for 161 yards and ran for 71. But Maryland committed three turnovers and was penalized nine times for 75 yards.I know the story will all be about our freshman quarterback, but the guys around him need to play better, too, Durkin said.The Terrapins didnt score in the second half last week in a 38-14 defeat at Penn State and had gone five quarters without a TD before Pigrome threw an 11-yard pass to D.J. Moore with 5:42 remaining.It wasnt enough to prevent Durkin from absorbing his first loss at home.Durkin showed his frustration in the third quarter when Moore tumbled to the ground chasing a long pass in front of the Maryland bench. Durkin ran down the sideline, arms in the air, demanding an explanation why pass interference wasnt called.Maryland entered the game with only four turnovers, fewest in the Big Ten. But the Terrapins gave the ball away twice in the opening 16 minutes, and the second turnover proved costly.After Pigrome threw an interception, Minnesota missed a 36-yard field goal. In the second quarter, however, William Likely muffed a punt on his own 15 to set up an 8-yard run by Smith for a 7-0 lead.The Golden Gophers made it 14-0 just before halftime with a well-timed screen pass from Rhoda to Brooks, who caught the ball over the middle and sprinted in for a 17-yard score.THE TAKEAWAYMinnesota: The Golden Gophers appears to have found their groove defensively. Theyve allowed only two TDs over the last two games.Maryland: The Terps have gone south after a 4-0 start, losing two straight behind a sputtering offense that really needs Hills back under center.UP NEXTMinnesota hosts Rutgers next Saturday. The Scarlet Knights lost to Illinois on Saturday to remain winless in Big Ten play.Maryland hosts Michigan State under the lights next Saturday. Spartans won 24-7 last year. 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Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. NEW YORK -- When Steve Johnson walked into the US Open locker room Wednesday morning following his emotional comeback win over Evgeny Donskoy, Ryan Harrison was waiting to congratulate him, a great big grin plastered on his face.Much later that same day, Harrison, a qualifier at this tournament, completed a stunning upset of No. 5 seed Milos Raonic. The first person Harrison saw when he ambled into the locker room and dropped his bags was fellow countryman John Isner.Hes excited for me, Harrison later said of his ensuing conversation with Isner. Thats the good thing about all of us guys that are playing for America. We have pretty good relationships. I think the winning does become contagious.This particular influenza has been easily spread in the early days of the US Open. The lockers of Isner, Johnson, Harrison Jared Donaldson and Jack Sock are clustered so close that one can hardly open his door without whacking his buddy. All those players won their first-round matches, as did Donald Young. The sound of locker doors slamming was accompanied by high-fives all around. In all, seven men from the US survived opening matches.Former generations of US players couldnt afford or didnt indulge in a comparable degree of camaraderie. Instead of sitting down to share a meal, they would take the knife off the table and stick it in the other guys back. The stakes certainly were higher for rivals and perpetual Grand Slam winners such as Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, or John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. When their egos werent exploding, they might even have wished to experience the kind of bonhomie todays crop of mid-level pros share.Connors, for one, might denigrate the cozy relationships the present stable of US players enjoy. He habitually extolled the value of keeping his distance from all but the most obsequious of peers. But Connors was a sensation from the earliest days of his career.The U.S. players striving at this event have always relied on a little help from their friends. These players are not lone wolves, theyre a pack of coyotes working hard to survive in a harsh environment. Forget clichés about individual exceptionalism; the theme for the ruling generation of U.S. pros is the homily about a rising tide lifting all boats. In fact, these boats are banging into each other.Over the past few weeks, Isner and Johnson have been engaged in a spirited competition to hold the top ranking among Americans. At the moment, Isner is NNo.dddddddddddd21, Johnson No. 22 and Olympic gold medalist Sock is closing fast at No. 27. Twenty-eight-year-old Sam Querrey is in the mix as well.Harrison was ranked as high as No. 43 at the age of 20 in 2012, but he was down to No. 120 before this summers resurgence. He has been around for a while, but hes still very young, Isner said the other day, reminding us that Harrison was a legitimate prodigy who turned pro at 16. Hes figuring it out again.At 31, Isner is the elder statesman for a generation. But Johnson, 26, is a slow and steady learner while 23-year-old Sock has the most explosive game and perhaps the most long-term upside. Sock is already in the third round; his appetite is whetted by the pair of medals he brought home from the Rio Olympics. He took the gold with Bethanie Mattek-Sands in mixed doubles and partnered with Johnson to take the bronze medal in mens doubles.I feel like my tennis is right there to be playing in the second week, Sock said following his second-round win at Flushing Meadows. There was something about the Olympics. I feel like my attitude and mentality since [then] actually changed fairly drastically. Ive enjoyed being out there more. Not necessarily less pressure, but Im just having more fun out there.Sock and company had better enjoy these times while they can, because theres another, younger generation of talented American ready to sue for inclusion. That group is led by 18-year-old Taylor Fritz, whos already up to No. 53. Ironically, he drew Sock as his first-round opponent. It took Sock five sets and every tool in his kit to spritz Fritz.Also among the upstarts are 18-year-olds Francis Tiafoe and Jared Donaldson. Tiafoe had Isner on the ropes in the first round but let him slip away and win. Donaldson played a very smart match to eliminate No. 12 seed David Goffin. Also in that group, junior Grand Slam champions Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul.The younger Americans are making a splash, making names for themselves early, Sock said after beating Fritz. These guys are playing great tennis.No male American player has won the singles title here since 2003. But the emerging generation is jump-starting an abandoned conversation about when such a thing might happen again. That sound you hear in the background is the rocking of boats as the water continues to rise. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '