Bears were trying to get a measure of revenge, as the Huskies ended their 6

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. 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Custom Richie Ashburn JerseySTORRS, Conn. -- Geno Auriemma expected his young team to go through growing pains early in the season as they adjusted to life without the Huskies Big Three.So far theyve grown up pretty quickly.Freshman Crystal Dangerfield scored 19 points, Katie Lou Samuelson added 16 and No. 3 UConn extended its winning streak to 77 games with a 72-61 victory over second-ranked Baylor on Thursday night.I think we grew up a lot, Auriemma said . Came of age so to speak. That doesnt mean were older enough to not grow some more.The streak is the second longest in womens college basketball history, standing 13 short of the school record set by the Huskies from 2008-10. With stars Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson gone to the WNBA, Auriemma wasnt sure what to expect from his team early.So far hes been impressed after victories over No. 12 Florida State and now Baylor.What I saw today was surprising, the Hall of Fame coach said.With the game tied at 54 early in the fourth quarter, UConn took over. The Huskies scored 16 of the next 18 points to put the game away. Dangerfield, a diminutive guard, made a spectacular layup with 4:03 left that brought the near sellout crowd to its feet and made it 62-56. Baylor (2-1) couldnt recover.I wont disappear in big games, Dangerfield said. I want to attack. I want to be in those situations. I feel like I have the experience to do it, so Ill be there.Unlike during the 75 games leading into this season where the Huskies (2-0) won every game by double digits and most were decided by halftime, this seasons squad has had to pull out its first two wins in the final quarter.We can fight. We can push back. I think we kind of showed the rest of the country, like OK, its not going to be as easy as you think it is to beat UConn this year, Gabby Williams said.Trailing 40-38 midway through the third quarter, UConn scored 12 of the next 13 points to open up the lead. Kia Nurse got the run started with a jumper and Dangerfield capped it with a 3-pointer.Baylor wouldnt go away, going on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 54 early in the fourth quarter. Alexis Jones, who led the Lady Bears with 23 points, keyed the spurt.ddddddddddddUConn contained 6-foot-7 Baylor sophomore Kalani Brown. She had 25 points and 19 rebounds in a win over No. 9 UCLA on Monday. She had just nine points and five rebounds against the Huskies as she was saddled by foul trouble.I thought we faced a lot of adversity tonight, Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. Calls, momentum. We hung in there even through mistakes. We got to crunch time and we had wasted possessions. Those things have to be fixed and they will.BIG PICTURE:Baylor: The Lady Bears were trying to get a measure of revenge, as the Huskies ended their 69-game home winning streak on Jan. 13, 2014. That was the last meeting between the teams until Thursday. ... Preseason All-America Nina Davis was scoreless in 24 minutes.UConn: Two games in and the Huskies have already played two of the top 12 teams in the country. Before the regular season is finished, UConn will have played six of the other top eight teams in the poll. Its the first time the Huskies have opened the season with two ranked opponents since 1998-99. They played three consecutive ranked teams (Duke, Arkansas and UCLA) that season. ... The Huskies have won 50 straight home games. ... The UConn Huskies unveiled their championship banner from last season before the game.POLL IMPLICATIONS:UConn should move up at least one spot in the poll while Baylor will drop at least one place.SERIES HISTORY:These teams played five times between 2010 and 2014 -- the only meetings between the storied programs until Thursday night.UP NEXT:Baylor: After playing back-to-back top 10 teams, the Lady Bears return home to face Mississippi Valley State on Sunday. Baylor has only played top 10 teams in the first three games of the season one other time, in 2012. The Lady Bears split those games, beating Kentucky and losing to Stanford.UConn: The Huskies travel to LSU to face the Tigers on Sunday.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg ' ' '