Smithson wasn’t the only local player to visit the end zone, as Baltimore native Matt Brown ran for a touchdown on second-and-goal from the 5 in Temple’s 56-17 road rout of Akron on Friday, Nov. 13. Brown was a big part of the Owls’ offense, rushing 17 times for 67 yards in the victory. The freshman also returned two kickoffs for 40 yards. Sophomore offensive linemen Pat and Sean Boyle (Calvert Hall) and junior defensive back Kwame Johnson (Parkville) saw action for Temple, but none recorded any statistics.

Though host Maryland was defeated easily by Virginia Tech, 36-9, starting strong safety Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) turned in an impressive performance. The senior sacked Hokies quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the fourth quarter, forcing a fumble that the Terps’ Jared Harrell recovered in the end zone for Maryland’s only touchdown. McCollough also recorded a tackle for a loss of 1 yard in the final quarter. For the game, he had five tackles (three solo, two assists). Terps starting nose tackle A.J. Francis, a Severn native, recorded four tackles (one solo, three assists), and was a force in stuffing the run. The redshirt freshman brought down Hokies running back Josh Oglesby for no gain on first-and-10 in the first quarter and then teamed with linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield to stop running back Ryan Williams for no gain on another first-and-10 play later in the period. Francis and linebacker Alex Wujciak combined to tackle Williams for no gain on first-and-goal in the second quarter. Also for Maryland, junior wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) caught one pass for 5 yards, and freshman defensive back Eric Franklin (Archbishop Curley) assisted on a tackle on the game-opening kickoff.

Starting senior safety Mike Newton (Calvert Hall) had eight tackles (six solo, two assist) in Buffalo’s 27-24 home loss to Ohio University on Tuesday, Nov. 10, including a sack for a loss of 22 yards on third-and-6. Newton also forced a fumble by Bobcats quarterback Theo Scott on a second-and-goal rush in the first quarter. The fumble was recovered by the Bulls’ Josh Thomas in the end zone for a touchback. Starting senior defensive tackle Dane Robinson (Calvert Hall) assisted on a tackle of Ohio running back Chris Garrett for a loss of 1 yard on first-and-15 in the second quarter.

Starting freshman wide receiver Alec Lemon (Arundel) caught two passes for 23 yards in Syracuse’s 10-9 victory over visiting Louisville. Lemon’s longest reception was for a gain of 18 yards, and it came on a drive that ended with a field goal that put the Orange ahead 3-0 in the third quarter. Sophomore Nick Speller (Edmondson) returned to his starting left tackle position for Syracuse. Cardinals freshman linebacker Horace Miller (Dunbar) played, recording no stats.

Junior Jacob Bohn (Mount St. Joseph) continues to see action handling the ball for Army. Though he is listed as a linebacker on the Black Knights’ roster, Bohn returned the game-opening kickoff 11 yards and carried once for 4 yards in a 22-17 home win over VMI. The rush came on the Knights’ second possession of the game, a drive that ended with a touchdown that gave them a 7-0 lead.

Freshman Tavon Austin (Dunbar) rushed once for 6 yards and returned three kickoffs for 43 yards in West Virginia’s 24-21 defeat at the hands of visiting Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 13. Mountaineers freshman defensive back Terence Garvin (Loyola) made one tackle on kickoff coverage.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Joey Ehrmann (Gilman) made two solo tackles in Wake Forest’s 41-28 home loss to Florida State.

Sophomore linebacker Zach Brown (Wilde Lake) assisted on two stops in host North Carolina’s 33-24 victory over Miami.

Junior wide receiver Sheldon Bell (City) caught one pass for 5 yards on a third-and-3 play on the final drive of Duke’s 49-10 loss to host Georgia Tech.

Other local players who got onto the field but recorded no statistics included Navy senior holder Greg Zingler (Severna Park), Penn State junior cornerback Shelton McCullough (Randallstown) and Rutgers senior wide receiver Andrew DePaola (Hereford). Navy beat Delaware, 35-18, at home; Penn State triumphed over visiting Indiana, 31-20; and Rutgers prevailed, 31-0, over South Florida at home Thursday, Nov. 12.