After Wake and Maryland each had drives stall, Nate Renfro punted the ball just 27 yards from the Terps' own 12, giving the Deacons great field position. The Terps gave up 13 and nine-yard rushes to Josh Harris, giving Wake the ball near the goal line, but the front seven stepped up. On fourth and goal at the Terrapins' one, Dexter McDougle came flying over the line to stuff Josh Harris, forcing a turnover on downs.
On the ensuing drive, Perry Hills tried to find Marcus Leak down the left flank on third-and-nine from the Terps' two, but instead found cornerback Kevin Johnson, who got the turnover for Wake.
After giving up a 21-yard gain to Terence Davis, Maryland's defense bunkered down again. Darin Drakeford sacked Tanner Price for a six-yard loss, and then two incompletions forced a Wake punt.
Just when it looked like the quarter was going to end without another score, Hills and the Maryland offense woke up. On third-and-eleven, he completed a 23-yard pass to Stefon Diggs, who leaped and made a great grab. Three plays later, on third-and-eight, he completed an 18-yard pass to Justus Pickett. On the next play, Hills fooled the Wake defense with a perfect pump-fake, lobbing the ball to a wide-open Kevin Dorsey for a 33-yard touchdown. Brad Craddock hit the extra point, and the Terps took a 13-7 lead.
Wake Forest's next drive was interrupted by a scary moment where starting left tackle Antonio Ford appeared to have broken his ankle. Ford was carted off the field, and the Deacons were forced to punt four plays later. On the punt, a facemask was called against Maryland, giving Wake another shot at the drive. Jimmy Newman got a chance to redeem himself after missing an earlier field goal, but was wide on a 44-yarder, keeping the score at 13-7 heading into the half.
Through two quarters, Hills is 7/14 for 100 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Surprisingly, the Terps haven't been able to get anything going against the Deacons' usually suspect run defense, with just 17 yards on 16 carries. And for your weekly Diggs Watch? Six touches, 67 yards.