BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Larry Dick passed for 211 yards and George Scott scored two touchdowns within a three-minute span of the second quarter Thursday night as Maryland beat Minnesota 17-7 in the inaugural Hall of Fame football classic.

 

Scott's first touchdown came on a 2-yard plunge that capped a 69-yard drive and his other TD was a one-yard run 2:11 later after Charlie Johnson had recovered a fumble by Gophers quarterback Wendell Avery on the Minnesota 14 (video).

 

But it was Dick's passing throughout the game that enabled the Terrapins, 8-4, to control the action from midway in the first quarter.

 

Minnesota, appearing in its first postseason game since the 1962 Rose Bowl, opened the scoring by moving 66 yards on its first possession and getting the touchdown on Marion Barber's 1-yard run after only 5:58 had elapsed.

 

The Gophers, 7-5, threatened again following a 32-yard field goal by Maryland's Mike Sochko, but lost a fumble at the Terps' 8-yard line.

 

Maryland threatened twice early in the third quarter, failing once at the Minnesota 26 when a fourth-and-one gamble failed and later after reaching the 7 when Scott fumbled and Keith Brown recovered for Minnesota on the 16.

 

Minnesota threatened only twice in the second half, the first time on a drive that reached the Maryland 34 where Paul Rogind had a 52-yard field goal try blocked by Lloyd Burruss.

 

The second time came in the closing minutes of play when Avery completed a 25-yard pass and Maryland was assessed a 15-yard penalty, giving the Gophers a first down at the 27.

 

Avery was trapped several times and Maryland ended up taking possession at its own 46.

 

Avery sparked Minnesota's first-quarter scoring drive, completing one pass for eight yards and carrying three times for another 30, including a 17-yard run to the Maryland eight.

 

Dick, who completed 12 of 20 passes for his 211 yards, accounted for most of the yards in the initial Terp scoring march on a 57-yard pass to Eric Sievers, who caught a short pass over the middle at the Minnesota 45 and raced to the 7, where Brown made the tackle. Two plays later Scott had his first touchdown.

 

Johnson, who was named the game's outstanding defensive player, was the key figure in a tough Maryland defense that had little trouble with the Gophers after the early stages of the game. He was in on 15 tackles, four of those for losses, caused two fumbles and recovered the one that set up the Terps' second score (video).

 

Maryland receiver Chuck White, who caught eight passes for 126 yards, was named the game's top offensive performer.

 

The game, with net profits going to the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, drew a crowd of 47,000 on a cool evening with temperatures in the 30’s.