2008 Humanitarian Bowl The 2008 Humanitarian Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Nevada Wolf Pack on December 30 , 2008 . It was the two teams ' first meeting . The game featured two conference tie - ins : the University of Maryland represented the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) and the University of Nevada represented the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) . The game was played at Bronco Stadium in Boise , Idaho and was the 12th edition of the Humanitarian Bowl . It was sponsored by the New Plymouth , Idaho - based company Roady ' s Truck Stops , which claims to be the largest chain of truck stop s in the United States . The featured match - up was between what was called a " wildly inconsistent " Maryland team and the third - best rushing defense and fifth - best total offense of Nevada . The result was an offensive shoot - out . The final score of 42 – 35 in favor of Maryland exceeded total - points predictions by as much as 17 and tied the all - time Humanitarian Bowl record . Before the kickoff , seven Maryland players , including six starters , received partial - game suspensions for violating the team ' s curfew . Maryland took a quick lead within the first two minutes of play , but repeated errors allowed Nevada to remain competitive and the lead changed hands five times . In the second quarter , Nevada ' s dual - threat quarterback , Colin Kaepernick , was hobbled by an ankle injury that altered the complexion of the game . Nevertheless , Kaepernick remained in the game for almost its entirety and was able to scramble for a touchdown . Halfway through the third quarter , Maryland ' s leading running back , Da ' Rel Scott , made his first appearance of the game . He had been one of the suspended players , but scored twice in the final quarter to help secure a victory for the Terrapins . Team selection . The ACC had a contractual tie - in with the Humanitarian Bowl that afforded the bowl organizing committee the eighth pick of the conference ' s bowl - eligible teams . An ACC team participated in the game every year from 2003 to 2008 . Before the selections , the ACC announced that 2008 would be the final year of its tie - in with the game due to travel and cost considerations . The other conference tie - in was with the WAC , which has generally fielded its champion in the game . The WAC has provided a team for the Humanitarian Bowl every year since 2001 . Initially , it was speculated that the WAC championship team , Boise State , would make its fifth appearance in the bowl played in its home stadium . Potential " Battle of the Unbeatens " . At the end of the regular season , there were three undefeated teams from non - Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) conferences , and National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) rules required only one to be given a berth in a BCS game . These three non - BCS teams were Ball State , Boise State , and Utah . The Utes were considered heavy favorites for that berth . In a preemptive move , Humanitarian Bowl officials conducted negotiations with Ball State of the Mid - American Conference ( MAC ) in an effort to arrange a " Battle of the Unbeatens " with Boise State . If Ball State accepted , presumably with the consent of the ACC , it would have forced a team from the ACC to find an at - large bid . However , Ball State officials were unhappy with the home - field advantage that would have been given to Boise State and the expenses associated with traveling to Idaho . Ball State , which lost the MAC Championship Game and ended its perfect record , declined the overtures and instead met Tulsa in the 2009 GMAC Bowl . ACC team selection . In 2008 , the ACC experienced a season of unusual parity and fielded an NCAA - record number of ten bowl - eligible teams . Six of those possessed identical 4 – 4 conference records , and the remaining four had 5 – 3 conference records . Among the eligible teams , N . C . State ( 6 – 6 ) possessed the only non - winning overall record and was therefore forced by NCAA rules to find an at - large berth outside of the ACC tie - in games . For the 2008 season , the ACC possessed nine tie - in games . The Orange Bowl was the conference ' s BCS game and granted an automatic bid to the winner of the ACC Championship Game . The Chick - fil - A Bowl in Atlanta , Georgia had the first - pick of eligible ACC teams after the BCS game , followed by the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville , Florida and the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando , Florida . The Music City Bowl in Nashville , Tennessee ; the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte , North Carolina ; and the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco , California submitted their preferences together , and selected in that order if an agreement between them could not be reached . A special clause also guaranteed that , with a minimum of eight wins , the loser of the championship game would be selected no lower than by the Music City Bowl . The Humanitarian Bowl had the eighth - overall choice followed by the inaugural EagleBank Bowl in Washington , D . C . That season , an economic recession factored into the selections . In general , bowl officials attempted to select teams in close geographic proximity to compensate for an anticipated drop in ticket sales . Maryland , however , stated that they would not accept a berth to face in - state rival Navy in the nearby EagleBank Bowl due to a conflict with the school ' s final exams . The Emerald Bowl was not seen as a viable choice due to Maryland ' s participation in it the year prior . Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen made his case to bowl officials by saying that the Terrapins had beaten four of the other five 4 – 4 teams and not played a game against the fifth , Miami . Three of those teams were selected ahead of Maryland : the Meineke Car Care Bowl selected the nearby North Carolina team ; the Gator Bowl chose Clemson , a school with a traditionally well - traveling fanbase ; and the Emerald Bowl selected Miami . After the higher - priority bowl games made their selections , the Humanitarian Bowl had the choice of either Maryland or Wake Forest , the school with the smallest enrollment in any BCS football conference . Humanitarian Bowl officials chose Maryland in light of its larger alumni base , well - traveled fans , and greater television marketing potential . In week 12 of the 2008 season , Maryland possessed a 7 – 3 record and stood atop the ACC Atlantic Division . However , the Terps lost their final two regular season games and slid to a four - way tie for third place in the division . Earlier in the season , Maryland defeated four ranked opponents , a feat surpassed only by the two teams that played in the BCS National Championship Game , Florida and Oklahoma — and those each played an extra game with their conference championships . Maryland spent three weeks ranked in the top - 25 of the Associated Press Poll . WAC team selection . At the end of the 2008 season , the WAC had six bowl - eligible teams , five of which participated in bowl games . The WAC had three conference tie - ins : the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque , New Mexico ; the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu , Hawaii ; and the Humanitarian Bowl . Additionally , the WAC had provisions for conditional participation in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego , California ; the Independence Bowl in Shreveport , Louisiana ; and the GMAC Bowl in Mobile , Alabama . In the past , the Humanitarian Bowl usually selected the WAC championship team . However , Boise State was not content to play a middle - grade ACC team after negotiations with Ball State failed . The WAC commissioner said that the Broncos would look for another match - up that had " the same type of sizzle " as a match - up against Ball State . The " Idaho Statesman " added that " The Terrapins don ' t ' sizzle . ' " Boise State traveled to the Poinsettia Bowl , where they faced 11th - ranked TCU , which had lost only to the BCS - bound Oklahoma and Utah teams . In Nevada ' s final regular season game , Kaepernick led the Wolf Pack in a second - half comeback to defeat Louisiana Tech . The seventh win guaranteed Nevada a berth in one of the three WAC tie - in bowls . The Wolf Pack finished the season in a three - way tie for second place in the WAC alongside Hawaii and Louisiana Tech . Hawaii had a standing contract with the home - town Hawaii Bowl where it played Notre Dame . Louisiana Tech , having lost to both Nevada and Hawaii , appeared unlikely to be selected for a bowl at all . However , the Bulldogs were able to take advantage of a provisional WAC berth in the Independence Bowl since neither the Big 12 nor the Southeastern Conference could provide eligible teams . Two other WAC teams achieved bowl eligibility with 6 – 6 records . Fresno State secured a slot in the New Mexico Bowl , but San Jose State was unable to find an at - large berth . With Boise State ' s decision to decline the Humanitarian Bowl invitation , the organizing committee looked to Nevada . Like Maryland , Nevada ended the regular season with a 7 – 5 record . The Wolf Pack ' s schedule included losses against then sixth - ranked Missouri , ninth - ranked Boise State , and 12th - ranked Texas Tech . Nevada finished the regular season ranked second nationally in rushing offense and fifth in total offense . The Wolf Pack possessed two 1 , 000 - yard rushers : dual - threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Vai Taua . Kaepernick also threw for more than 2 , 000 yards . On December 7 , 2008 , the Humanitarian Bowl officially extended invitations to Maryland and Nevada , both of which were accepted . Pre - game buildup . Location . The site of the game was Bronco Stadium in Boise , Idaho , the home field of Boise State University . The field ' s blue artificial turf has the distinction of being the only non - green playing field in use by a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team . Due to the color of its field , the stadium is nicknamed " The Blue " and the field itself is sometimes colloquially referred to as " smurf turf " . Pundits and opponents have asserted that Boise State benefits from an added advantage by wearing their blue home uniforms to match the playing field . Boise State possessed a 64 – 2 record at Bronco Stadium from 1998 to 2008 . Nevada , designated as the home team , likewise wore blue uniforms during the Humanitarian Bowl . ACC teams viewed a berth in the Humanitarian Bowl as undesirable due to its location . Aside from being one of the lower priority tie - ins , the destination is far outside the conference ' s geographic footprint . Travel costs from the East Coast are prohibitively expensive and historically caused low turnout among ACC fans . In addition , the game is hosted at a cold - weather venue , which is a disadvantage in comparison with ACC bowl games in places such as Florida , California , and Georgia . The game historically relied on local ticket sales , and the participating schools struggled to sell their alloted tickets . On December 8 , a Boise - area television news station reported that Maryland and Nevada had sold just sixteen and eight tickets , respectively . The story was widely circulated by sports - related blog s , but the figures were discredited by a Maryland official . On December 18 , the Reno Gazette - Journal reported that 100 tickets had been sold by Nevada . Maryland officials admitted that ticket sales among its fans were expected to be low , with one stating they were in the " mid - hundreds " a week and a half from the game date . According to a " Baltimore Sun " reporter , Maryland ' s final ticket figure was about 800 . By comparison , Clemson sold about 3 , 500 tickets for the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl , and Georgia Tech sold about 250 tickets for the 2007 Humanitarian Bowl . Team comparison . Predictions for the game varied , but generally favored Nevada with Maryland as the underdog . Several publications , including " Sports Illustrated " , named Nevada as three - point favorites in spread betting . ESPN ' s ACC correspondent predicted Nevada to win by 21 points . Las Vegas betting firms assigned Nevada as 0 . 5 - to 3 . 0 - point favorites . The over - under was predicted to be between 60 . 0 and 62 . 0 points . Under head coach Ralph Friedgen , Maryland had earned a reputation for inconsistency , sometimes even being referred to as " schizophrenic " . During the regular season , the Terrapins managed to beat four of the five top - 25 teams they faced : 23rd - ranked California , 20th - ranked Clemson , 21st - ranked Wake Forest , and 16th - ranked North Carolina . All of those teams subsequently participated in bowl games . However , Maryland also lost to teams they were expected to defeat . They lost by ten points to 12 . 5 - point underdogs Middle Tennessee State . Maryland suffered a 31 - point shut - out against Virginia , a team ( then 1 – 3 ) that had lost to Duke , 31 – 3 , the week prior . Nevada suffered three of its five losses against then top - twelve ranked teams . They lost to Big 12 Championship runner - up Missouri and Texas Tech , which , in midseason , was in contention for the national championship and was led by Heisman Trophy prospect Graham Harrell . Nevada managed a close game against Boise State . The Wolf Pack lost by seven points to a team that recorded an average 21 . 4 - point margin of victory in a perfect 12 – 0 regular season . Boise State preserved victory when a Hail Mary pass from Kaepernick was broken up in the final seconds . Nevada , however , was also accused of inconsistent play . The Wolf Pack suffered a home loss to " perennial WAC bottom - feeder " New Mexico State , 48 – 45 . Maryland offense vs . Nevada defense . Maryland ' s offense was run by first - year offensive coordinator and former wide receivers coach James Franklin , who utilized a West Coast system . During the 2008 regular season , starting quarterback Chris Turner threw for 2 , 318 yards , 11 touchdowns , and 10 interception s . NFL Draft prospect Darrius Heyward - Bey accumulated 561 receiving yards in ten games . Heyward - Bey also recorded 208 rushing yards and was often utilized in reverses and other trick play s due to his breakaway speed . Maryland had another offensive weapon in running back Da ' Rel Scott , who ran for 959 yards during the regular season . Overall , the rushing offense gained 134 . 5 yards per game and was ranked 72nd in the nation . Against Virginia Tech and Boston College , Maryland rushed for −12 and −6 yards , respectively . The previous year , in the 2007 Emerald Bowl against Oregon State , Maryland recorded 19 yards on the ground against the then second - ranked rushing defense . About Maryland , Nevada head coach Chris Ault said , " Their offense to me is very balanced . They can run the ball and do a good job . With [ quarterback Chris ] Turner , they split out and they have some nice receivers . Whereas Missouri was going to throw it as much as Texas Tech did , I think Maryland is probably one of the more balanced teams we ' ve played this year . " The Maryland offense faced first - year defensive coordinator Nigel Burton ' s Nevada defense . It ranked third in the nation against the run , allowing 74 . 5 rushing yards per game , but was last ( 120th ) in the nation in passing defense , allowing an average of 321 . 1 passing yards per game . Nevada was ranked eighth in the number of quarterback sack s with 35 . Kevin Basped , ranked tenth in the nation in sacks , and Dontay Moch , ranked fifteenth , accumulated more than nine each . Maryland quarterback Turner was sacked 11 times in the Terrapins ' last two games against Florida State and Boston College . Nevada was also ranked sixth nationally in tackles for loss , with an average of 8 . 0 per game . Nevada offense vs . Maryland defense . In 2008 , Nevada typically ran an offensive scheme referred to as the " pistol offense " , a system that was pioneered by head coach Chris Ault . In the pistol offense , the quarterback lines up four yards directly behind the center and with a running back directly behind the quarterback . Under the system , the offense attempts to keep the opposing defense off balance by diversifying the types of plays that can be run , with a focus on running up the middle , " quarterback keepers " in which the passer runs the ball , and play action pass es where the quarterback fakes a hand - off before throwing to a receiver . It aims to create man - to - man match - ups with the receivers and compensate for an undersized offensive line . With the running back obscured from view by the quarterback , it can also create confusion for the opposing linebacker s and allow more effective deception , which is critical to play - action fakes . The system worked well during the regular season . Nevada starting quarterback and 2008 WAC Offensive Player of the Year Colin Kaepernick ran for more than 1 , 100 yards and 16 touchdowns in addition to passing for 2 , 479 yards and 19 touchdowns . Alongside Kaepernick , Nevada ' s rushing offense was led by running back Vai Taua , who ran for 1 , 420 yards and 14 touchdowns . With two 1 , 000 - yard rushers for the first time in school history , Nevada ran for an average of 291 . 4 yards per game . Nevada was ranked fifth nationally in terms of total offense , averaging 510 . 6 yards per game . With regards to facing the pistol offense , Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen said , " If we can keep our assignments and tackle , we ' ll be OK . One missed tackle could be a big play . . . With the throwing game , there could be a lot of one - on - one situations . To me , it ' s pick your poison . What they do best is run it . What we ' d like to do is get them off schedule . If they mix it , then we ' re in trouble . " Nevada coach Ault said , " I think the Maryland defense is as physical as Missouri ' s was . " Kaepernick said , " You notice how disciplined and how hard they play . They ' re never out of alignment . If they ' re supposed to be somewhere , they ' re going to be there and they ' re going to be ready to make a play . When plays come their way , they make them . That ' s something we have to be ready for . We have to find a weakness and exploit it . " Personnel changes . Maryland coaching changes . After Maryland ' s last regular - season game , defensive coordinator Chris Cosh and tight ends coach and special teams assistant Danny Pearman announced their resignations . Cosh returned to Kansas State , where he had coached before Maryland , to assume defensive play - calling duties under recently re - hired head coach Bill Snyder . Danny Pearman returned to his alma mater , Clemson , to work for Dabo Swinney , who had been promoted from offensive coordinator to interim head coach and , finally , head coach for the Tigers . For the bowl game , Maryland ' s defensive line coach , Al Seamonson , was named as the interim defensive coordinator . Third - year intern Brian White filled in for Pearman as the interim tight ends coach and would assist head coach Friedgen in running the special teams . Maryland player suspensions . Shortly before the game , Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen placed partial - game suspensions on seven players who violated the team ' s pre - bowl curfew . The suspended players were linebackers Moise Fokou , Trey Covington , Antwine Perez , and Derek Drummond , cornerback Jamari McCollough , the quarterback ' s preferred third - down wide receiver Danny Oquendo , and leading running back Da ' Rel Scott . All except Drummond were regular starters . Consequently , a much younger line - up started for Maryland , including , according to Friedgen , some who probably would not have seen playing time otherwise . Friedgen stated that the curfew violations occurred over several nights , and that different players violated the rule to separate degrees . He informed Maryland athletic director Deborah Yow of the infractions and initially suggested sending all of the curfew violators back to Maryland by bus . Yow dissented , and they agreed to suspend the players for part of the game . Describing the incident , Friedgen said that " Five percent of [ the ] guys thought they didn ' t need to listen to me , that they could get bed checked and sneak out . " He added , " But I checked again at 1 o ' clock . " This is not my first rodeo . " Game summary . The 2008 Humanitarian Bowl kicked off at 2 : 30 p . m . Mountain Time on Tuesday , December 30 , 2008 in front of a crowd of 26 , 781 spectators at Bronco Stadium in Boise , Idaho . The weather conditions were cloudy with a temperature of 38 °F ( 3 °C ) and wind at eight mph ( 12 . 9 km / h ) from the southeast . The officiating staff consisted of referee Clair Gausman , umpire Rico Orsot , linesman Cal McNeill , line judge Gary McNanna , back judge Tom Bessant , field judge Shane Standley , side judge Kim Nelson , and scorer Mike Cannon . The game was televised on ESPN and drew a television rating of 2 . 1 for an estimated 3 , 039 , 000 viewers . It was a 218 % increase in television viewers from the previous season ' s game . First quarter . The game started with Maryland receiving the kickoff , which Kenny Tate returned 17 yards to the Terrapins ' 35 - yard line . Quarterback Chris Turner threw a short pass to Torrey Smith , bringing the ball to the Maryland 41 - yard line , and then threw an incomplete pass . On third down with three yards to go , Turner connected with freshman Adrian Cannon for a 59 - yard touchdown pass . However , placekicker Obi Egekeze missed the extra point . In subsequent possessions , Nevada and Maryland both failed to gain first downs and exchanged punts . Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick then led a drive that included a 68 - yard pass to the Maryland three - yard line . The Terrapins ' defense stopped two rushing attempts by Vai Taua , but a short pass to wide receiver Chris Wellington was completed for Nevada ' s first touchdown . With the extra point , Nevada took the lead , 7 – 6 . Wolf Pack placekicker Brett Jaekle executed a 69 - yard kickoff to Torrey Smith , and he returned it 99 yards for a second Maryland touchdown . Egekeze made the extra point and Maryland regained the lead , 13 – 7 , with 7 : 53 remaining in the quarter . On the ensuing kickoff , Egekeze attempted to kick the ball as it fell off the tee . This resulted in an unintentional squib that was returned 36 yards to the Terps ' nine - yard line . Nevada ' s Kaepernick attempted to rush but was stopped for no gain . On the next play , he threw the ball into the end zone , but it was intercepted by Maryland safety Kenny Tate , resulting in a touchback . The Terps started on their own 20 - yard line , and running back Davin Meggett rushed for 13 yards and a first down . Turner then linked up with freshman receiver Ronnie Tyler for another first down at the Maryland 49 - yard line . After a false start penalty , the Terps were unable to gain a first down and punted the ball away . The ball rolled into the end zone for a touchback , and Nevada started the final drive of the quarter at its 20 - yard line . Kaepernick then passed for two first downs , picked up another due to a pass interference call against Maryland , and scrambled for yet another . He then handed off to Taua , who rushed 17 yards for a touchdown . Nevada re - took the lead , 14 – 13 , with 46 seconds remaining in the quarter . Nevada ' s Jaekle made a short kick - off , and Maryland tight end Dan Gronkowski returned the ball eight yards to the Maryland 44 - yard line . On the final play of the quarter , Turner handed the ball off to sophomore running back Morgan Green , who picked up three yards . The quarter ended with Nevada leading , 14 – 13 . Second quarter . The second quarter began with Maryland in possession of the ball at its 47 - yard line . On the first play of the quarter , Turner handed off to Green , who broke free of the Nevada defense for a 53 - yard gain and a touchdown . The score and extra point gave Maryland a six - point lead , 20 – 14 , with 14 : 50 remaining in the first half . Nevada and Maryland then exchanged punts three times , and the Wolf Pack punted it away a fourth time . In the span of two series , Kaepernick was sacked three times , once each by linebackers Dave Philistin , Alex Wujciak , and Adrian Moten . As a result , Kaepernick suffered an ankle sprain and played the rest of the game , but he noticeably favored his uninjured side . The Terps took over on their 47 - yard line with 0 : 29 remaining in the half . Turner completed an eight - yard pass to Ronnie Tyler , and a Nevada hit out - of - bounds resulted in a 15 - yard penalty against Nevada and a first down for Maryland . After two incomplete passes , Turner then converted on third down again with a toss to Tyler for 16 yards and then once more for 14 yards and a touchdown to bring the score to 26 – 14 in Maryland ' s favor . The Terps elected to attempt a two - point conversion , and Turner completed a pass to a wide - open Meggett in the right side of the end zone . With six seconds remaining in the first half , Maryland had a 28 – 14 lead . Nevada received Maryland ' s kickoff , but elected to run out the clock and head into halftime . Third quarter . Maryland kicked off to Nevada to start the second half , and the teams again exchanged punts twice . Kaepernick sat out the next series due to his sprained ankle . Backup quarterback Nick Graziano took over but was unable to complete two passes and Nevada punted a third time . In the next series , Turner threw an interception to Nevada safety Jonathan Amaya , who returned it for 33 yards to the Maryland 22 - yard line , then fumble d . The ball was recovered by Nevada , and Kaepernick capitalized on the turnover with a 17 - yard touchdown pass to Taua , narrowing Nevada ' s deficit to 28 – 21 . Jaekle kicked off to the Maryland 30 - yard line where it was returned by Green for two yards . A fresh Da ' Rel Scott then made his first appearance in the game . He carried the ball four times in succession to advance to the Nevada 46 - yard line . On third down with nine yards to go , Turner was sacked by defensive lineman Kevin Basped and the ball was knocked loose . It was picked up by Wolf Pack linebacker Brandon Marshall who then also fumbled . Maryland offensive lineman Scott Burley recovered it on the Nevada 45 - yard line . The alternating changes in possession gave Maryland a first down , and Turner then connected with Darrius Heyward - Bey on an 11 - yard pass for another first down . Scott rushed twice to pick up a first down at the Nevada 23 - yard line . After a rush by Meggett , Turner was sacked by defensive end Dontay Moch and again fumbled . This time , Nevada recovered the ball and retained possession . Kaepernick then passed to wide receiver Mike McCoy for 38 yards to the Maryland 27 - yard line . Vai Taua picked up seven yards on a rush attempt , and the quarter came to an end with Maryland leading , 28 – 21 . Fourth quarter . The fourth quarter began with Nevada in possession of the ball at the Maryland 20 - yard line . The first play of the quarter was a rush attempt by Taua , but he fumbled and recovered the ball for a loss of one yard . On the second play of the quarter , Kaepernick completed a 21 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marko Mitchell , tying the score at 28 – 28 . Following the Nevada kickoff , Turner handed off to Scott , who picked up two yards . After an incomplete pass , Turner connected with Torrey Smith on a 26 - yard toss for a third - down conversion . Scott then rushed for three yards to the Nevada 49 - yard line , and carried it again down the middle , this time breaking free for a 49 - yard touchdown run . On the following Nevada series , Kaepernick mounted a 38 - yard drive to the Maryland 34 - yard line , but failed to convert on fourth and 12 . On the next series , Da ' Rel Scott was handed the ball four times in succession to pick up first downs with rushes of 11 , 23 , 30 yards and a touchdown on a two - yard run . The score and extra point gave Maryland a two - touchdown lead , 42 – 28 . Nevada ' s offense returned to the field with 7 : 44 remaining in the game and used almost three minutes in a 37 - yard drive that culminated in an interception by Maryland safety Jeff Allen on the Maryland 38 - yard line . After no gain on a rush by running back Morgan Green , Maryland attempted an end - around . Turner was stepped on , and the handoff was botched . The intended recipient , Heyward - Bey , dropped the ball but managed to recover it for a loss of six yards . After Nevada called a time out , Green rushed for a five - yard gain . Nevada expended its last remaining time out to stop the clock with 4 : 06 left . Maryland punted it away on fourth down with 11 yards to go . Kaepernick took over on the Nevada 23 - yard line with 4 : 01 and made four completions to drive to the Terps ' 15 - yard line . Exploiting a large opening , Kaepernick held onto the ball and ran it into the end zone to narrow Maryland ' s lead to one touchdown , 42 – 35 , with 2 : 19 remaining . Jaekle attempted an onside kick in an effort to give Nevada another chance on offense , but the ball was recovered by Maryland receiver Danny Oquendo . Scott rushed for two and then 19 yards . With the first down , Maryland had enough time to run out the clock and clinch the 42 – 35 victory . Statistics . The 2008 Humanitarian Bowl Most Valuable Player honors were awarded to Maryland running back Da ' Rel Scott , who rushed for 174 yards , and Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick , who threw for 370 yards . Each was the statistical leader at his respective position , and Scott scored Maryland ' s two final touchdowns to break the 28 – 28 stalemate . Scott also was able to help Maryland clinch the victory in the final minutes by rushing for a first down that allowed the team to run out the clock . Records . The 77 points scored in the game tied the Humanitarian Bowl record for total points , which had been set in 1998 by Idaho and . Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick set the Humanitarian Bowl passing yardage record with 370 yards through the air , and he scored three touchdowns in the process . Despite the loss , Kaepernick ' s team outperformed Maryland in terms of passing yardage , total offense , first downs , and time of possession . Maryland freshman wide receiver Torrey Smith , with his 99 - yard kickoff return , broke the all - time Atlantic Coast Conference single - season kickoff return yards record with 1 , 089 yards . Smith also broke the Humanitarian Bowl kick return record , which was previously 98 yards . With 174 yards , Da ' Rel Scott set the Maryland record for rushing yards in a bowl game , despite playing just one and a half quarters due to his curfew suspension . The previous record was 165 yards , set by Lu Gambino in Maryland ' s first bowl game , the 1948 Gator Bowl . Scott also broke the 1 , 000 yards - per - season barrier , making him one of just seven players in school history to do so . Scott said earlier in the year that reaching the 1 , 000 - yard benchmark was a personal goal he set for the 2008 season . Between Scott and Davin Meggett , Maryland also came the closest it ever has to having both a 1 , 000 - and 500 - yard rusher in the same season . Meggett fell just 43 yards shy of the 500 - yard mark . Nevada set a school record for single - season total offensive yards , recording 6 , 611 in 2008 . This surpassed the previous record of 6 , 263 yards , set in 1995 . Maryland statistical recap . Four Maryland backups who saw significant playing time due to the suspensions scored touchdowns : second - string slot receiver Ronnie Tyler , second - string X - receiver Torrey Smith , third - string slot receiver Adrian Cannon , and third - string running back Morgan Green . Maryland compiled 456 yards of total offense : 198 in the air and 258 yards on the ground . Quarterback Chris Turner completed passes to five receivers during the game : Ronnie Tyler ( five ) , Darrius Heyward - Bey ( four ) , Torrey Smith ( two ) , Adrian Cannon ( one ) , and Emani Lee - Odai ( one ) . Cannon and Tyler each caught a pass for a touchdown . Running back Davin Meggett caught a pass for a two - point conversion . Turner also threw one interception . On the ground , rushing attempts were made by running backs Da ' Rel Scott ( 14 for 174 yards ) , Morgan Green ( 10 for 72 yards ) , and Davin Meggett ( 10 for 35 yards ) . Wide receiver Heyward - Bey also made a rushing attempt , but dropped the ball and recovered it for a loss of six yards . Maryland had previously shown an ability to strike quickly on offense and did so again in the game . In the 2008 season , the team scored 18 out of 28 touchdowns in drives consisting of six or fewer plays or less than two minutes of game time . This led to the team often trailing opponents in time of possession . In the Humanitarian Bowl , Maryland continued the pattern by scoring in the first 1 : 01 with a 59 - yard Chris Turner pass to Adrian Cannon . Maryland also possessed the ball for 2 : 26 less than Nevada . Maryland , which was third - best in the ACC in third down attempts ( 40 . 4 % ) , did comparatively poorly during the game , converting only four of 14 third downs ( 28 . 6 % ) . Defensively , Maryland was able to hold the nation ' s third - ranked rushing offense to just 114 yards on the ground . Nevada quarterback Kaepernick , who ran for 1 , 115 yards , was held to just 19 rushing yards , 15 of which were gained during a touchdown run . Two players made their first career interceptions : true freshman safety Kenny Tate and senior defensive back Jeff Allen . Tate ' s interception in the Maryland end zone prevented a Nevada score , while Allen ' s interception with 4 : 54 remaining helped seal the victory for Maryland . Offensive lineman Scott Burley forced a fumble against Nevada linebacker Brandon Marshall , who had recovered a third - down fumble by Turner . Burley subsequently recovered the forced fumble and gave Maryland a first down . Maryland ' s special teams recorded one touchdown when Torrey Smith returned a kickoff for 99 yards . After the first touchdown of the game , senior placekicker Obi Egekeze missed an extra point for the first time in his career . Early in the season , Egekeze missed his first five field goal attempts , but , prior to the Humanitarian Bowl , he had made all 64 extra - point attempts of his career . After the first failed kick , Egekeze made the other five extra - point attempts of the game . The placekicker also erred when he attempted to kick the ball as it fell off the tee , resulting in a short 15 - yard kick which was returned 36 yards by Nevada to the Maryland nine - yard line . Nevada statistical recap . Nevada recorded better statistics than Maryland in several areas despite ultimately losing the game . The Wolf Pack compiled seven more first downs , 172 more passing yards , 28 more total offensive yards , 15 fewer penalty yards , 15 . 8 % more third down conversions , and 2 : 26 more time in possession of the ball . In the passing game , Colin Kaepernick achieved a 51 . 1 % pass completion rate ( 24 out of 47 ) . He threw for 370 yards , including three touchdowns . He completed passes to Mike McCoy ( 13 ) , Marko Mitchell ( five ) , Chris Wellington ( three ) , Arthur King , Jr . ( two ) , and Vai Taua ( one ) . Mitchell , Wellington , and Taua each caught a pass for a touchdown . Due to Kaepernick ' s injury , backup quarterback Nick Graziano played for one series but was unable to make a completion on two attempts . On the ground , Nevada struggled against the Maryland defense , recording 114 rushing yards , far fewer than its 291 . 4 per game average . Running plays were attempted by Kaepernick and Taua , who made 23 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown . Despite suffering from a sprained ankle , Kaepernick also was able to scamper 15 yards for a rushing touchdown . Conversely , the Nevada defense had difficulty stopping the Maryland run . Nevada ' s rush defense allowed 258 yards , compared with its regular - season average of just 74 . 5 yards allowed per game . This was especially true after a well - rested Da ' Rel Scott entered the game in the middle of the third quarter . Head coach Chris Ault said , " He just ran through us like we weren ' t there . " Defensive back Jonathan Amaya intercepted a Chris Turner pass for his fourth interception of the season . Brett Jaekle handled all of Nevada ' s kicking duties . He made all five extra - point attempts . Jaekle punted eight times for 295 yards and kicked off five times for 270 yards . With 1 : 42 remaining , he attempted an onside kick , but the ball was recovered by Maryland ' s Danny Oquendo . Post - game effects . With the bowl game , Maryland finished the season with an 8 – 5 record . The win was Maryland ' s 600th in school history . Ralph Friedgen ' s postseason record improved to 4 – 2 , giving him twice as many bowl wins as any other head coach in school history . For the 2008 season , Maryland stood 5 – 1 in games decided by seven points or less and 8 – 0 in games kicked off during daylight hours . Nevada posted a final record of 7 – 6 . The game was the third consecutive postseason loss for Chris Ault and Nevada . Ault ' s post - season bowl record slid to 1 – 5 as a result .