Maryland vs. Notre Dame: Live Score, Highlights and Analysis

Backup quarterback C.J. Brown hustles in for the Maryland touchdown.

Current score: Notre Dame 38, Maryland 14

Coming out after halftime, Brian Kelly did not plan to slow down his offense by any stretch of the imagination.

The Irish came out and continued to move the ball at an up-tempo, yet efficient pace.

Tommy Rees was excellent with the football in his hands, completing each of his pass attempts on the way to the touchdown that is currently being reviewed.

Jonas Gray rumbles ahead for the Notre Dame touchdown on fourth and goal from inside the one-yard line. 

Current score: Notre Dame 24, Maryland 7

One surprising quick stat from tonight's game is the two dropped passes by Notre Dame's Michael Floyd.

To echo NBC announcer Mike Mayock, it's shocking that Floyd has dropped these two passes, given that it's rare that he even drops a pass in practice.

They haven't been perfectly thrown balls, but a player such as Michael Floyd is expected to reel them in.

Prior to the Maryland touchdown, Notre Dame senior cornerback Robert Blanton was charged with a unsportsmanlike penalty for getting into it with a Maryland wide receiver.

That's surprising, considering Blanton is considered to be one of the few leaders of this team. There's no doubt that Brian Kelly will be giving Blanton a few choice words of advice.

Maryland gets into the endzone for the first time tonight on a bubble screen pass.

Current score: Notre Dame 17, Maryland 7

One aspect of the game we should all be glad we haven't seen out of Notre Dame tonight is turnovers. During the first two games of the season, the Irish turned the ball over an astounding 10 times.

Since then, Brian Kelly's squad has remained in the cellar of the FBS turnover department.

On another note, Tommy Rees throws a beautiful deep ball to Michael Floyd for the Notre Dame touchdown.

Current score: Notre Dame 17, Maryland 0

The sack given up on Notre Dame's last drive is the first the offensive line has given up since the Pittsburgh game back on September 24.

Tommy Rees had attempted 195 pass attempts in between those sacks.

The first quarter has come to a close, and Notre Dame leads Maryland by a score of 10-0.

The Fighting Irish currently hold the football near mid-field, and look to be on their way to another score. This game has the potential to get out of hand in a hurry.

That's contingent upon the Irish defense shutting down a Maryland that put up 45 points on then-8th-ranked Clemson a few weeks ago.

We'll have to wait and see.

David Ruffer knocks in a career-long 52-yard field goal to put the Irish ahead 10-0 with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter.

That wasn't the only mark set this evening.

Jonas Gray has now rushed for a touchdown in seven consecutive games, the longest such streak since Autry Denson did it ten times in 1998.

Also, Ben Turk's first punt of the game sailed a career-long 58 yards.

After that initial touchdown on its first drive, Notre Dame has put itself in a number of unfavorable third-and-long situations on its next two possessions.

This is where attention to detail and remaining calm in this up-tempo offense are key to moving down the field in an efficient manner.

If there's one lesson to be learned mid-way through the first quarter, it's that Maryland's offense will not be having much success moving the ball on the ground.

The Irish rushing defense came to play. Credit defensive coordinator Bob Diaco for having his players prepared. The four-down "nickel" formation has been working to perfection thus far.

Let's hope that remains a recurring theme for the rest of this game.

Notre Dame running back Jonas Gray has now rushed for a touchdown in seven straight games, the longest streak since Autry Denson did it for 10 consecutive games in 1998.

Just a fun fact.

Notre Dame phenom freshman defensive end Aaron Lynch limped off the field, appearing to be favoring the ankle that has been bothering him for a few weeks now.

That's not good news for Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish have already lost Kapron-Lewis Moore for the season.

Although, Bob Diaco is currently having his charges line up in a four-down formation. Look for Darius Fleming and Chase Hounshell to get some work on the D-line.

Notre Dame's first drive, which ended with a Jonas Gray touchdown burst from inside the one-yard line, may have been the most up-tempo drive we've seen all season.

Time and again, Brian Kelly has emphasized that he'd like to see his offense moving quite attremendously fast pace.

Most excuses to why we haven't seen it much thus far is because of Tommy Rees' lack of mobility. That doesn't seem to be a reason anymore, as the offense moved into the endzone in just under two and a half minutes.

Current score: Notre Dame 7, Maryland 0

A great start for the Irish defense, forcing Maryland to punt after only three plays.

Just a side note, Prince Shembo is not lining up with the first team, as defensive coordinator Bob Diaco has once again decided to use safety Jamoris Slaughter in a hyrbid outside linebacker role.

Also, Ethan Johnson is lining up as a starting defensive end opposite Stephon Tuitt.

Maryland won the toss and elected to receive.

And away we go!

This game will have no effect on Notre Dame, but it's highly entertaining nonetheless.

TCU has just beaten fifth-ranked Boise State 36-35 on the blue turf in stunning fashion. The loss ruins Boise State's slim national championship hopes.

Kevin Sumlin's Houston squad takes Boise State's place in that race, becoming the lone undefeated non-AQ team left.

I'm a bit late on this, but according to ESPN's "Rumor Central", Maryland's locker room has become divided.

The article goes on to say that Maryland fans should expect a fair number of transfers at season's end.

That's very unfortunate news for first-year head coach Randy Edsall and his staff. I can't imagine that much progress has been made in returning the Terrapins to ACC contenders.

If you're looking for a match-up to watch in this evening's game between Notre Dame and Maryland, look no further than Maryland's rushing attack against the Notre Dame rush defense.

Through nine games this season, Maryland starting running back Davin Meggett has carried the ball 136 times for 677 yards, good for an average of five yards per carry.

However, it doesn't stop there.

Backup quarterback C.J. Brown is a dual-threat athlete, something Notre Dame has traditionally struggled to defend. Brown has seen action in seven games, amassing 356 yards on the ground.

Notre Dame's defensive line won't be at full strength, with starting defensive end Kapron-Lewis Moore out for the season. His absence might be negated by the return of Ethan Johnson, though. Johnson has been out since the opening quarter of the Purdue game with a high ankle sprain.

Let's see if Maryland head coach Randy Edsall will take advantage of this potential Notre Dame weakness.

After a wild weekend of high school football playoffs in the state of Indiana, there's one major headline that should intrigue Notre Dame fans.

Current 2012 commit John Turner, a defensive back, and his Indianapolis Cathedral High School squad will be taking on Gunner Kiel and Columbus East High School next week in semi-state action.

It'll be interesting to see if John Turner can help in Notre Dame's effort to receive a commitment from Kiel, rated as the nation's best quarterback in the 2012 class, per Rivals.com.

Gunner Kiel recently cancelled a planned visit to Alabama, all but eliminating the Crimson Tide from the race.

That development likely means that Gunner Kiel's decision will come down to Notre Dame and Michigan. It should make for quite a recruiting battle.

However, no decision will be announced until after Kiel's season is over. His team is a favorite to advance to the Indiana High School State Finals, which will take place over Thanksgiving weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

We're about an hour away from kickoff for Notre Dame's contest against the Maryland Terrapins at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

To cure the boredom we're all likely currently suffering from, let's take a look at some scores of Notre Dame opponents.

• South Florida 37, Syracuse 17 (Friday)
• Michigan State 37, Iowa 21
• Pittsburgh 21, Louisville 14
• Purdue 26, Ohio State 23 (OT)
• Wyoming 25, Air Force 17
• Clemson 31, Wake Forest 28
• Boston College 14, North Carolina State 10

Other Notre Dame opponents currently in action:

• Michigan leads Illinois 17-0 in the third quarter. 
• USC leads Washington 40-10 in the fourth quarter.
• Navy leads SMU 24-10 in the fourth quarter.

Stanford is set to take on the Oregon Ducks in primetime tonight on ABC.

Heading into this evening's contest between the Maryland Terrapins and The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, both team's uniforms are all the rage.

Maryland's captains voted on which jersey combination to go with, and the final tally resulted in the "pride uniforms". These jerseys, which sparked much fashion debate in week one, were heavily criticized by fashion guru Joan Rivers on ESPN's College GameDay a few weeks ago.

As for the Fighting Irish, green jerseys with a unique helmet will be worn by the players as part of the Shamrock Series.

These green jerseys are different from those worn last season against Army. They feature the same design as the normal blue home jerseys, with white numbers and "ND" logos on the shoulders.

The helmets have been a topic of discussion, as they feature a unique gold blend with green shamrocks on each side. A dark green cage is also included.

As long as the players like it, it's all that matters.