College Park, Md. ? Maryland’s tiniest player had a colossal second half, helping the Terrapins clear an imposing obstacle in their bid to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference champions.

Chris Downs ran for a career-high 212 yards and three touchdowns Thursday night as Maryland cruised to its fourth straight victory, 34-10 against Georgia Tech.

Held to 29 yards on seven carries in the first half, Downs ran for 109 yards and two scores in the third quarter as Maryland turned a 6-3 lead into a 20-3 advantage.

The 5-foot-8 senior provided the clincher with 7:40 remaining, running 64 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. Downs is playing in place of 2001 ACC offensive player of the year Bruce Perry, who has yet to suit up this season because of a torn groin.

Scooter Monroe had five catches for 105 yards for Maryland (5-2, 1-1), which needed to go to overtime to beat the Yellow Jackets last year. Monroe is the first Terrapin with a 100-yard receiving game since Jason Hatala in 1997.

A.J. Suggs went 28-for-45 for 272 yards, and Kerry Watkins had nine receptions for 127 yards to lead Georgia Tech (4-3, 1-3).