BOISE, Idaho — Ralph Friedgen's initial reaction was to put Da'Rel Scott and the six other Maryland players who broke curfew leading up to the Humanitarian Bowl on a bus with a one-way ticket back to College Park, Md.

Instead of being run out of town, Scott stuck around and ran over Nevada.

Benched for 2 1/2 quarters for his curfew violation, an inspired Scott became an unstoppable running force for the final 20 minutes. He carried 14 times for 174 yards and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Maryland held off the Wolf Pack, 42-35, yesterday.

"I just felt as though I had to run with a purpose," Scott said.

And run Scott did, blowing through a worn down Nevada defense in the final quarter. He sprinted 49 yards nearly untouched to snap a 28-all tie early in the fourth, then added a 2-yard TD run to put the Terps up 14 points with 7:44 left.

But until he got his first carry midway through the third quarter, doubt lingered in Scott's mind as to if his transgression would keep him off the field. He was one of seven Terps caught by Friedgen, who declined to specify what the players did, but indicated the players had sneaked out a couple of nights before the game.

"Five percent of guys thought they didn't need to listen to me, that they could get bed checked and sneak out," Friedgen said. "This isn't my first rodeo."

Scott's first carry came with 5:55 left in the third quarter and Maryland (8-5) needed all of his 174 yards to hold off Nevada (7-6) and its "pistol" offense. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who played the second half with a sprained right ankle, misfired in the first half, but found his throwing rhythm after briefly being benched in the third quarter.

Kaepernick finished 24-for-47 for a bowl-record 370 yards and three touchdowns, and added a 15-yard scoring run with 2:19 left. But Maryland recovered the onside kick and walked away with its fourth bowl victory since 2002.

"I was proud of the way we stepped up and got back into it, but we came up short," Kaepernick said.

Kaepernick, the WAC offensive player of the year, was injured while being sacked late in the first half and moved the rest of the game with a noticeable limp.