Geno Smith shredded the Maryland defense for the second straight year, and No. 18 West Virginia halted a furious comeback with a late interception in its 37-31 road triumph.

The Mountaineers (3-0) claimed a 34-10 third-quarter advantage after a 34-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Stedman Bailey.

But they needed Eian Smith’s interception of Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien deep in their own territory with 1:13 to play to seal a sixth straight victory over the Terrapins.

O’Brien, who finished 34-for-52 for 289 yards and a touchdown pass, had completed 14 straight passes at one point while guiding the Terrapins (1-1) on three unanswered scoring drives. Maryland cut it to 34-31 after D.J. Adams’ 2-yard scoring run and Davin Meggett’s 2-point conversion with 10:29 remaining.

Geno Smith, who had tossed four touchdown passes last year when the Mountaineers built a 28-0 lead en route to a 31-17 victory, ended 36-for-49 for 388 yards.

The Terrapins, who had last Saturday off after opening with a 32-24 victory over Miami (Fla.) on Sept. 5, opened the scoring with a field goal before yielding 24 straight points.

Terence Garvin’s 37-yard interception return for a touchdown gave West Virginia a 14-3 lead. West Virginia made it 24-3 on a 10-yard scamper by freshman Andrew Buie, set up by Smith’s 36-yard hookup to Ivan McCartney.