Johari Branch has carved out a nice role for himself as an offensive lineman at Maryland, but perhaps he should think about a pivot to gymnastics after this weekend.
Late in a tightly contested game against Northwestern, Terrapins running back Roman Hemby struck paydirt with a 75-yard rushing score to put Maryland on top, 31-24, just 12 seconds after the Wildcats had tied the game. Naturally, the electric play called for a celebration, and Branch fully embraced the moment.
The 330-pounder ran down the field after Hemby to join in celebration with the rest of his teammates. But just short of the goal line, he stopped and performed an impressive cartwheel before jogging over to his teammates. The action was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, but that didn’t take away from the remarkable feat from Branch.
Northwestern chose to enforce the penalty on the kickoff, but the Wildcats failed to answer the late touchdown, meaning Branch ultimately wasn’t culpable for his cartwheel. Others, including the Maryland gymnastics team, thought that the senior didn’t do anything wrong in the first place.
Branch and the Terrapins (6-1) had reason to cartwheel at night’s end as the program as the victory made Maryland bowl eligible. Northwestern (1-6) is headed the opposite direction, having lost six games in a row.
