There is now enough evidence to describe Maryland football’s 2025 season as a collapse.
The Terps lost their sixth straight game Saturday at Illinois, falling 24-6 and failing to score a touchdown for the first time this year.
Illinois (7-3, 4-3) rushed for a season-high 225 yards, and Maryland’s offense again struggled to sustain drives. The Terps (4-6, 1-5 Big Ten) can still reach a bowl game by winning their final two games, but the path is narrow — and the scrutiny surrounding coach Michael Locksley’s future is growing.
“We got to deal with the terrain, and the terrain is where we are today,” Locksley said. “We’ll have plenty of time at the end of the season to evaluate everything as a whole … [we’] got two games, two opportunities left.”
Maryland is one loss away from matching Locksley’s previous-worst of eight conference defeats, a record set in his first season and matched last year. The coach is now just 16-41 in Big Ten play in his current tenure.
Much of the week was spent discussing coach Michael Locksley’s job status. Athletic director Jim Smith told Taylor Lyons of The Baltimore Sun that the seventh-year coach would remain the rest of the season. Smith said he would evaluate Locksley after — calling it “silly” to do now.
That hasn’t stopped the noise from fans. Quarterback Malik Washington said he hasn’t been on social media to read most of the chatter and the team was focused only on those inside the program.
Criticism will grow further after the loss in Champaign, largely because similar issues consistently arise.
[As Maryland football struggles, Malik Washington shoulders more responsibilities]
Illini running back Ca’Lil Valentine rushed 20 times for 64 yards, while fellow rusher Kaden Faegin notched 62 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. It was the third consecutive game an opposing team rushed over 200 yards.
Quarterback Luke Altmyer had 62 yards on the ground while tossing for 172 and two scores. Receiver Hudson Clement got past Maryland’s secondary twice with 22 and 23-yard touchdown receptions.
“We all didn’t play well enough, whether it’s us as coaches calling it [or] us as players, executing it,” Locksley said.
The Terps were just 3-12 on third down and left the red zone twice without a touchdown, including being stopped on fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter. Maryland has now failed to score a fourth-quarter touchdown since Oct. 18 against UCLA, and has been outscored 85-17 in the frame during this season.
Maryland rushed for 55 yards, tied for second least this season while quarterback Malik Washington completed 25 of 46 passes for 238 yards.
Locksley finished the game by punting on fourth-and-five from Maryland’s 30-yard line, citing field position reasoning with a defensive stop.
“It’s definitely tough,” Washington said. “Nobody’s excited about this energy.”
Defensive back Lavain Scruggs said ahead of the game vibes in the locker room has remained tight despite the losing streak. The redshirt junior pointed to the relationships built during summer’s training camp.
[ANALYSIS: Maryland football woes could spell the end for Michael Locksley]
“We’re still the same team,” Scruggs said. “The locker room is amazing. The guys want to win, the guys are hungry.”
While Scruggs said the group won’t crumble, Locksley’s teams are susceptible to late-season collapses. Maryland has lost three consecutive games in all six of his full seasons during his current tenure, and is in danger of matching his longest skid of seven next week against Michigan — set during his first season in 2019.
Locksley disagreed that he is coaching the final three games to remain Maryland’s coach — and said he deserved to stay in the role. He declined to offer a reason why other than, “I’m the head coach of the University of Maryland.”
Ahead of last week’s game against Rutgers, offensive lineman Isaiah Wright and defensive back Jalen Huskey both said they felt as if they were playing for Locksley amid negative press. But the coach pushed back against that narrative.
“I’ve been a big boy for a long time,” Locksley said Tuesday. “I’ve done a lot harder things in my life. I can deal with a five game losing streak.”
The five-game losing streak has stretched to six — and Locksley’s hope for “small progress” through achieving one more conference win even looks bleak. Not much time remains for the minimal steps necessary to his definitions.
