Where does Maryland football go next?
The Terps dropped their fifth straight Saturday at Rutgers, 35-20. The loss put them below .500 for the first time this season after a 4-0 start.
Coach Michael Locksley cited the theme of progress after the game, pointing to injuries and a tonal shift the program hopes to make as it tries to salvage the rest of the season.
“It’s my job to remain positive,” Locksley said. “It may not feel real good right now, but I can tell you that I know this group will keep pushing.”
A win over Rutgers would’ve given Maryland one more overall and conference victory than last season — progress, as the seventh-year coach would’ve called it, after a 1-8 Big Ten finish in 2024.
“That’s called slow progress,” Locksley said Tuesday on the opportunity to win two conference games. “I don’t have a low bar for anything I do in my life.”
[Maryland football unravels in fifth straight loss, 35-20 at Rutgers]
But the Terps allowed nearly 500 yards to Rutgers — a program Locksley recently called a similar project to Maryland. The Terps are tied with the Scarlet Knights for fewest conference wins since 2020.
Under Locksley, Maryland has beaten just two Big Ten opponents that finished with a winning record — a 7-6 Rutgers team in 2023 and a 7-6 USC squad in 2024.
Upsets like those aren’t rare for struggling programs. This weekend alone, Wisconsin, which entered winless in Big Ten play, stunned No. 23 Washington, 13-10, with its punter, Sean West, leading the team in passing yards.Wake Forest (6-3) knocked off No. 12 Virginia (8-2) on the road, likely ending the Cavaliers’ playoff hopes.
It’s hard to energize a fanbase without a signature win. And while Maryland had chances this season — against Washington (6-3) and Nebraska (7-3) — fourth-quarter collapses after holding leads turned potential statement victories into gut-wrenching losses.
“There’s a difference between progress and expectations,” Locksley said. “This inexperienced team created an expectation with how they played early.”
Locksley pointed to Maryland’s turnover margin and reduced penalties as evidence of progress.
The Terps rank second in the Big Ten in turnover margin with 19 takeaways against 11 giveaways — a sharp improvement from last year, when they finished 14th in the conference with a negative margin.
Penalties don’t have as strong an argument.
Maryland was flagged five times for 45 yards against Rutgers, while the Scarlet Knights committed just one infraction for five yards. The Terps still rank fourth in the Big Ten in both penalties and penalty yardage per game — only a slight improvement from last year, when they were third-worst in the conference.
It’s the kind of incremental change that fits Locksley’s “slow progress” mantra.
“If you know football, you see that type of progress,” Locksley said.
[Watching film with Maryland football’s Cam Rice: pass rush, preparation and technique]
Rubik’s cube of injuries
Locksley said it feels like every time he speaks with a trainer, he’s being told another player is done for the day. For a team he’s described as lacking depth, those injuries have been detrimental.
“We’re plugging holes all over the place because we’re just running out of bodies,” Locksley said. “It’s [like solving] a Rubik’s cube putting people in.”
The struggles are most noticeable defensively. Maryland’s dynamic freshman edge rushers and sack leaders, Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis, played just 18 and 39 snaps, respectively, out of 70.
Locksley said Mathis, who boasts 4.5 sacks this season, has played with a toe injury the past few weeks. The freshman played one snap last week against Indiana and missed Maryland’s loss against UCLA.
Fellow defensive lineman Dillan Fontus played just 16 snaps, while linebacker Daniel Wingate has played with a leg injury the past two games, Locksley added.
Wingate said the losing stretch has taught him to focus on preparing younger players to step in seamlessly when injuries strike.
“[I learned] just having the next man up mentality and being a better leader, to have those guys have that mentality,” Wingate said.
Playing for the veterans
A bowl game seems increasingly unlikely.
Heading into the weekend, Rutgers was one of two opponents left on Maryland’s slate with a losing record.
The Terps still need two wins to reach bowl eligibility, with Illinois (6-3), Michigan (7-2) and Michigan State (3-6) left on the schedule. Perhaps that’s why Locksley said he reminded his younger players in the locker room to play for veterans who don’t have many games remaining.
“We’re down to playing for pride and opportunities for these guys,” Locksley said.
Some of those veterans include receivers Shaleak Knotts and Octavian Smith Jr., who’ve been part of two bowl wins under Locksley, and have spent all four years in the program. Cam Rice, Jalil Farooq and Isaiah Wright each transferred to Maryland for their final college seasons and have played pivotal roles — with only three guaranteed games left for the group.
“[We’ll] play for pride for the older guys,” freshman quarterback Malik Washington said. “This is some of their last opportunities to be able to play in a Maryland jersey.”
