Michael Locksley has only won three games after the season-opening loss in his eight years as Maryland football’s head coach. This has led to prolonged slips in each of the last three seasons.
Despite promises that this year’s team would be better equipped to respond, the Terps’ 54-3 home loss to UCLA suggested otherwise. Maryland is 2-2 for the first time since 2019, with increasing pressure on Locksley to avoid another disastrous season.
Here are three takeaways from the Terps’ blowout loss.
It was always going to be a tall task for Maryland’s defense, which missed 19 tackles last week, to slow down the nation’s fifth-best rushing attack. The Terps’ shorthanded backroom didn’t help either — they had three healthy options to deploy in the backfield, two of whom played other collegiate sports last season and hadn’t played football since high school.
But even with an emphasis on establishing the ground game early, Maryland didn’t have success. The Terps had negative rushing yardage in the first half despite their 16 rushing attempts. Three straight drives from Iverson Howard on the second drive led to one of Maryland’s eight punts.
UCLA simply dominated in the trenches — an area Locksley cited during Big Ten Media Day as a needed improvement.
Maryland allowed just three sacks in a non-conference game, but the Bruins recorded two in the first 19 minutes. UCLA generated seven tackles for loss, preventing Malik Washington from operating in a clean pocket.
The Bruins overwhelmed the Terps’ linemen, and it wasn’t particularly close.
Wayne Knight, one of the nation’s best running backs with 345 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in three games, torched Maryland. He finished with 100 rushing yards on just 10 carries, breaking away for a 45-yard touchdown run to start the scoring.
“They made a few plays there in the running game where those explosives showed up,” Locksley said. “You have to make the right calls with the right checks and make sure you knock the ball down.”
UCLA had three rushing touchdowns in the first half, surpassing Virginia Tech’s two scores from last week. Maryland matched a season low with one sack and produced two tackles behind the line of scrimmage, allowing 266 yards on the ground.
A nightmarish exit from Malik Washington
After back-to-back 300-yard passing performances, the pressure was on Washington to deliver in the Big Ten opener. Instead, the second-year quarterback suffered the worst of his career.
“What we wanted to do was obviously give it a little rhythm,” Locksley said. “Today was one of those offensive games for us where nothing we called worked, nothing Malik did was good, and what we have to do now is go watch the tape.”
Washington, which had yet to commit a turnover this season, threw four picks Saturday, two of which returned for touchdowns. He nearly failed in the second quarter on a play that looked eerily similar to last year’s game against Northern Illinois.
On a 14-yard sack, Washington attempted to throw the ball as he was about to fall to the ground. He was taken out before the ball came loose, but it didn’t matter. Two plays later, Washington drove down the field into triple coverage on 3rd and 22 for its first interception.
Washington threw a pair of questionable passes on Maryland’s first two drives of the second half, resulting in picks of 39 and 65 yards. In a game where Washington was supposed to lead the Terps to victory, he did just the opposite.
He finished 18 of 38 with 142 passing yards – the second-worst passing yardage total of his Maryland career. Washington was constantly forced out of the pocket, leading to some passes without a receiver nearby.
“I wouldn’t say there’s anything at the root,” Washington said. “It’s something we executed well in the first three games. When a problem arises, it seems like a big problem, but it’s not a big problem. That happens sometimes in football.”
The Terps’ defense, which gave up more than 50 points for the second straight season, was hit five times Saturday. Four of them came in the second quarter, two of which assisted UCLA’s touchdown drives.
Lavain Scruggs was called for a facemask penalty that added to Knight’s 33-yard run, quickly putting the Bruins in the red zone. Anthony Woods hit it two plays later to give UCLA a two-possession lead – Maryland never got closer.
Jayvon Parker, who was penalized twice in the second quarter, helped the Bruins move the ball on their next drive with another mask call. Jamare Glasker was later flagged for 15-yard pass interference.
Maryland was called for six penalties that cost it 60 yards, which propelled UCLA to multiple 20-point quarters.
Flags were a recurring issue for the Terps last season, and it remains an issue against Power Conference opponents this year.
Gn sports
