Ten.
That’s how many rushing yards Maryland football’s defense allowed on Saturday. All game.
Not only that, the offense exploded for 365 yards on the ground, starting with a 94-yard run from redshirt sophomore DeJuan Williams on the second drive of the game.
The yardage only tells half the story of the Terps’ dominant ground game. Their six rushing touchdowns ran the score to their highest total since 2021 in the 62-0 rout over Hampton at SECU Stadium.
A picture-perfect start for a team that was awful on the ground in 2025.
Blocking was the dominant facet of the team’s performance.
“I definitely thank my O-line because, you know, without them none of that was possible,” said Williams.
Quarterback Malik Washington referred to the blocking from both the offensive line and skill positions as the “championship mindset.”
Williams added a second touchdown on the Terps’ third drive, punching it in from eight yards out to set a new single-game high in rushing touchdowns. He went over 100 rushing and total yards for the first time earlier in the drive.
The redshirt sophomore back’s day ended after only five opportunities: three rushes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns and two catches for 35 yards. He averaged 38.7 yards per carry on the night.
“I think this is the first time the country kind of gets to see, you know, who DeJuan Williams really is. He looked great today,” Washington said.
Iverson Howard led the team in rush attempts with 12 carries for 66 yards, confirming himself as the backup.
As expected, the defense was equally dominant. Hampton’s offense was awful in 2025, averaging just over 300 yards and under 18 points per game.
Saturday night, those numbers were far worse. The Pirates’ rushing total was supplemented by an equally bad passing attack of 75 yards to total 85 yards of offense on the night.
The defense’s ability to make big plays hasn’t gone anywhere, as the team had five sacks, eight TFLs, and three interceptions.
“I thought they played great team defense, really gap control sound, and they did a good job of finishing,” head coach Michael Locksley said.
A notable subplot was the questionable passing offense. Washington went 19/31 for 186 yards and a touchdown, but those numbers could have looked better.
Four drops from starting receivers and multiple open throws missed by Washington don’t change the outcome of a blowout like this, but it’s worth noting. Against a team like Hampton, you wouldn’t expect execution issues. But, then again, it is week one.
Backup quarterback Cardell Williams entered the game in the third quarter with the backup offense and operated cleaner, if not better outright, than the starters. They were also playing the Hampton backups, but no one missed a throw or dropped a pass after the mass substitution.
Williams was not the only Terp to have a career night.
DD Holmes recorded both his first and second sack on back-to-back plays. Jayden Shipps recorded his first career interception. Messiah Delhomme recorded two interceptions, more than he had all of 2025.
“We wanted to show the world what Maryland’s about,” Delhomme said.
On Tuesday, both Locksley and Washington shut down questions about the importance of margin of victory.
“The style points don’t matter,” Locksley said.
And so Maryland is 1-0, with a historically monstrous rushing total and a margin of victory of 62 points.
“Excited again that we’re able to get a win for the first time in a long time,” said Locksley. “Players super excited to put this behind us, get back in here tomorrow and start our preparation early.”
