Malik Washington has consistently been described as poised and mature well beyond his years by everyone in the Jones-Hill House. Those traits were emblematic of his first three collegiate starts — albeit against weaker competition.
While Maryland football dominated its nonconference slate, Saturday’s contest against Wisconsin was Washington’s first true test under center. The freshman quarterback passed with flying colors.
Washington dissected the Badgers’ defense with chunk plays through the air. But he wasn’t asked to do much in his first couple drives, working with a short field after game-changing plays from the defense and special teams.
Behind Washington’s stellar Big Ten opener, a pair of special-team deflections and an early takeaway, the Terps charged out to an early lead and never looked back. Maryland extended its unbeaten streak to four games with a 27-10 victory at Camp Randall Stadium.
“We’re super proud of this team. Big Ten road wins are not easy to come by,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “Really like the physicality that we play with on defense, made just enough plays on offense and took advantage of some of the things they gave us.”
Washington finished with 265 passing yards and three total scores to become the first true freshman quarterback at Maryland to win a Big Ten game since 2014.
The Terps had a lot to prove heading into their Big Ten opener, both to their fans and the national media. No one was taking Maryland seriously as a real threat. The Terps made a statement Saturday afternoon against their former starting quarterback.
“We just came into this game so confident,” Jalen Huskey said. “We wanted to show everyone that this isn’t the same old Maryland that we’ve been.”
Billy Edwards Jr. spent three seasons in a Maryland uniform, including his final year as the team’s signal caller in 2024. Despite entering with injury concerns, Edwards Jr. started the game and helped Wisconsin quickly march down the field.
A 45-yard bomb to wide receiver Trech Kekahuna on the second play flipped the field and positioned the Badgers to get at least three points. But the drive stalled out, and freshman Zahir Mathis made his presence felt on the field-goal attempt. Mathis deflected the ball just enough to keep Wisconsin off the board.
“The special teams the last three weeks have come up big for us,” Locksley said. “We had the blocked field goal, which early in the game energized us. Created some momentum for us to block [that] punt.”
With Edwards Jr. aggravating his lingering left knee injury, Danny O’Neil took over the offense for the rest of the game. The Terps’ pass rush got to the sophomore on a 3rd-and-16, forcing an errant throw. Huskey gathered the interception and returned it to the four-yard line.
Two plays later, Washington punched it home for his second rushing touchdown on a quarterback keeper.
While Maryland led by just seven at the end of the first quarter, the Badgers’ offense showed no signs of life. Outside of the long completion, Wisconsin gained 37 yards on its next 17 plays.
The Terps’ special teams came through once again in the final moments of the opening quarter. Messiah Delhome blocked a punt, setting up Washington in good field position once again. He capped off a five-play, 28-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Shaleak Knotts.
Despite drops hindering Maryland’s offense at times — the Terps totalled six in the game — the receivers came through in important moments. Smith Jr. and Kaleb Webb hauled in contested catches during Maryland’s third drive of the second quarter.
Those two catches resulted in Sean O’Haire nailing a 49-yard field goal to extend the Terps’ lead to 17-0.
Smith Jr. was Washington’s playmaker in the second quarter, accounting for 86 yards in the period. He started Maryland’s final drive of the half with a 48-yard catch before O’Haire tacked on three more points with time expiring.
“Sometimes [Smith Jr. and Knotts] are kind of like a safety blanket just because I know that at the end of the day, they’re gonna make a play with balls in the air,” Washington said. “They kind of let me know that it’s gonna be okay, we got your back no matter what.”
The Terps’ 20-point halftime lead remained intact in the second half. The closest the Badgers got was 17 points after a field goal midway through the third quarter.
While Maryland’s offense struggled to string together possessions in the final 30 minutes, the defense held firm. The Terps — who allowed just 33 points in their first three games — showed their legitimacy against a Big Ten foe.
Maryland’s front six consistently put O’Neill under pressure, flushing the inexperienced quarterback out of the pocket. The Terps’ secondary kept Wisconsin’s downfield targets locked up and limited the chunk plays to just the early one.
Freshman sensations Mathis and Sidney Stewart wreaked havoc on the edge, each recording a sack to grow their combined total to 7.5 on the season. Maryland recorded six sacks Saturday afternoon to add to its nation-leading 16 sacks.
“They’ve had a tremendous impact in our ability to play coverage behind it when they win in one-on-one battles,” Locksley said. “We’d like to continue to see their growth and development through the Big Ten season, but what a hell of a start for both those young guys.”
In the fourth quarter, Washington capped off his impressive Big Ten opener with his second touchdown pass of the day. But the drive didn’t show initial promise. Maryland started on its own one-yard line.
However, Washington completed a 10-yard pass from his own endzone, allowing the Terps to methodically work their way up the field. Then, the true freshman quarterback spotted Knotts streaking open down the field and aired out a beautiful deep ball for a 62-yard touchdown.
