If Maryland fans come away with anything after Saturday night, at least they can say it wasn’t heartbreaking this time.

In 2025, Maryland’s first loss came from a blown 20-point second-half lead in week five against Washington. 

This time, it never put up much of a fight. 

The Terps were physically dominated by Virginia Tech, and their inability to execute the fundamentals killed any talent advantage they might have had in the 35-26 loss at SECU Stadium. 

Maryland allowed the Hokies to go 10-of-14 on third down. And somehow that isn’t the worst part of the defensive performance. The time of possession was 36:38-23:22. The Terps’ inability to run the ball kept them from long drives. 

“We got to be able to get the ball on the ground on third down and just get off the field, and that was a problem for us tonight,” said inside linebacker Daniel Wingate. “But we’ll get in the film room and be able to fix it.”

The Terps’ defense could not tackle anyone. It seemed like every touchdown the Hokies scored stemmed from missed tackles, including a hard-to-watch miss on a third-and-goal from the 18 that led to a rushing touchdown by Hokie quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. 

Maryland’s tackling struggles cannot be understated. It seemed like they missed a minimum of one tackle per series, and every time they whiffed, no one was there to back it up. The Hokies offense took advantage. 

“There were no indications for me that we would play defense the way we played in terms of not being able to get off the field or stop the run,” Maryland head coach Michael Locksley said.

Maryland’s gap integrity was weak, and when Franklin’s squad decided to pass, gaps in the zone were everywhere. Man coverage didn’t work either, since the Hokies caught just about anything thrown their way. 

Grunkemeyer outplayed Maryland quarterback Malik Washington in every facet of the game. He looked dialed in all night, delivering perfect throws all over the field on top of his tough third-down run for his only rushing touchdown. He ended the game with 314 passing yards, four total touchdowns and a 79% completion percentage. 

The underlying difference came from the coaching. James Franklin implemented his system perfectly, bringing back the same style Penn State fans loved, while Locksley had his star quarterback punt the football. 

The discrepancy came to a head when Locksley went for two twice in the fourth quarter, actively preventing Maryland from getting within one score to complete a comeback. 

“They out-executed us at the point of attack,” Locksley said.  

Washington’s numbers jump off the stat sheet, but he missed several throws that could have been scores. The sophomore delivered some good throws to pick up chunk plays, but those plays were limited to one quarter of football, not nearly enough to win anything. 

Washington played his best in the fourth quarter, leading the Terps to two touchdowns with 91 passing yards. He finished with 359 yards and three touchdowns. 

Virginia Tech’s run game ate all night, totaling 131 yards with a 3.6 average. Tight end Luke Reynolds played with shades of 2024 Tyler Warren, finishing with 107 yards on 12 catches and a touchdown, making ridiculous catches throughout the game. 

Maryland’s run game didn’t do much of anything. Iverson Howard averaged two yards per carry. Harry Dalton III averaged 4.3 yards per carry on six carries. Dalton clearly outperformed Howard from his first few carries, but Maryland stuck with Howard until it was too late. The offensive line didn’t generate any push either. 

“There was opportunities there for some plays to be made; some execution could have been better on everyone’s part,” Washington said when asked about the run game Saturday. 

Chris Durr Jr. caught 12 passes totaling 109 yards and two touchdowns. He now has a two-game streak of 10+ catches. He’s the first Maryland receiver this century to do so. 

The receivers and tight ends did better than the rest of the offense. Kaleb Webb had five catches for 98 yards, and the receivers didn’t have a drop in the loss. 

Maryland falls flat in a big game yet again. Locksley was outcoached, Washington was mostly outplayed, and the team didn’t look ready for the moment. It’s safe to say Locksley’s seat is hot.