Maryland football came into Saturday’s matchup against Wisconsin with a lot to prove to its fans and the national media. Few believed the Terps were a good team despite dominating their first three games, all against inferior competition, which many thought was fair criticism.
But the Terps quieted those critics with a dominating 27-10 road win against Wisconsin, matching their Big Ten win total from last season.
Here are the takeaways from the game.
Proved the doubters wrong
Maryland dominated non-conference play again this season, going 3-0 against Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois, and Towson to extend its non-conference winning streak to a nation-leading 18 games. Fans agreed they would not be fooled this time until they played better competition.
In recent history, that hasn’t translated to much success in Big Ten play — including a 1-7 record in conference play in 2024. This resulted in criticism from many fans and media alike, who wondered if the team could compete against the Big Ten.
But the Terps answered those questions Saturday, dominating Wisconsin at all three levels.
After winning just one conference game last season, the Terps are excited about what’s ahead and are determined to prove more doubters wrong.
“Last year has no bearing on anything we have going with this team,” Locksley said. “I’m really proud of everyone for how they started the year off, but we still got so much room to grow and [I’m] looking forward to doing this week by week.”
Defense and Special teams make plays
Maryland established itself early with game-breaking plays on defense and special teams, allowing it to jump to an early lead.
The Terps blocked a field goal on their first defensive possession, followed by an interception return inside the five-yard line. After a bad Wisconsin snap, they blocked another punt to end the first quarter. All three plays led to Maryland taking a 20-0 lead into halftime.
The defense made plays all day long. Safety Jalen Huskey recorded seven tackles and an interception in the first half and made a key stop to prevent a big Wisconsin catch in the second quarter.
They never let up, recording six sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and forcing an interception while allowing just 10 Wisconsin points. Their lone touchdown came with the game already over.
“Our defense was once again very dominant for four quarters,” Maryland head coach Michael Locksley said. “Special teams really set the stage for us early with the two big blocked kicks. When you talk about knowing and understanding the character of a team, you watch how they play special teams, and I think we’ve done that the last three weeks at a high level.”
Linebacker Daniel Wingate and freshman defensive lineman Sidney Stewart continued their strong starts to the season. Wingate added a team-high 11 tackles and one sack. Stewart added a sack, becoming the first FBS freshman in 20 years to record a sack in the first four games.
Wisconsin dominated the third quarter, but Maryland prevented the Badgers from making the game close. The Badgers drove down the field and had a chance to cut the deficit to ten.
Graduate defensive linemen Cam Rice didn’t let that happen, recording a huge sack to force the Badgers outside of field goal range and give the Terps the ball. This would be the last time Wisconsin had the ball with a chance to make things interesting.
Malik Washington looked unfazed
The true freshman Washington impressed once again in his first Big Ten road game, leading the Terps to a dominant win.
He had a passer rating of 137.8, going 18-34 for 265 yards, two touchdowns, and one on the ground with lots of help from his top two senior receivers. Octavion Smith Jr. set a career high in yards for the second straight week with 113, while Shaleak Knotts added 80 yards and two touchdowns of his own.
“They’re like a safety blanket to me,” Washington said about his senior receivers. “I know that they’re gonna make a play with the balls in the air. Them being older guys … they let me know that they’ve got my back no matter what.”
Washington did it against the man he replaced, Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards, who started 11 games for the Terps last year. Edwards was questionable coming into the game with a knee injury and left early in the first quarter.
The noise about playing a “real” opponent and his predecessor didn’t affect Washington, even when things weren’t going the Terps’ way on offense.
Despite not gaining a first down in the third quarter, Washington didn’t flinch. He entered the fourth quarter poised, leading a 99-yard touchdown drive thanks to a 62-yard bomb to Knotts to put the game out of reach.
But that wasn’t his only big-time throw of the day. In the first half, he made a big 48-yard throw to Smith Jr. with under a minute to go, leading to another field goal.
He started the scoring with a first-quarter rushing touchdown for the second straight week, and hit Knotts for his first touchdown of the game in the end zone to open the second quarter as the Terps jumped out to a 14-0 lead.
Washington now becomes the second true freshman in the last 20 years to throw for 250 or more yards in his team’s first four games. A promising sign for Maryland and its fans moving forward.
“It was really fun. The atmosphere was great,” Washington said. “The team stayed together [and] have some things we want to clean up. But overall a fun experience.”
