Saturday night was Maryland football’s best opportunity on paper to snap its seven game losing skid as it faced a Michigan State team without a conference win.

But despite a controlled environment inside of a dome and the offense totaling over 500 yards, the Terps fell to the Spartans 38-28 at Ford Field in Detroit.

Here are the takeaways from the season finale loss.

Malik Washington’s heroic performance was not enough

Throughout the season, head coach Michael Locksley and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton wanted to take pressure off their true freshman quarterback.

But Maryland never developed a consistent rushing attack, and relied heavily on its passing game to move the ball. Washington attempted 34 passes per game and 473 total — the most in the Big Ten. The next closest player had 100 fewer pass attempts.

It was the same script against the Spartans, but Washington delivered all he could. He completed 38-of-61 passes for 459 yards and three touchdowns as the offense gained 534 total yards.

“I’m just listening to him talk. The maturity and the poise and just overall classness that he has just excited for his future and the rest of this Terp offense,” senior offensive lineman Isaiah Wright said.

Despite the nearly 500 yard performance, the rest of the team let him down. The defense allowed the Spartans backup quarterback Alessio Milivojevic orchestrated 453 yards of offense, and scored on all five redzone trips.

Fourth downs decided the game

Much like the Packers and Lions game on Thanksgiving at Ford Field, fourth downs decided the game Saturday in the same stadium between Maryland and Michigan State.

The Terps failed on two questionable fourth-down calls, while the Spartans iced the game on a fourth-and-7 touchdown in the final two minutes. It was their first conference win of the season, while the Terps officially failed to improve from their 4-8 campaign a season ago, finishing with an eight-game losing streak.

Despite falling down 17-0, Maryland was driving down the field at the end of the first half to get within three points.

The Terps went 57 yards in 11 plays, with a decision on a fourth-and-2 play. With a score and a stop, there was a chance that Maryland would be within one score with possession after halftime.

But a team that has had many instances of questionable play-calling throughout the season, and it was the case again on the crucial play. Washington took a deep shot despite needing just two yards, and his pass fell incomplete.

This gave Michigan State the ball back with under two minutes to go in the half. The Spartans executed the two-minute drill perfectly, capping off an eight-play 75-yard drive to extend their lead back to 17.

In the fourth quarter, Maryland elected to go for it on fourth-and-10 down just three— and was sacked for a 13 yard loss.

The Spartans started their possession on Maryland’s 35 yard line, and sealed the game with the aforementioned fourth down touchdown.

“Obviously there is no progress in terms of wins and losses, but if you peel back the layers of the program, we played a lot cleaner, ” Locksley said. “We created turnovers. We got some young players, valuable experience that will lay a foundation that I think we’ll be able to build upon.”

Same old Maryland

As much as Locksley argued that this team wasn’t like previous seasons — especially the disastrous 2024 season — it is now official that they are the same old Maryland.

After starting 4-0, the Terps lost their final eight games to finish 4-8 and 1-8 in Big Ten play — the exact same as last season. The streak marks the longest for the program since 1967. Yet, Locksley will be back in College Park for at least next season.

He said this season might feel the same as last year to the fans, but that was not what it was like inside the building. But still, it wasn’t enough to win a single game after September.

“This year wasn’t good enough, ” Locksley said. “Let’s start with that did not meet expectation … not coached good enough, not played well enough. And that starts with me … This has been a tough two year stretch.”

Throughout the season, Locksley tried to explain why this team wasn’t like other teams. But as losses piled up, Maryland fans grew frustrated with his shift in mindset.

Locksley said the Terps were becoming more than a developmental program and ready to compete with top teams in the Big Ten. But as he and the Terps failed to produce wins, he shifted to improving from last season, which was not even close to their low standards.