The Terps suffered one of the most disappointing losses in the Michael Locksley era.
Maryland football was dominated from whistle to whistle in a 37-10 beatdown by Northwestern at SECU Stadium. It was a performance that spurs a plethora of questions about the program’s trajectory.
The Terps entered Friday night labeled 10.5-point favorites by ESPN Bet. They had a chance to secure their first Big Ten win against a team they were expected to beat. Instead, Maryland looked like it did not belong in the conference.
Here are three takeaways from a disappointing night for the Terps.
Maryland missed its best chance for a Big Ten win
Northwestern was the Terps’ weakest remaining opponent on paper. A brutal remainder of the conference slate awaits them.
Maryland’s remaining opponents are USC, Minnesota, No. 3 Oregon, Rutgers, Iowa and No. 4 Penn State. As of Friday, all of those teams have two things Maryland doesn’t: a winning record and a Big Ten win.
The Terps face a real possibility of finishing the season 3-9 and winless in Big Ten play. That would be head coach Michael Locksley’s worst record since 2019, his first season with Maryland, and his first season without a conference win.
USC, Oregon, Iowa and Penn State are established conference powerhouses. A road trip to Minnesota and a home game against Rutgers are Maryland’s most winnable matchups on paper.
It’s 0-2 when traveling to Minnesota under Locksley, but has won the last three contests against Rutgers. Rutgers has victories over Washington and Virginia Tech this season, while Minnesota beat then-No. 11 USC a week ago.
“We’re going to find a way to turn this frustration into something positive and productive this week. It starts with the next game,” Locksley said. “We’ve got a good team.”
Locksley took over offensive play calling duties
Locksley called offensive plays for the first time this season. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has been the play caller since Gattis was hired in 2023.
Locksley’s play-calling debut did not go as planned. The Terps averaged a season-low 4.2 yards per play, and 10 points was their fewest game total since November 2022. The offense turned the ball over three times — quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw an interception and fumbled the ball away, while tight end Preston Howard also lost a fumble.
The offense was at its best when moving the ball methodically. The Terps’ two scoring drives went for 16 plays and 18 plays, and featured an array of quick throws and run-pass options.
“[The methodical approach] was not by design,” Locksley said. “Our goal is to try to find ways to get [players] the ball where they can make those explosives … we weren’t able to make the one guy miss, which that’s something that we recruit the type of players that have that ability.”
Maryland’s offensive attack was balanced until garbage time with Locksley calling plays. In the first three quarters, it ran the ball 32 times and threw it 30 times. Edwards recorded a season-high 14 carries.
Middle of the game was a defensive slugfest
The second and third quarters saw just 17 points scored between the two teams.
The Terps picked up 221 yards in those middle two quarters, but a missed field goal and turnover on downs limited their point total (7).
Northwestern struggled to move the ball at all in that same period, recording just 64 yards in the second and third quarters combined — all coming through the air. The Wildcats’ 11 rushing attempts in that time culminated in zero yards. Maryland dominated the line of scrimmage and held Northwestern to one third-down conversion in those middle quarters.
The Wildcats pulled away decisively in the fourth quarter, winning that frame 20-3, supported by three Maryland turnovers.