Maryland has 12 opponents listed on this year’s football schedule. They also face the formidable foe of what has become one cruel calendar.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Terrapins are 19-3 before Oct. 1 and 9-29 in their remaining regular season games. Last year may have delivered the cruelest of midseason months, as the team’s 0-for-October saw head coach Mike Locksley’s club blow three consecutive fourth-quarter leads while getting outscored 44-7 to turn a season of possibilities (4-0 and receiving votes in the coaches’ poll) to a second straight losing campaign.
“I can tell you last year was really trying, because you look at the games we lost when you don’t finish games,” Locksley said at the team’s media day. “We lost three games within the last drives of the game-you have to look at yourself as a result. What do I need to do to teach us how to finish?”
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The offense for the second straight season hinges on the production of quarterback Malik Washington, who threw for 2,963 yards and 17 touchdowns as a true freshman. Expect to see additional aspects of the sophomore’s game this fall.
“A year ago because we knew we were throwing him in there inexperienced; we probably were a little more conservative than I have been,” Locksley said. “But I can tell you that the way he was taught and the things that he learned a year ago will benefit him now that he’s in a system that fits his skill set including his ability to use his feet to make plays.”
Washington will have a new coordinator to work with as Clint Trickett takes over the offensive side of the ball. Trickett was impressed with the Glen Burnie, Maryland, native.
“Obviously the talent, you see that on the tape I saw that before I got here,” Trickett said. “And then when you get here you see what’s in between the ears and how special he is mentally.”
Last year’s leading rusher DeJuan Williams (501 yards on 128 carries) along with USC transfer Harry Dalton III look to provide threats on the ground and there are no shortage of receiving threats, from tight ends Dorian Fleming and Preston Howard to wideouts Kaleb Webb and Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding. The new coordinator plans to maximize those weapons.
“We have really good skill players so instead of just getting 50 snaps in a game let’s try to get 70-80-90. The game I played out here (a 40-37 West Virginia win in 2014 where he threw for 511 yards and four touchdowns), we had 106 snaps,” Trickett said. “I’m not saying we’re going to get that because the rules have changed since then, we want to play with a sense of tempo and urgency.”
Ever since they joined the Big Ten, the questions have been whether the Terps can run the ball in November and stop teams in the conference. The revamped offensive line features mainstays like Michael Hershey and Isaiah Wright and allowed the fewest sacks in the Big Ten last year while ranking 17th in rushing yards per game. The defense under coordinator Ted Monachino went through more than their share of growing pains but look to make the leap.
“I think we’ve got everything we need on our side,” Monachino said. “We’ve got size where we need it, speed where we need it, smart where we need to be, explosive and violent where we need to be. So I’m excited about our group.”
That group took a hit during August workouts when edge rusher Zahir Mathis (team-high six sacks last year) went down to a season-ending injury. Can five-star true freshman Zion Elee from Baltimore grow up quickly and contribute? Regardless of what happens up front, middle linebacker Daniel Wingate (team-high 102 tackles with 1.5 sacks and an interception in 2025) is the catalyst for the defense.
“He holds the whole thing together. Danny’s the one who will ask the right questions in the meeting room, sees around corners and does a lot,” Monachino said. “Just with those guys being around him and seeing how he operates I think it helps drive their maturity and their football IQ.”
Wingate looks to avenge last year’s slide from dream start to nightmare finish.
“We’re definitely trying to turn those losses into lessons, focus on the details of things, the little things that we need to focus on in order to finish those games,” Wingate said. “We’re just trying to focus on the details of things so we can finish those games better.”
Special teams might be just that this fall with kicker Sean O’Haire and punter Bryce McPherson each ranking among the best in the Big Ten, while the schedule provides a few early potential potholes in September. They can’t afford to take an early game at UConn lightly as the Huskies went 9-4 last year. Virginia Tech head coach and onetime Terrapin assistant James Franklin will come to SECU Stadium on Sept. 19, looking to make a big splash in a matchup that recalls the old “barometer” games in the first month of the season against West Virginia.
Big Ten play involves No. 1 Ohio State and two other teams (USC and Penn State) in the preseason top 25, while two more foes (Nebraska and Illinois) also received votes.
Will the Terps be able to write a different calendar this year?
“The message for us is our work needs to be louder than our words,” Locksley said. “I’ve been on this campus for (a total of) 18 seasons starting this year, and this is one of the more talented teams that I’ve been a part of while being here at Maryland.”
Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter.
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