After offseason commitment to closing games, Maryland football uncompetitive against P4 teams in 2026

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Maryland’s football season has unraveled into another losing streak, extending the winless drought in Big Ten play to double digit games with noise about inevitable changes coming for the program. Yet maybe most deflating of all is how the last three weeks have unraveled given the offseason message.

“Just want to finish a whole lot more. Yeah, we emphasized it before, but we really emphasized it this time, that fourth quarter finish,” QB Malik Washington told IBG at Big Ten Media Day.

It’s an understandable offseason mantra given a freshmen-led Maryland roster saw three one possession games flip in 2025, a streak that could have rewritten the season narrative. Yet fast forward one year later now facing heightened pressure, Maryland has failed to deliver.

Maryland has been outscored 40-12 in the fourth quarter over its last three games. During the same span, they have been outscored 62-12 in the second half. In conference play, Maryland has fared even worse after being outscored 40-0 in the fourth quarter and 54-0 in the second half.

Two of the seven touchdowns allowed in the second half have come on pick sixes, two of three pick-sixes that quarterback Malik Washington has thrown over the last two weeks. Ahead of the week six meeting against the Buckeyes, Washington sits 12th in the Big Ten after 62.6% of his attempts despite leading the conference in pass attempts

Head coach Mike Locksley pointed to the more complex schemes that Washington has faced since the start of Big Ten play after noting the miscues are “400 level reads.”

“Those are 400 level things that people are doing because of the talent he has at quarterback. His first [interception] was a seven up – seven guys lined up on the line of scrimmage and the defensive end drops out for what we call simulated pressures and those are the new things that he now can add to his toolbox.”

Only four FBS quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions than Washington in 2026, yet it hasn’t fallen all on his shoulders. After ranking 124th nationally and last among Big Ten in rushing offense under Pep Hamilton, Maryland ranks 12th in the Big Ten and 86th nationally in the same category in 2026. In the two games that DeJuan Williams is available, Maryland’s offense is averaging 7.8 yards per carry, including 5.6 yards per carry in the week five loss against Nebraska.

The lack of offensive balance has put its own strain on Maryland’s defense at times, while the turnovers have added another burden in others. Yet with

Maryland’s defense ranks among the worst in the country in the most explosive plays allowed – whether it be over ten, 20, 30, 40. Maryland entered the week tied with just four teams with three plays allowed over 50 yards, along with one of three Power Four programs to allow an 80 yard play in 2026.

“You see the explosive runs, you see the explosive passes. To me, they start with tackling well. I thought [we] tackled a little better two games ago,” head coach Mike Locksley said this week. “[I] thought we got a little bit better this past game. The alignment issues, the eye discipline on some of the long runs where we don’t have guys in gaps, those are fundamental things that we’ve been working to get fixed.”

The only problem, while Maryland finds ways to address seemingly weekly issues, the competition gets tougher.

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith enters the meeting leading the country in catches (44) and receiving yards (823) while tied with SFA product and Oregon St. freshman Jesse Legree with a nation-leading nine receiving touchdowns through five games. Maryland will have to face KJ Duff the following week, who enters week six ranked third nationally with 628 receiving yards on 33 catches.

If there is any consolation, Maryland will likely have a boost this weekend with both Jamare Glasker and Dontay Joyner available, a notable development given the pessimism with Glasker earlier in the week after suffering a concussion vs. Nebraska while Joyner is set to make his season debut. Whether it proves to make any difference against one of the nation’s top passing attacks is the question.

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