For the third straight week, Maryland football can't close in narrow loss

Chase King
Oct 19
4 min read

Maryland football had a chance to change the narrative about the 2025 season in the first Big Ten matchup vs. UCLA on Saturday afternoon, but in the end, a familiar feeling set back in.

Maryland dropped its third consecutive game after UCLA kicked a 23-yard game-winning field goal with seconds left on the clock, sending head coach Mike Locksley and his team back to the drawing board into the bye week – a complete 180 from the feel during the first bye week.

Just one month ago, Maryland was drawing national buzz behind its core of freshmen after pulling out the program’s first win in Madison, a 27-10 win vs. Wisconsin to move to 4-0. Now, Maryland is struggling to find answers.

Maryland entered Saturday’s contest in familiar territory as the underdog for the third consecutive week, sitting just 3-11 as road underdogs and 5-11 in October since 2021. While the Terps were underdogs, this was going to be one of the easier matchups left on the schedule, and the last possible ‘get right’ game before a stretch of tough games. With third-ranked Indiana looming, the Terps were hoping that a win here could continue the momentum of the season before entering their second bye week.

The defense did everything possible to keep Maryland in the game after forcing UCLA into seven punts into four three-and-outs including three in the first half. Riding its fifth first-quarter shutout of the season, safety Jalen Huskey came down with the first takeaway in the final minute of the first half while cornerback Jamare Glasker gave Maryland its first lead of the game after jumping a route to complete an eight-yard pick-six. Sidney Stewart registered a sack for the sixth time in seven games with his hurry forcing UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava to fumble with DL DD Holmes pouncing on the loose ball in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

“I thought our defense played lights out,” head coach Mike Locksley said after the loss. “They scored points, they got turnovers. They stopped the bleeding before the half with a turnover there. They played well enough for us to win.”

The offense, though, had virtually zero momentum after suffering six three-and-outs and eight punts as Bryce McFerson belted five 50+ punts, including a 60-yard punt. In a game where once again Maryland’s success on the ground was limited, the biggest plays of the game came at the hands of DeJuan Williams. One play after breaking off a 23-yard rush into UCLA territory, Maryland’s drive ended after Williams fumbled into UCLA’s possession, a sequence that perfectly highlighted Saturday’s efforts.

“The other two phases, we didn't play complementary football. Our lack of offense in the first half, and the three quarters is disappointing, because it's an execution thing that we gotta get fixed.”

But in the end, it was a short-handed defense who fell short.

UCLA would ride an eight-play, 80 yard drive littered with penalties and injured Maryland defenders to retake the lead after Iamaleava tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass. Two plays into Maryland's ensuing drive, QB Malik Washington tossed his third interception of the season to set the Bruins up with a short field to push UCLA's lead to 17-10 with 2:04 left.

Then it appeared that Maryland fans would witness Malik Washington’s first statement drive of the season after running and throwing down the field to lead the offense on a nine-play drive to tie the game with 40 seconds remaining.

Then Maryland’s depth concerns on defense would loom large.

Already without Zahir Mathis (injury) and with Trey Reddick sidelined in the second half due to targeting, both safety Jalen Huskey and linebacker Daniel Wingate was sidelined for the final drive with an injury, though cornerback Dontay Joyner was able to return after limping off the field the prior drive.

But those injuries took its toll on Maryland's defense as the Bruins pushed 68 yards in nearly 40 seconds on just five plays, setting up the eventual game-winning 23-yard field goal.

“We've lost 3 Big Ten games by combined, I guess, 10 points the last 3 weeks,” said Locksley.

But more concerning: Maryland has been outscored 44-7 in the fourth quarter during its three-game losing streak.

“It’s tough, really,” QB Malik Washington added. “Look, the defense was playing their butt off all day, with guys being out and guys being down, like, they continue to fight and kept us in the game and gave us a chance.”

One week after declaring this doesn’t “feel like it's the same old Maryland,” the program now finds itself in extremely familiar territory now sitting two games below .500 in conference play with bowl eligibility gradually slipping away.

“I'm not gonna ask why. Why is a victim question. And I'm not a victim,” Locksley said postgame. “I'm gonna ask what we need to do, what I need to do to get us to be able to finish these games. And to me, that's a growth mindset that this team has, and I promise you, that's where we are. That's how I'm coaching them. That's what my job will be next week with the bye week coming upon us is to not say why. We're not victims, but what we can do.”

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