Maryland football notebook: elite WR up next, run game, Zion Elee, must win game?

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This may be one of Maryland football’s final chances.

A week after facing their first ranked opponent and suffering a fourth straight loss, the Terps face a struggling Rutgers team on Saturday — one of the increasingly few chances left to build momentum in an otherwise deflating season.

The Scarlet Knights are one of six Big Ten teams without a conference win, along with Maryland. They’re also the only conference foe with a worse record (1-4) than Maryland (2-4). As pressure mounts on coach Michael Locksley, notching a first conference win on Saturday is paramount.

The First of Many ‘Must-Win’ Games

Head coach Locksley acknowledged as much.

“They’re all must-win,” Locksley said. “This landscape, every game for a coach is a must-win. Every decision you make as a coach is a must-win.”

After facing Rutgers on Saturday, Maryland’s five remaining opponents sit above the Terps in the Big Ten standings. The road to bowl eligibility has become steeper with each loss. But Locksley and quarterback Malik Washington are taking the same approach to each, one that seems to have become a mantra for the team this season.

“You want to go into every game 1-0,” quarterback Malik Washington added. “You don’t want to try to lump any games together … just go about it as best as you can.”

Facing Another Elite Receiver

The Scarlet Knights present one of Maryland’s best chances to get back into the win column since its first two games, but Rutgers isn’t without its strengths. Receiver KJ Duff leads the way.

Duff enters the meeting ranked among the best at his position across college football with already seven touchdowns and 628 yards on 33 catches, ranking third with 125.6 receiving yards per game. He also accounted for six of Rutgers' seven touchdowns to open the 2026 season.

Locksley likened Duff to Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, who Maryland struggled to contain on Oct. 10. Smith caught four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, all game highs. The Terps’ secondary will look to prevent Duff from shifting the game as Smith did.

“[Duff] is super talented. Makes a lot of contested catches, has the ability, vertically, to get down the field. But also, he’s one of those guys that, third down, can work the intermediate area,” Locksley said. “He’ll have our attention. We’ve got to do a better job this week in making sure we take him out of the gameplan. If we can do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

The Run Game’s Lingering Struggles

Another area of improvement Maryland could massively benefit from is a more productive run game.

Redshirt sophomore DeJuan Williams, the Terps’ lead back, returned on Oct. 3 against Nebraska after missing three games. His comeback has yet to fully revitalize the Terps’ rushing attack.

Williams flashed his explosiveness on a 56-yard run versus the Huskers and finished that game with 10 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown. He had few chances to find the open field against Ohio State. The Buckeyes held the Terps to 82 yards on 28 attempts, an average of 2.93 yards per attempt.

Locksley has seen reasons to believe the run game can improve.

“Having DeJuan back and healthy, as we’ve seen on some of those long runs, he’s made an unblocked guy or maybe a guy falling off of a block, he’s made it right,” Locksley said. “I saw signs of life with the backside cut-offs, and backside B-blocks.”

Graduate running back Terrez Worthy, a transfer from Temple, also has a chance to make his Maryland debut this weekend, according to Locksley.

The Highs and Lows of Zion Elee’s Young Career

Freshman edge rusher Zion Elee’s budding career has somewhat encapsulated Maryland’s season so far: glimpses of great play marred by self-inflicted wounds.

Elee had perhaps his performance as a Terp against Ohio State, totaling three tackles, two TFLs and a strip-sack on Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin. On his second tackle for loss, Elee stood up and barked at running back Bo Jackson, walked away, then turned back and re-engaged with Jackson. That drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, negating his highlight on the previous play.

Locksley said that Elee will likely see an increased workload going forward — all the more reason the coach will have to act as a “teacher.”

“I’ve been really pleased with the production. Haven’t been pleased with the post-snap things that have happened,” Locksley said. “Every one of those moments are teachable moments.”

Fellow pass rusher Sidney Stewart echosed those sentiments.

“Sometimes certain individuals need a longer time to grow, mentally,” Stewart said. “That’s just a learning moment. He’s learned from it, and he’s going to continue to learn from other things.”

If the Terps want to turn around their season, Elee will be one of the key players they will lean on.

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