Maryland football suffers second-half collapse in embarrassing homecoming loss

7 hours ago

4 min read

Maryland suffers second-half collapse in embarrassing homecoming loss.

After allowing 24 unanswered points in the second half, Maryland somehow found itself in position to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation.

Sophomore quarterback Malik Washington threw a perfect fourth-down pass to tight end Dorian Flemings, who flew past the Rutgers defender to the corner of the end zone. The Maryland sideline went crazy, along with the few fans who stayed past the prior second-half collapse, but the official had other plans, ruling it out of bounds.

The Maryland Terrapins lost to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 37-30 in their second straight homecoming loss and another crucial home loss in a game where both teams desperately needed a win.

Maryland trailed 37-23 with just over four minutes in the fourth quarter and the ball on their own 5-yard line after a muffed kick return. They put together a seven-play, 95-yard touchdown drive, which included two passes of 30 or more yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass to running back DeJuan Williams.

“In the later drives it’s about being a ball player at that point, trusting your guys,” said Washington. “With tempo and late-game situations, defenses tend to get a little more simple.”

They forced a Rutgers three-and-out and got to the doorstep of the endzone before falling short and ultimately losing their fifth straight game.

Maryland’s second-half collapses are teetering on absurd

Like their loss to Nebraska two weeks ago, Maryland played some good, competitive football in the first half, only to throw it away in a second half where they were dominated.

Maryland led Rutgers 23-13 when they went back to the locker room for the first time. They trailed 37-30 when they went back for the last time.

Maryland had two three-and-outs in their five second-half drives. They also missed a 34-yard field goal and failed on the crucial fourth-down play on their last drive.

The defense continued its second-half struggles. After allowing 20 unanswered second-half points to Nebraska two weeks ago, they allowed 24 unanswered points on four straight scoring drives to Rutgers.

After allowing just one rushing yard in the first quarter, Maryland’s front seven lost control of the line in the second half and allowed 99 rushing yards.

“It was a difference in energy,” said sophomore edge rusher Sidney Stewart. “One thing I think that we can do better is just carrying over our energy, regardless of whether we’re winning or losing.”

How the team played in the fourth quarter was a big offseason priority for head coach Mike Locksley. Maryland has now been outscored 92-13 in the second half in their first five Big Ten games.

Maryland’s run game may be even worse than last years

A big reason for Maryland's lack of offensive success has been the run game's lack of development, which hinders the offense as the game wore on.

Last year, Maryland ran the ball less than anyone but still managed 300 rushing yards in their loss to Rutgers. This year? Maryland finished with just 52 rushing yards in 13 rushes to their running backs.

In both of Maryland’s second-half three-and-outs, negative or short rushes put Maryland behind the sticks.

Despite running for 365 yards in their dominant season-opening win against Hampton, Maryland has the 10th-lowest rushing yards per game in FBS, with just 90.2 yards. Last year they were 13th-lowest with 101.3 yards per game.

Rutgers’ WR KJ Duff dominated his matchups

In the same boat as Maryland, Rutgers has had a nightmare start to the 2026 season. Their one positive? Junior KJ Duff has been one of the nation's best receivers. The 6-foot-6 receiver has risen to 28th on PFF’s NFL Draft Big Board.

He proved why against Maryland’s secondary. He was targeted 17 times and finished with nine receptions, 113 yards, and two touchdowns, including a one-handed toe-tap highlight-of-the-year candidate.

Senior cornerback Jamare Glasker was matched up against him for most of the game. Glasker made a few plays, including an interception on a pass behind Duff and two pass breakups. But Duff ended with two touchdowns and had five first downs against Glasker.

Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan finished with 291 passing yards and three touchdowns on 23-of-35 passing.

Malik Washington has found some rhythm after a rough stretch

Washington posted his lowest passing total of the season last week against No. 6 Ohio State, finishing with just 64 passing yards. It took him just seven and a half minutes to surpass that against the Scarlet Knights.

He would go on to have his best game of Big Ten play. He finished passing 19-of-38 for 263 yards and two touchdowns.

“He has a bunch of throwaways when there’s pressure. He has drops, so I would interest to say I thought he had maybe two or three missed throws,” said Locksley on Washington’s low completion percentage. “I think the percentage is kind of skewed.”

He also added 63 yards on 9 carries, including two key scrambles on the last drive that combined for 27 yards.

He threw four interceptions, including two pick-sixes, in his first conference game of the year against UCLA, and two interceptions and a pick-six in the loss to Nebraska.

He struggled through the air when he faced Rutgers last season, throwing for just 98 yards. He added 164 rushing yards in that matchup, including his career-long 73-yard rushing touchdown.

Maryland now looks toward its bye week before picking it back up at home against Illinois on Saturday, October 31.

Related Links