Maryland's rushing attack, defensive line "showed up" in week one as analysts eye season progression

Ahmed Ghafir
9 hours ago
2 min read

Maryland football had a chance to show signs of change, and most importantly, get out of Saturday's season opening win vs. Hampton healthy after a 62-0 win was built on the backs of the run game and defense.

DeJuan Williams set the pace after his 94 yard rush marked the second-longest in program history, showing himself to be a step quicker after amassing 151 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on just five touches for his first 100-yard rushing game. Iverson Howard stepped up after adding 66 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns while averaging over five yards per carry. While Cardell Williams proved why he adds quality depth behind Malik Washington after rushing for 49 yards and throwing for 60 yards and a score on 4-of-5 passing, Harry Dalton III was able to chip in with 39 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in his Maryland debut, while legacy addition and converted linebacker-turned-RB Jianni Davis scored a touchdown in his first college game.

Maryland's 365 rushing yards marked the most since posting 431 against Illinois back in 2018 under Matt Canada, and though it isn't the type of game that leads to definitive statements about the rest of the season, it was the type of opener that allows the upgraded roster a chance to show signs of improvements and changes. BTN analyst Dave Revsine admitted he hesitates "to read too much into a game against Hampton," yet noted that the performance left optimism that the rushing attack can blossom as hoped in 2026 -- and one that Mike Locksley indicated fall camp showed flashes of.

"I think when you talk about moving the goal posts, the goal posts are sitting not in September for them, but October. What do things start to look like in the beginning of October? We won't have to wait that long because they're going to end up having a matchup with Virginia Tech [in week three], who's a pretty good football team," Howard Griffith said.

"But for them to be able to run the ball that way, for them to be able to play defense particularly with the defensive linemen. They thought they were really strong on the D-line, that showed up in this game. The guys and the players that were supposed to be dominant were dominant. Now, what does it look like in the coming weeks?"

Maryland will look to do so against a UConn team that allowed 64 rushing yards and just 2.1 yards per carry in a 56-7 win vs. Lafayette over the weekend. Whether veteran Esean Carter, a 6-foot-3, 292 pound defensive tackle, makes his official debut vs. Maryland is one worth following after he returned to practice on Monday after the NCAA reversed his eligibility ruling stemming from a redshirt season at Toledo. Though UConn welcomes aa brand new roster with over 60 transfers and nearly 90 new additions following the offseason arrival of Jason Candle, Toledo proved themselves stopping the run after becoming the only MAC team to allow under 100 yards per game and three yards per carry.

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