Maryland vs. FAU: takeaways on QBs, defense, special teams, penalties

Ahmed Ghafir
Aug 30
7 min read

A 26-point second quarter helped give Maryland plenty of cushion at SECU Stadium after defeating Florida Atlantic, 39-7, to open the 2025 season.

With the win, Maryland has now extended its nation-leading non-conference win streak to 16 games while also winning its 15^th consecutive season-opener, moving to 26-5 since 1995. Takeaways from Saturday’s win to open the 2025 season:

QB Malik Washington settles & dazzles, but depth takes a hit

It took time for true freshman QB Malik Washington to settle in on Saturday, completing his first attempt to TE Dorian Fleming for a 15-yard completion before missing on his next four passes and starting 3-of-11 with just 19 yards through the first quarter as the offense failed to convert all three third-down attempts.

That would change – and quickly – as Washington went 18-of-24 for 181 yards while tossing three touchdowns to three different receivers in the quarter.

Washington credited his first touchdown as the moment he was able to settle in, adding, “I feel like everybody feels good after the first one” in his first postgame availability.

Washington’s 27 completions mark the most by a Maryland true freshman quarterback in program history, along with most by a Power Five quarterback in his debut since Jaxson Dart posted 30 in his USC debut back in 2021. Washington’s 258 passing yards mark the most by a Maryland true freshman quarterback in his debut, but it was how the early enrollee did it that was most impressive.

The calm, poised presence Washington has long been credited with gradually became apparent as Washington found three different targets for his three third-down conversions in the second quarter in Fleming, Farooq and WR Octavian Smith. Washington spearheaded the 26-point second quarter after accounting for 181 of the 202 yards in the quarter with his arm, leading the offense to ten first downs to gain separation.

One area of improvement for the offense is third-down conversion, as Maryland finished the day just 5-of-17, though QB Malik Washington faced five yards or more to go on ten of his 12 attempts in his debut.

Washington’s day wrapped up when QB Khristian Martin took the field with less than one minute left in the third quarter, finishing 27-of-43 for 258 yards and three passing touchdowns in his Maryland debut – eclipsing the team’s passing total in four games one season ago. Martin would spend one series with the offense before QB Justyn Martin made his official Maryland debut, but that ended quickly after the UCLA transfer had to be helped off the field one play after true freshman OT Jaylen Gilchrist was carted off the field.

Maryland will now look to build on the ground game after two of the four rushes that drew negative yards were one-yard losses as the quartet of running backs - DeJuan Williams, Nolan Ray, Iverson Howard, Eli Mason - averaged nearly 3.7 yards per carry in the win, including 6.5 yards in the first half.

Penalties an issue to start the game

Ten penalties marked season highs for Maryland in each of the last two seasons, while the most in a game under Mike Locksley was 15 in the week three non-conference win back in 2022. Saturday started as arguably the most concerning through seven seasons after finishing the day with 14 penalties for 100 yards, though the bulk of that came early in the game.

Maryland committed five penalties on the opening drive, including one for an automatic Owl first down, to set up a goal-line series before ILB Daniel Wingate secured the goal-line stop. But it became a consistent issue for Maryland after finishing the opening quarter with eight penalties, including three offsides and one penalty that granted the Owls an automatic first down. Maryland’s eight penalties for 55 yards in the opening quarter were avoidable with six of them pre-snap, while it took 19 minutes to match the season-high in each of the last seasons, as the team ended the first half with 11 penalties.

The team finished just shy of the 15 recorded vs. SMU in 2022, but the team finished with just three in the second half with one pre-snap after WR (not RB, NCAA) Zymear Smith was called for a false start on a 3^rd-and-3 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

For a team that finished 96^th in penalties a season ago, Maryland showed signs of progress through the game in an area of concern during the Mike Locksley era, though the revamped roster will get a chance to live up to Locksley’s words and improve on that in week two.

“It's just a byproduct of a new team. 65 guys that hadn't played here, six new coaches that hadn't coached here,” he said postgame. “These are the things that we [will] get the kinks that will get worked out, and that's why when I say you typically get better from game one to game two. It’s my first opportunity to make some of these corrections that I'm gonna have to make, whether it's with the staff and getting the right guys on the field, but also making sure that guys that don't play real smart, they won't play. And we'll get it fixed that way.”

Freshmen step up

The theme of the offseason has been centered on the underclassmen – and freshmen – as Maryland reidentifies its revamped roster on both sides of the ball. Malik Washington’s impact was clear and serves as the obvious takeaway, but he was far from the only one.

After drawing buzz from the spring into the end of fall camp, true freshman Sidney Stewart showcased why he’s shown the traits of becoming the next dominant edge in College Park after finishing with five tackles, four solo, three TFLs, one sack and one QB hit. His sack proved to be an early spark for Maryland after taking down FAU QB Caden Veltkamp in the endzone, pushing the Terps ahead, 12-7, and setting the offense up with ideal field position that they’d turn into the second offensive touchdown of the day.

Stewart wasn’t the only one as DL Zahir Mathis forced Veltkamp’s early interception, setting up Wingate’s 20-yard pick six to open the game’s scoring, before teaming up with DL Dillan Fontus for FAU's second failed fourth-down attempt of the opening quarter. Freshman DB Jayden Shipps also loomed large with a fourth down sack on Veltkamp during FAU's final possession of the third quarter, while freshman LB CJ Smith saw extended time throughout Saturday's win as he finished tied for second with eight total tackles.

While Mathis left the game with an undisclosed injury in the second half, all eyes are on true freshman OT Jaylen Gilchrist after being carted off in an air brace during the second half.

Secondary steps up

Maryland’s secondary had a chance to open the season with confidence in the backline – and did exactly that in Saturday’s blowout win.

Maryland registered six interceptions by six different players, marking the most during the Mike Locksley era and most by a Maryland defense since hauling seven interceptions vs. Duke back in October of 1998.

It’d be Daniel Wingate to kick things off, punching in a 20-yard pick six minutes after his first interception was negated due to a defensive penalty. Dontay Joyner joined in with his first career interception in a Maryland uniform, adding a pair of breakups in his debut, while both La’Khi Roland and Braydon Lee recorded their first interceptions in their second season with the program. While Roland’s interception halted a driving Owls’ offense to preserve the strong defensive performance in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, it’d be Ricardo Cooper, who converted from wide receiver to cornerback this offseason, who came down with the sixth interception of the day with just over two minutes left.

Maryland’s secondary did well taking away the deep balls, allowing just four plays of 20 yards or more in the win while holding QB Caden Veltkamp to 8-of-20 on throws five yards or more. In arguably the biggest test for the secondary in non-conference play, Maryland’s secondary showed the signs of vast improvement to open the season on a high note.

Specialists are a strength

It may not sound like much, but Maryland fans haven’t been able to say this about both specialists in years: the unit is in good hands at both punter and kicker. Bryce McFerson showcased him impact in 2024 as he entered the season ranked among the best draft-eligible punters before belting his fourth-career 60+ yard punt vs. FAU, but Sean O’Haire showed exactly why head coach Mike Locksley has publicly expressed confidence in the Richmond transfer.

Though a small sample size, O'Haire finished a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, including a pair of 40-plus yard field goals, to become the program’s first kicker to make three field goals in their debut since 1996. O’Haire’s 49-yard field goal also marked the longest for a Terp as his first Maryland FG since at least 1996.

Ricardo Cooper served as the primary returner as the former two-sport athlete dazzled as one of the fastest players in the state while at Calvert Hall as special teams coordinator Andre Powell looks to generate explosives in the third phase. But the addition of O’Haire paired with McFerson adds a dynamic to the third phase that has been missing during the Mike Locksley era, and Saturday showed the first signs of that.

Notes

Maryland’s defense recorded three interceptions and three sacks in the same game for the first time since 2013 vs. ODU
Glen Miller recorded Maryland’s last pick six in the 2023 Music City Bowl win vs. Auburn
Maryland’s 90 first-half plays are the most in any Maryland half since matching that total in the first half vs. West Virginia in 2015
The 26 second-half points are the most in a quarter since 2019, most in a quarter against any FBS team since 2018 & most in a quarter in a season opener since 2013

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