Preview: Maryland football to open 2026 season vs. Hampton

Ahmed Ghafir
57 minutes ago
2 min read

Maryland (0-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Hampton (1-0, 0-0 CAA)

When: Saturday, September 5 | 8:00 p.m. ET

Where: SECU Stadium | College Park, Md.

Watch: BTN - Joe Beninati, Matt Millen, Bridget Condon

Listen: 105.7 FM (Balt) / 980 AM (DC) - Johnny Holliday, Steve Suter, LaMont Jordan

At last, Maryland football is set to kick off the 2026 regular season tomorrow night with a chance to secure the 16th consecutive season opening win against a non-conference foe, while moving to 20-0 against FCS opponents since 2000. Maryland will also look to extend its non-conference win streak to 19 games, which leads all FBS for the longest streak, with Mike Locksley 20-1 in non-conference play as Maryland's head coach.

While Maryland returns over 70% of its production from last season, Saturday also marks the first game for offensive coordinator Clint Trickett as he looks to iron out the kinks of his new look offense, leading us into maybe the most exciting storyline to watch unfold on Saturday night.

Get Rolling on Offense

Head coach Mike Locksley pointed to the 2026 offense as the ideal fit for quarterback Malik Washington, the offense that the former four-star was recruited to play in. Now is the chance to prove it. How much Malik is used out in space and as a runner in week one could be an interesting storyline after the sophomore noted one of Trickett's points of emphasis is avoiding unnecessary hits, yet Saturday will be about the skill players as much as it is about how Washington begins year two.

With optimism that a rushing attack will materialize for a second straight offseason, Saturday marks a chance for those flashes to materialize. The trio of DeJuan Williams, Iverson Howard and Harry Dalton will spearhead the ground game with second-year Iverson Howard drawing positive feedback for routine chunk plays in practice, but all of this will have to be proven on the field this year. Saturday is a day that Maryland's offense can prove they're capable of becoming balanced in year two under Malik Washington.

Stay Healthy

This one is simple, but obvious. With the next two non-conference games into conference play posing bigger challenges for Maryland, maintaining its depth will be key. One year after watching Jaylen Gilchrist go down with a season-ending injury in his first series, and roughly one month after edge rusher Zahir Mathis was lost for the 2026 season due to a torn ACL, head coach Mike Locksley will look to get out of SECU Stadium on Saturday night unscathed with another chance to look at the bulk of his roster.

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