Takeaways: Maryland football reaches new low in embarrassing loss vs. UCLA

19 hours ago

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Maryland football crumbles against UCLA in the cold, rainy and empty atmosphere of SECU Stadium.

The Maryland Terrapins (2-2, 0-1) threw two pick-sixes as the UCLA Bruins (4-0, 2-0) dominated their Big Ten opener. Maryland fell 54-3 in a game they were just 1.5-point underdogs in on Saturday.

The pressure of another important Big Ten home game was too much for the Terrapins. The Terrapins haven’t won a home Big Ten game since October 19, 2024, when they beat USC in a miraculous comeback.

Head coach Mike Locksley is just 16-44 in Big Ten play since joining Maryland in 2019.

“I still have a lot of confidence in myself and the staff to get this thing fixed,” said Locksley. ‘I understand why people will have to sit and question it. I have to earn it.”

A New Low For the Program

Maryland fans have come to expect a strong September from Locksley’s Maryland. He has had his team right and delivered strong starts to the season. Before last week's loss to Virginia Tech, Maryland had a 20-game non-conference win streak.

Now Maryland exits September 2-2 for the first time since Locksley’s first year at Maryland, when they finished the season 3-9.

And past September it has been rough during Locksley’s tenure. The Terps are just 1-15 in the past two seasons.

After a brutal two-game home stretch, excitement for the program has plummeted. SECU Stadium emptied out before halftime, and attendance fell heavily from the sold-out game against Virginia Tech last week.

“I own the result. I can’t claim it. That’s something that we got to go out and earn every week,” said Locksley when asked about why fans should feel confident in him to lead the program.

Setback for QB Malik Washington

After looking like Maryland’s only positive player in the brutal loss against Virginia Tech, Washington had one of the worst games of his collegiate career.

It started with UCLA’s pressure. Washington threw through pressure as the offensive line struggled against the Bruins' front seven. Washington was sacked two times for the second week in a row.

Washington finished just 18-of-38 with 142 yards and four interceptions. Two of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns. He had just one multi-interception game in his career entering Saturday.

“Today was one of those days on offense when nothing we called worked. Nothing Malik did was right,” said Locksley.

Washington seemed to try to play hero after falling behind in the second quarter. Three of his four interceptions came while he was trying to throw into tight windows– or windows that never existed.

“I think we were pressing to make a play because we couldn’t really get into a rhythm,” said Washington.

Outside of Washington, Maryland’s offense was one-dimensional without running backs DeJuan Williams, Harry Dalton III and DJ Samuels.

UCLA beat the Terps on the line of scrimmage and in the turnover battle. The Bruins ran for 266 yards compared to Maryland’s 39.

“Obviously, when you don’t have the ability to run the ball on offense the way we haven’t been able to do the last couple of weeks, it puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback and the offensive line,” said Locksley.

“Today we didn’t do any of the three well. We didn’t run, block, or throw the ball well on offense.”

Schedule Only Gets Tougher Starting Week Four

Maryland got a good draw to start Big Ten play, facing UCLA, which was ranked 13th in the Big Ten preseason poll and had to travel from the West Coast to play a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

Instead, UCLA came into SECU Stadium and ran the Terrapins' pockets. UCLA was ranked 13th in the Big Ten preseason poll and was favored by just 1.5 points against Maryland.

But the Bruins had total control after scoring three second-quarter touchdowns. They held Maryland to just one scoring drive and negative rushing yards in the first half. Maryland couldn’t respond and couldn’t stop UCLA from adding to its lead in the second half. Maryland just looked outclassed.

Maryland now has to look to a two-game road stretch against Nebraska and No. 7-ranked Ohio State. Maryland will also have to close out the season against two currently top-15-ranked teams.

At 2-2, Maryland will need three wins to improve on last year's record and four to make a bowl game.

Now, there is reason to believe that Washington won’t have as bad a game as he did for the rest of the season, but Maryland’s opponents will only get tougher as they move forward.

Maryland's Defense Fell Short of Expectations

Defensive coordinator Ted Monachino led the defense to an impressive 2025 season. Fans expected Monachino to lead an improved defense after adding five-star freshman Zion Elee and keeping key players like senior linebacker Daniel Wingate and sophomore edge rushers Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis, who is out for the season.

The defense has looked rough to start the season. The secondary struggled in the win against the UConn Huskies and the loss against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Despite improved secondary play, UCLA dismantled the run defense, putting up 266 yards and scoring five offensive touchdowns.

Last year, the defense forced the fifth-highest interceptions per game in the country. That hasn’t shown up yet in 2026. Maryland has just three interceptions on the season, and all of them came in the season opener against Hampton.

The defense has allowed 89 points in its two games against Power Four competition, and key players like Stewart, Wingate, and Jamare Glasker haven’t lived up to expectations.

Maryland now has another big road game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers as it tries to stop its season from slipping away. The game will kick off Saturday, October 3, at 4:00 p.m.

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