Takeaways: Maryland suffers second-half collapse in Big Ten road opener

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Maryland controlled the game through the first 20 minutes in a must-win game at Memorial Stadium. But as Maryland fans have grown accustomed to, the good start was followed by a devastating slide.

The Maryland Terrapins (2-3, 0-2) dropped a crucial chance to right the ship, losing 48-23 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-0, 2-0) in their Big Ten road opener.

The Terrapins had the ball at the Nebraska 25-yard line and led 23-14 with just under three minutes left in the second quarter. Instead of widening the lead before half, Maryland sophomore quarterback Malik Washington made a game-changing mistake.

Washington didn’t see safety Dwayne McDougle III crashing down on a comeback route and threw it right to him. McDougle ran it 81 yards for a pick-six that cut Maryland's lead to 23-21.

Nebraska would outscore Maryland 27-0 from that moment.

Devastating slides have become a recurring thing for Maryland in recent years. They started 2026 with two wins by a combined 86 points. 2025 started with four straight wins. They won three-of-four to start 2024.

Maryland has now dropped three straight games in 2026. They dropped their last eight games in 2025, and lost seven-of-eight to end 2024.

What is going on with Malik Washington?

After being one of the top freshman quarterbacks and Maryland’s star player last year, Washington had the worst game of his collegiate career the week against UCLA. He couldn’t get it going and finished 18-for-38, 142 yards, and four interceptions, including two pick-sixes. He had a PFF grade of 27.7, the lowest of his career.

A week later against Nebraska, it looked like he had shaken off the poor performance after throwing for 177 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter.

But that wasn’t the case as he threw an interception in his first drive of the second quarter. He threw to a slant route, and a linebacker dropped off the line and into coverage to pick it off.

“I can tell you on the one they jumped, you want to make sure you go to the other side where we have more advantageous matchups,” said head coach Mike Locksley. “I still think he made the right decision on one of the interceptions, we just got to get there a little quicker.”

He followed that with his third pick-six of the last two games later in the second quarter and finished the quarter without a completed pass.

Washington couldn’t get going in the second half either. He completed 12-of-20 passes for 77 yards. He missed passes he normally wouldn’t and played more conservatively, favoring short throws after his two interceptions.

Washington’s legs didn’t help him here either. He wasn’t effective as a scrambler and had a couple of drawn-up runs that went nowhere. He finished with 10 rushes for 16 yards, which includes a 10-yard sack that was more on the offensive line than on him.

The last three quarters also emphasized a problem for the Maryland offense. They haven’t been able to sustain long drives. They had just one drive last over six plays in the last three quarters against Nebraska. They were just 1-for-14 on third downs.

A similar trend showed up in the 54-3 loss against UCLA. They had just two drives last over six plays and finished 1-of-15 on third down.

“We didn’t get the execution done,” said Locksley, “Whether the play call, whether it was the blocking, whether it was the playmakers making the plays on the perimeter.”

Maryland’s defense hasn’t been cutting it

While the offense’s struggles to maintain long drives have been no help to Maryland’s defense, the defense has still struggled against Power Four opponents.

Maryland has allowed over 100 points in its last two games and 134 in its three games against Power Four opponents. 21 points of those points came while the offense was on the field.

They have allowed 253.6 passing yards per game against Power Four opponents and 237.5 rushing yards per game in their two Big Ten games.

Maryland’s defense couldn’t stop Anthony Colandrea on the ground. He finished with 108 rushing yards on 10 rushes, including a 51-yard scramble.

Tackling remains a problem for the defense. Redshirt senior safety Lavain Scruggs missed a tackle on a 19-yard rushing touchdown by Nebraska’s Mekhi Nelson. They missed 23 tackles against Virginia Tech and eight against UCLA.

They have struggled on third-down. Nebraska was 6-of-13 on third down, and two weeks ago they allowed Virginia Tech to go 10-of-16.

Maryland will face its toughest matchup next week against No. 5 Ohio State and the possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, Jeremiah Smith.

The run game has found new life with DeJuan Williams back

DeJuan Williams ran the ball just three times against Hampton before suffering an injury that kept him out for three and a half games. In those three rushes, he had 116 yards and two touchdowns.

Without Williams, Maryland struggled to run the ball and relied on the pass. They had three yards per carry against Virginia Tech and 1.3 yards per carry against UCLA.

The run game performed best with Williams back in the lineup. He ran for 78 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushes and had a 56-yard explosive run. Backup Iverson Howard also looked rejuvenated in his smaller role. He had three rushes for 34 yards, all of his runs went for at least 10 yards.

But still, Maryland prioritized the pass game. They ran the ball to their two best running backs just 13 times and passed the ball 44 times. It was a flashback to when Maryland threw the ball at the highest rate of FBS last year under Pep Hamilton.

Looking ahead, the Terrapins should run the ball with Williams more often on first downs to stay on schedule and avoid moments when Washington has to force the ball.

Chris Durr Jr. is the true bright spot on the Maryland roster

Junior Wyoming transfer Chris Durr Jr. has been the Terps' best player over the first five games of the season. Durr entered the game eighth in the Big Ten in receiving yards with 312.

He added a career-high 149 yards to that total after a dominant outing.

He had an explosive first quarter, helping the Terrapins jump out to an early lead. He had a 36-yard catch, a 20-yard catch, and a 65-yard slant for a touchdown.

Durr has looked like an NFL talent with the ball in his hands this season, and he showed it against Nebraska with 105 yards after the catch.

He led the team against UCLA with 56 yards on seven receptions and against Virginia Tech with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 12 receptions.

Maryland will stay on the road and look toward a nightmare matchup against No. 5 Ohio State (4-1, 2-0) on Saturday, October 10 at 4:15 p.m. on BTN.

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