Three storylines to track as Maryland football looks to get back in win column vs. Rutgers

Ahmed Ghafir
2 days ago
5 min read

Maryland football enters a pivotal matchup on Saturday vs. Rutgers featuring a pair of teams with just one conference win. Rutgers secured a 31-17 win in College Park in 2024 to snap Maryland’s three-game win streak which includes 82 combined points in two wins in Piscataway. But with an almost complete different featuring over 60 new players, Maryland is putting the past behind them with hopes of getting back in the win column to preserve bowl eligibility hopes.

“A week ago, I expected, because of how we prepared to have the success that I thought we would have, didn't happen,” head coach Mike Locksley said on Tuesday. “But guess what? Because of the relentless faith I have in this team and that they have and what we're doing. We'll get the work in this week. We'll take this team up to compete against the Rutgers team that represents this year's version of their team and then we'll try to play our best.”

So what can Maryland do on Saturday to get back over .500 and pick up a second conference win? We break down three storylines to watch:

Can Maryland’s offense improve efficiency vs. Rutgers defense?

Ranked 99^th nationally, Maryland has converted just 36% of their third down attempts over the last three games, including an abysmal 25% conversion rate in the blowout loss vs. Indiana last week. Redzone offense has also been a quiet sore spot for Maryland, scoring just one touchdown in seven attempts over the last three games, but against a Rutgers defense that allows opponents to convert over 43% of their third down attempts, this is the game where the inconsistent Maryland offense can find its groove.

Can the Terps’ skill players answer the call? One week after drawing 14 targets and becoming the only receiver to eclipse 50 receiving yards over the last two games, WR Shaleak Knotts was held without a catch vs. Indiana for the first time in 2025. TE Dorian Fleming has been quiet over the last two games, totaling just three catches for 48 yards on eight targets after opening the season with touchdowns in each of the first two games while recording a career-high nine catches vs. Washington. While WR Octavian Smith has flashed as WR Jalil Farooq works to become more consistent, it’s been RB DeJuan Williams who’s led the team in both catches and receiving in each of the last two games, but can QB Malik Washington change that with hopes of capitalizing downfield against a Rutgers secondary that ranks 102^nd in passing yards allowed (243.6)?

Only three teams have allowed more redzone scores than Rutgers in 2025 with opponents scoring on all but four trips inside the 20 yard line, giving Maryland a chance to capitalize in the red area as head coach Mike Locksley has noted he looks to improve in November.

Maryland’s secondary vs. Rutgers WRs KJ Duff & Ian Strong

Avoiding Ohio State and WR Jeremiah Smith on the 2025 schedule didn’t mean Maryland wouldn’t face some of the nation’s best receivers with Denzel Boston, Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr. already testing Maryland’s secondary and Illinois WR Hank Beatty looking to do the same next week. But one could make a compelling argument this weekend’s matchup provides the most dangerous test of the season in Rutgers WR duo KJ Duff and Ian Strong.

Ian Strong, a 6-foot-3 junior, has eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark in four of his seven appearances in 2025 and just missed the century mark after posting 85 yards on six catches vs. Illinois. Duff, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, posted a career high 241 receiving yards on just six catches vs. Purdue, his second 100-yard game of the season, and enters the matchup having recorded a receiving touchdown in four of his last five games. The teammates account for half of the Big Ten’s top four in receiving yards per game with 184.6 combined yards per game, giving the Terps’ secondary a tall task on Saturday.

The duo aren’t the only receivers to watch with DT Sheffield, the first of three Scarlet Knights WRs on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List in 2025, totaling 476 yards and three touchdowns on 36 catches this season. QB Aidan Kaliakmanis leads the conference in pass attempts with QB Malik Washington one attempt away from becoming the only Big Ten quarterbacks with 300+ attempts this season, and that’ll continue on Saturday as Rutgers looks to activate its two weapons outside.

But for a Maryland defense one week removed from attempting to take away the Hoosiers’ passing game and allowing 221 yards through the air in a loss, Maryland’s secondary is now back at full strength with safety Jalen Huskey available for the full game and a pair of cornerbacks in Dontay Joyner and Jamare Glasker looking to lead the unit once again.

Front seven vs. Rutgers RB Antwan Raymond

Maryland’s 24 missed tackles vs. Nebraska and 17 vs. Indiana have left room for the front seven to grow through the final four games of the season, and this weekend will give the defense another test in RB Antwan Raymond. The second-year back sits second in the Big Ten in rushing yards while averaging 4.8 yards per carry – a full yard more than either RB Nolan Ray or DeJuan Williams – to tie IU RB Roman Hemby among the Big Ten’s best.

Raymond also ranks tied for third in the conference with ten rushing touchdown and leads the team in all-purpose yards with 163 receiving yards and one touchdown to go along with his 760 rushing yards in 2025. The emergence of Raymond, who reclassified from 2025 into 2024 to lead the backfield in year two, has given the Scarlet Knights a little juice on the ground game yet its far from the true balance that offenses hope for. Maryland has a chance to turn the Scarlet Knights one-dimensional and force Kaliakmanis to throw on a defense that’s largely been stout, recording at least one interception in all but one game in 2025, but Raymond has the skillset to capitalize if the Scarlet Knights are able to establish the run.

On the flip side, Maryland’s run game has…not been great. Maryland is the only Big Ten team averaging under 100 rushing yards, along with one of two averaging under 80 rushing yards in conference play. Only Boston College, Stanford and Cal average fewer rushing yards than Maryland among Power Four teams with both Nolan Ray and DeJuan Williams averaging fewer than four yards per carry – two of four Big Ten backs to do so. Maryland remains one of two Power Four teams who have yet to break a 30 yard run or longer in 2025, but could that change on Saturday?

Rutgers allows over 184 yards per game on the ground - the second-most among Big Ten teams and third-worst among Power Four teams. Can Maryland capitalize? Maryland’s 127 rushing yards vs. UCLA marked the most in conference play with the Bruins among the worst run defenses in the country, and after head coach Mike Locksley reiterated the need to alleviate pressure from his freshman quarterback, the Terps will hope the ground game can do exactly that in Piscataway.

Note: one week after losing the turnover battle for the first time in 2025, Maryland will look to rebound against a Scarlet Knights team that has done an OK job of taking care of the football so far this season. QB Athan Kaliakmanis has yet to turn the ball over since tossing multiple interceptions in the blowout loss vs. Oregon while Rutgers is 20-3 since 2020 when they don’t commit a turnover. Can Maryland get back to its ways and get Kaliakmanis out of rhythm to secure momentum on the road? And more importantly, can the Terps win the turnover margin like they've consistently done in 2025?

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