Michael Locksley has won just three games after the opening loss of the season during his eight-year tenure as the head coach of Maryland football. It’s led to prolonged skids in each of the last three seasons.
Despite promises that this year’s team is better equipped to respond, the Terps’ 54-3 home loss to UCLA suggested otherwise. Maryland is 2-2 for the first time since 2019, with pressure mounting on Locksley to avoid another disastrous season.
Here are three takeaways from the Terps’ blowout defeat.
It was always going to be a daunting task for Maryland’s defense, who missed 19 tackles last week, to slow down the nation’s fifth-best rush attack. The Terps’ shorthanded running back room didn’t help either — it had three healthy options to deploy in the backfield, two of which played other collegiate sports last season and hadn’t played football since high school.
But even with an emphasis on getting the ground game established early, Maryland had no success. The Terps had negative rushing yardage in the first half despite their 16 rush attempts. Three consecutive Iverson Howard carries on the second drive led to one of Maryland’s eight punts.
UCLA simply dominated the trenches — an area Locksley cited at Big Ten Media Day as a necessary improvement.
Maryland allowed just three sacks during nonconference play, but the Bruins registered two in the opening 19 minutes. UCLA generated seven tackles for loss, preventing Malik Washington from operating in a clean pocket.
The Bruins overwhelmed the Terps’ linemen, and it wasn’t particularly close.
Wayne Knight, one of the nation’s premier running backs with 345 rushing yards and eight touchdowns through three games, torched Maryland. He finished with 100 rushing yards on just 10 carries, breaking loose for a 45-yard touchdown to start the scoring.
“They made a couple of plays there in the run game where those explosives showed up,” Locksley said. “You got to get in the right calls with the right checks and make sure you get the ball down.”
UCLA had three first-half rushing touchdowns, exceeding Virginia Tech’s two scores from last week. Maryland tied its season-low with one sack and produced two tackles behind the line of scrimmage, allowing 266 rushing yards.
A nightmare outing from Malik Washington
After consecutive 300-yard passing performances, the pressure was on Washington to deliver in the Big Ten opener. Instead, the sophomore quarterback turned in the worst of his career.
“What we wanted to do was obviously get him into a little bit of a rhythm,” Locksley said. “Today was one of those games for us on offense where nothing we called worked, nothing that Malik did was right, and what we got to do now is go watch the tape.”
Washington, who had yet to commit a turnover this season, threw four picks on Saturday with two returned for touchdowns. He nearly fumbled in the second quarter on a play that looked eerily similar to last year’s giveaway against Northern Illinois.
On a 14-yard sack, Washington attempted to throw the ball away as he was going to ground. He was ruled down before the ball came loose, but it didn’t matter. Two plays later, Washington heaved it downfield into triple coverage on 3rd-and-22 for his first interception.
Washington threw a pair of questionable passes on Maryland’s first two drives in the second half, resulting in a 39-yard and 65-yard pick-six. In a game where Washington needed to carry the Terps to victory, he did the complete opposite.
He finished 18-of-38 with 142 passing yards — the second-worst yardage total of his Maryland career. Washington was consistently flushed out of the pocket, leading to some passes that didn’t have a receiver nearby.
“I wouldn’t say there’s something at the root,” Washington said. “It’s something that we executed well through the first three games. When the problem arises, it seems like a big issue, but it’s not a big issue. It happens in football sometimes.”
The Terps’ defense, which gave up over 50 points for the second consecutive season, was flagged five times on Saturday. Four of those came in the second quarter, with a pair aiding UCLA’s touchdown drives.
Lavain Scruggs was called for a facemask penalty that added onto Knight’s 33-yard rush, quickly positioning the Bruins in the red zone. Anthony Woods punched it in two plays later to give UCLA a two-possession lead — Maryland never got any closer.
Jayvon Parker, who was penalized twice in the second quarter, helped the Bruins move the ball on their next drive with another facemask call. Jamare Glasker was flagged for a 15-yard pass interference later on.
Maryland was called for six penalties that cost it 60 yards, which fueled UCLA to multiple 20-point quarters.
Flags were a recurring issue for the Terps last season, and it has remained a problem against power conference opponents this year.