With Maryland’s 27-10 road victory over Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon, they secured a perfect 4-0 (1-0 Big Ten Conference) record to wrap up the first month of their season. This’ll be their third season under head coach Michael Locksley in which they’ll head into the month of October with an unblemished record. Since he took over the program in 2019, the team holds a record of 21-5 (4-4) during the months of August and September. It’s been the next two months that’ve historically been a problem however, as they have a record of 12-31 during the months of October and November during that period. With another excellent start to the season under their belts, can this team be the one to buck the trends of the past?
Beating Wisconsin was impressive, despite the Badgers looking like a shell of the teams they typically produce in Madison. Defensive coordinator Ted Monachino’s unit has shined so far this season, and currently rank 31st nationally in total defense. They lead the entire country in interceptions, and rank second in sacks. Freshman pass-rushers Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis have been unleashed off the edge, combining for 6.5 sacks through the team’s first four games. Seven different players have recorded interceptions, with sophomore cornerback La’Khi Roland being the only player with multiple picks. It was difficult to know what to expect from this group under a new coordinator, but the longtime NFL assistant coach has them playing extremely well thus far.
Freshman quarterback Malik Washington wasn’t perfect, but clearly wasn’t phased by his first Big Ten road test. He rarely put the ball into harm’s way, and made some very impressive down-field throws off of play-action. The arm strength he exhibits on throws across the field from the opposite hash is something that’s rarely seen from any college quarterback, particularly a true freshman. His confidence within offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton’s offense is improving each week, and he’s showing off the poise and maturity that the coaching staff has raved about from the moment he stepped foot on campus.
The Terrapins will enjoy a bye this week, the first of two they’ll have this year. Under Locksley, the team holds an embarrassing 0-7 record coming off of bye weeks. They typically look flat and unprepared during those games, which is simply inexcusable. Despite the perfect start to their season, they certainly have some things to work on particularly offensively. Third downs have been extremely poor for Hamilton’s unit, converting just 30.2% of them through their first four games. To go hand in hand with that, drops have been a major issue for Maryland’s pass-catchers. They’ve had a number of them in each game so far, including six against Wisconsin. An inability to sustain drives might fly against a certain level of opposition, but won’t result in many more wins if they don’t get things cleaned up.
Something that’s flying under the radar a bit is how much Maryland’s special teams unit has improved under new coordinator Andre Powell. They blocked two kicks against Wisconsin, and new kicker Sean O’Haire has missed just one kick so far this season. Junior punter Bryce McFerson has continued his excellence from last year, and currently ranks 19th nationally in yards per punt. In years past, it’s often been Maryland’s defense and/or special teams which has let them down later in the season. Both units will need to continue their solid play if the team is to make any sort of noise during the remainder of 2025.
At the end of the day, while a perfect 4-0 start to this season is likely better than most expected for this team, they’ve also been here before only to fall apart during the final two months. With a schedule that doesn’t include Ohio State, Penn State, or Oregon looming, they have the opportunity to flip the script and put together a solid year. Their next game against Washington will likely tell us a lot. If they can overcome their post-bye week woes and come up with a strong performance, perhaps that’s a sign of better things to come. But if they come out flat as in years past, many will fairly assume that this year is simply more of the same.
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Terps Analyst
Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: zack.kiesel@baltimoresportsandlife.com.