Following their third straight loss of the season against UCLA, Maryland’s football team has serious questions that need to be answered. In each of the last three games, they’ve held leads in the fourth quarter only to see them disappear before the final whistle. The team has been outscored 44-7 in the final quarter of each matchup, and their fourth quarter win percentages clearly illustrated how poorly they played towards the end of the game (95.2% vs. Washington, 82.1% vs. Nebraska, and 78.5% vs. UCLA). This continues a trend of poor performances under head coach Michael Locksley in the months of October and November, as the Terrapins are now 12-34 in those months since 2019.
Maryland enjoys their second bye week of the year this week before #2 Indiana comes to College Park for the Terrapins’ Homecoming game. Locksley has yet to win a game coming off of a bye, including the team’s loss to Washington earlier this month. The Hoosiers represent what will be their toughest test of the season, as they’re off to another red hot start under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti and led by a leading Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Despite all of their poor performances on the field so far this month, Maryland still leads the entire country in turnover margin (+11). They lead the nation in interceptions (14) and have also recovered two fumbles. Meanwhile, they’ve only turned the ball over five times (three interceptions and two fumbles). While defensive coordinator Ted Monachino’s unit has allowed some yards to opposing offenses, they’ve proven to be extremely good at taking the ball away. They’ve also continued to rack up sacks, ranking 10th in the country with 22 of them.
Unfortunately, this is Locksley’s seventh season at the helm and his team continues to struggle to finish games in the fourth quarter. Since 2019, they’ve blown eight fourth quarter leads (2019 vs. Temple, 2019 vs. Michigan State, 2020 vs. Rutgers, 2022 vs. Purdue, 2024 vs. Michigan State, 2025 vs. Washington, 2025 vs. Nebraska, and 2025 vs. UCLA). It’s not something that has improved during his tenure, in fact it’s become more frequent in recent years. With a new athletic director in charge of the athletic department, Locksley’s job security is likely in more jeopardy than it would have been under Damon Evans. While his buyout will be approximately $17 million if fired after this season, does Jim Smith look to make a move?
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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.