Maryland had the halftime lead and the home crowd behind it, but Rutgers walked out of SECU Stadium with the kind of second-half takeover that flips a game on its head.
The Scarlet Knights erased a 10-point deficit and rolled to a 37-30 win in College Park, riding a 24-point unanswered surge across the third and fourth quarters. Maryland, which had built a 23-13 cushion before the break, spent most of the second half chasing Rutgers instead of controlling it.
The loss was Maryland’s fifth straight, dropping the Terrapins to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play. Rutgers snapped its skid with its first conference win of the season, moving to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten action.
The quarterback matchup delivered plenty of production. Rutgers’ Dylan Lonergan threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, while Maryland’s Malik Washington finished with 319 total yards and two passing scores. But Washington’s numbers didn’t save the Terrapins once the offense stalled after halftime.
Rutgers dictated the game with the ball. The Scarlet Knights held possession for 35:49 to Maryland’s 24:08, a gap of nearly 11:42. They also converted 9 of 14 third downs, a 64.3 percent clip that let them string together long drives and keep Maryland’s defense on the field.
That workload wore on the Terrapins’ front seven as the game wore on. Rutgers kept leaning on Clay Thevenin, who ran for 109 yards, and Antwan Raymond, who repeatedly moved the chains in short-yardage situations. The result was a second half in which Maryland’s defense faded and Rutgers owned the line of scrimmage.
Maryland’s offense opened well enough to build a lead. On its second drive, the Terps covered 45 yards in seven plays and 3:11, finishing with Damon Hall Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run and Sean O'Haire’s extra point for a 7-0 edge at 7:30 of the first quarter.
Rutgers answered late in the opening period with a 10-play, 75-yard march that took 6:42. Lonergan ended it with a 15-yard touchdown pass to KJ Duff, and Dane Pizzaro’s kick tied it 7-7 with 0:50 left in the quarter.
Maryland reclaimed control early in the second. Washington led a 6-play, 49-yard drive in 2:51, then hit Dorian Fleming for a 3-yard touchdown at 10:46 to make it 14-7.
Rutgers kept coming back. Its next possession covered 10 yards on 12 plays over 6:28, a drive complicated by pre-snap penalties and resets, before Lonergan found Duff again, this time for a 9-yard score at 4:18.
Then came one of the game’s biggest swings. On the extra point try, Maryland defensive back Jamare Glasker broke through, blocked the kick, and took it back the other way for a rare defensive two-point conversion. Instead of a tie, Maryland led 16-13.
The Terps added one more score before halftime. Chris Durr Jr. powered in from 16 yards out at 0:53 to finish a 6-play, 60-yard drive and send Maryland into the locker room ahead 23-13.
That cushion disappeared quickly after halftime. Rutgers opened the third quarter with a 10-play, 58-yard drive and a 25-yard field goal from Pizzaro at 10:43 to cut it to 23-16.
Maryland then lost all momentum on offense, failing to score in the third quarter and managing under 30 yards in the frame. Rutgers followed with a clean 9-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Lonergan to Thevenin at 4:00, tying the game at 23-23.
Once the fourth quarter began, Rutgers took full command. Thevenin finished a 7-play, 53-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run at 12:56 to give the Scarlet Knights their first lead at 30-23. Then Raymond closed the door with a 2-yard touchdown dive at 4:03, capping a 12-play, 64-yard drive that consumed 7:52 and pushed Rutgers in front 37-23.
Washington made one last push for Maryland, leading a quick 95-yard drive in just seven plays and 1:45. He finished it with a 10-yard touchdown pass to DeJuan Williams at 2:17, and O'Haire’s kick pulled the Terps within 37-30.
That was as close as Maryland would get. Rutgers finished the job from there and left College Park with a comeback win that was built on patience, possession, and a relentless second-half run.
In Other News...
Marylands New Hall Of Fame Class Is A Reminder Of Terps Greatness
Ahead of Marylands homecoming football game against Rutgers, the department officially welcomed its 2026 Hall of Fame class, a reminder of just how much star power has passed through College Park. The group reflects several eras of Terps athletics, with honorees spanning womens basketball, lacrosse, track and field, football and coaching, and the names in this class speak to the breadth of Marylands success across its programs.
Marissa Coleman, Taylor Cummings, Brenda Frese, Michael Howley, Dennis Ivory, Thea LaFond and Shawne Merriman all earned their place in the universitys history for accomplishments that resonated well beyond campus. The new class also offers a snapshot of Marylands athletic identity at a moment when the Terps are trying to build on that legacy, and it leaves one notable chapter of the celebration still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Marylands Defense Has A Big-Play Problem Thats Getting Worse
Marylands defense spent another afternoon chasing explosive plays it could not quite contain, and the result was a lopsided 45-16 loss to No. 5 Ohio State. The Terps have now watched three straight opponents clear the 40-point mark, a stretch that has put a spotlight on the same recurring problems: giving up chunk gains, missing in space and failing to finish tackles when the game starts to speed up.
Mike Locksley acknowledged the defensive lapses afterward, and the concern for Maryland is less about one bad day than the pattern forming around it. The Terps have been competitive at times, but the margins disappear fast when coverage breaks down and a promising possession flips into a quick strike the other way, leaving a defense that needs answers before the next Big Ten test arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland's Mike Locksley Problem Just Got More Painful Against Rutgers
Maryland had spent the first half at Rutgers looking like it might finally turn a miserable conference stretch around, carrying a 23-13 lead into the break and keeping the pressure on a league opponent that had every reason to believe the game was still there for the taking. Instead, the night ended the way too many of these have for the Terps, with another missed opportunity and another loss in a conference game that slipped away as Rutgers steadily flipped the momentum.
The decisive moment came late on fourth-and-3, when Dorian Fleming appeared to come down with what would have been the tying touchdown, only for his left foot to be ruled just out of bounds. It was the kind of finish that made the defeat sting even more, and it pushed Marylands conference skid to 12 in a row, a number that keeps growing while Mike Locksley continues to talk about resilience and fight without being able to point to a win to back it up. [Read more 🡒]