Maryland’s ground game opened the season with the kind of jolt the program has been waiting to see.
In a 62-0 rout of Hampton, the Terps piled up 365 rushing yards, their highest total since they ran for 444 against Bowling Green in 2018. The performance featured a fast start from DeJuan Williams, who broke loose for a 94-yard touchdown in the opening minutes and recorded the second-longest rushing score in program history.
Second-year back Iverson Howard matched him with two touchdowns of his own, while Harry Dalton and Jianni Davis each found the end zone once in their first games as Terps. Maryland finished with six rushing touchdowns, its most since matching that total in 2019.
The explosiveness showed up in chunks, too. Maryland produced three runs of 20 yards or more in Week 1 after logging just 11 such plays across the entire 2025 season.
“When you run the ball efficiently, it forces the defense to creep up and it spreads out the back end and now you can take shots,” wide receiver Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding said. “It just opens up the entire game, especially when you’re running the ball effectively, it’s kind of diminishing to an opposing team as well because ground and pound, just imposing your will. It allows the whole game to open up.”
There’s also more flexibility baked into the backfield this year. Williams said Trickett is using his versatility by “moving around in the backfield, not just having me in the backfield but go out in the slot, go outside at times as well.” Howard, meanwhile, credited Trickett with knowing “how to get the ball to his playmakers” as he looks to expand his role in year two.
“I like how everybody gets to touch the football,” Howard told IBG.
Now Maryland gets another chance to show the opener wasn’t a one-game spike. Week two brings first-year UConn coach Jason Candle and a defense that was stout in its own opener, holding Lafayette to 64 total yards and 2.1 yards per carry while giving up only one run of more than ten yards. Even so, the Terps’ three-man rushing rotation presents a different challenge.
The next marker is clear: Maryland is aiming to top 150 rushing yards in back-to-back games for the first time since November 2023.
“We're fortunate because I think we have three [running backs] that all can be the starter,” head coach Mike Locksley said during fall camp. “There's no doubt that they've really improved over the course of the last six months and I'm excited to see what they do.”
In Other News...
Marylands Young Leaders Are Building Something Bigger Than Football
This summer, Malik Washington and Zion Elee gave Maryland fans a reminder that the programs young leaders are already having an impact well beyond the field. Washington held his fourth annual football camp at Under Armours headquarters in Baltimore, opening the door for local kids to learn the game and simply enjoy being around it in a positive setting.
Elees work carried a different kind of weight, as he organized a backpack drive to help children get ready for the school year. The two efforts spoke to the same larger idea around Maryland right now: building a culture where football matters, but so do education, access and showing up for the community. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Washington Is Giving Maryland Fans Another Reason To Be Proud
Malik Washington is already making an impression in College Park beyond whatever he does on Saturdays. The Maryland sophomore quarterback has been named to the 2026 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Watch List, a group that recognizes FBS players for leadership, courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Washingtons profile keeps growing because of the way he has shown up in the community, too. He has hosted a youth football camp and taken part in literacy and disability support programs, giving Terrapins fans another reason to take pride in what he represents as much as in how he plays. [Read more 🡒]