Maryland’s first road trip of the 2026 season arrives quickly, and so does a clean early test for a team still sorting out what last week really meant.
The Terps, 1-0 and 0-0 in the Big Ten, head to UConn on Saturday for just the fifth meeting between the programs. Maryland leads the series 3-1, and the last matchup was a blowout in College Park - a 50-7 win in which Tai Felton piled up 178 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. That version of the Terps is long gone, though, and this one comes in after a 62-0 win over Hampton that showed both the upside and the rough edges.
One of the biggest questions going into Week 2 is whether Maryland’s offense can look more complete. The preseason talk leaned toward the passing game, but the opener flipped that script a bit. The ground game exploded for 365 yards and six touchdowns, giving offensive coordinator Clint Trickett a big early win and a chance to prove that performance was more than a one-off.
The passing game, meanwhile, still has work to do. Malik Washington completed 61% of his throws for 186 yards, a rate just under his freshman-year average, but the offense left some production on the field.
Kaleb Webb had four drops, Washington missed Chris Durr on a touchdown opportunity because of a miscommunication, and the whole operation looked a little out of sync at times. That said, Washington and Durr did connect on a risky fourth-down throw to extend a drive that ended in a touchdown before halftime.
That’s why Saturday feels like a get-right game for the passing attack, especially with a huge matchup looming in College Park after this weekend.
Up front, Maryland gets a different kind of challenge. UConn’s offensive line averages 6-foot-4 and 302 pounds, which gives Ted Monachino’s defensive front a chance to show off its veteran pieces and deeper rotation.
Maryland still has some depth concerns, with Armon Parker and Delmar White among the early-season inactives, and the full injury report won’t come until week four. That makes every body on the defensive line matter even more.
Maryland’s own offensive line should have confidence, too. The Terps didn’t give up a sack against Hampton and created positive yardage on 73 of 78 plays.
UConn may have veteran defensive tackle Esean Carter available for his first game with the Huskies, though he has missed several weeks of practice and how much he can play remains unclear. If he’s on the field, though, he gives Maryland’s interior line something to handle.
The biggest defensive assignment, though, belongs to Kalieb Osborne. The Toledo transfer won UConn’s quarterback battle in the offseason and wasted no time making his mark in Week 1.
He threw for 265 yards, completed more than 73% of his passes, accounted for four touchdowns and added 90 rushing yards. That kind of dual-threat production changes the math fast.
Maryland’s defense had encouraging moments in the opener. The front seven showed multiple players who can get after the quarterback, DD Holmes turned in a productive game, Zion Elee flashed in his debut, and the unit turned three turnovers into 17 points. Still, Osborne presents a different kind of problem.
The Terps have the talent and the depth to control UConn over four quarters, but the real test will be keeping Osborne from creating explosives. For Maryland, this is a front-seven assignment as much as anything else, with gap discipline and containment front and center in the first real challenge against a quarterback who can hurt you through the air and on the ground.