Maryland’s tight ends flashed early against Rutgers, then all but disappeared when the game got tight.
That’s a strange turn for a room head coach Mike Locksley had talked up before the 2026 season, especially with one returner and a boomerang transfer addition giving the group some obvious upside. Through the first five games, though, the numbers had been modest: 247 yards and one touchdown on 27 catches, including 97 yards on 13 receptions across the first three Big Ten games.
Saturday looked like a chance to change that.
Preston Howard opened the door with the first big strike, hauling in a one-handed 25-yard sideline grab that set up Maryland’s first scoring chance. Three plays later, freshman Damon Hall Jr. got a designed carry from one yard out for his first career touchdown, putting the Terps up 7-0.
Then Dorian Fleming kept the room rolling. He became the first tight end in the group to catch a pass and later added his second touchdown of the season on a three-yard score that put Maryland back in front 14-7. The catch also pushed his streak to 16 straight games with a reception, which temporarily tied him with Marshall’s Toby Payne for the third-longest streak among FBS tight ends before action later in the day changed the standings.
And then came the long fade.
In the second half, Maryland’s tight ends were targeted just twice, catching one pass for seven yards, and both looks came on the final drive. With the Terps down by a touchdown and working in the red zone, Malik Washington hit Fleming for a seven-yard gain on second down.
On the next target, Fleming nearly had what would have been his second touchdown of the day and his first multi-TD game since Nov. 23, 2024 against Texas State, but replay took it away when his foot was ruled out by a sliver. Maryland’s final push died there, and the Terps fell 37-30 in their homecoming game for a second straight season.
Between those two Fleming targets, DeJuan Williams dropped a pass in the flat that would have given Maryland a shot at tying the game.
"We need our tight ends to play because they're usually the equalizer with the matchups that they face," Mike Locksley said after Maryland’s conference losing streak reached 12.
The season was supposed to offer a real chance for Fleming and Howard to become a dangerous tandem, maybe even a pair of NFL-caliber tight ends by 2027. Instead, at the halfway point, they’ve combined for 259 yards and 26 catches. Howard’s story has been slowed by injury after he missed three games with a lower body issue, and Saturday’s catch was his first against a Power Four opponent since he had one reception for five yards against Alabama during his lone season at Auburn in 2025.
There’s also the broader issue of how the passing game is being distributed. Chris Durr Jr. has surged into a major role after his breakout against Rutgers, when he posted 104 receiving yards, 16 rushing yards and his first career rushing touchdown. The Wyoming transfer enters the bye week tied for the FBS lead with 52 catches in 2026 and already has a career-high 580 receiving yards.
Durr’s 48-yard catch-and-run against Rutgers showed exactly why Maryland has leaned on him so heavily. He’s also one of six FBS receivers with at least six catches and 100 receiving yards in four games this season, alongside names such as Jeremiah Smith, Malachi Toney and Baltimore native Jesse Legree.
But with Na'eem Abdul-Rahim inactive on Saturday, the lack of downfield production from the rest of the offense mattered even more.
Fleming has topped 50 receiving yards only once in 2026, and he hasn’t reached that mark in his last three games after doing it just twice in 2025. Howard has four catches in four games in his second stint with the program. The rest of the tight end group has chipped in just five receptions for 30 yards.
In Other News...
Marylands New-Look Offense Just Raised A Bigger Question
Marylands exhibition win over West Virginia offered an early glimpse of how much this new-look offense can change the feel of a game. Pharrel Payne and Andre Mills drove the scoring with big nights, and the Terps got something else out of the matchup too: a chance to work through a variety of game situations before the results start counting for real. Even in a game that required a comeback, the tempo and shot creation suggested this group has more options than last seasons version.
The bigger question, though, is how cleanly Maryland can sustain that style once the competition tightens and the turnovers start to matter even more. The Terps have already shown some early issues in that area, and an exhibition that tested their composure from start to finish should give the staff plenty to sort through. For a team trying to build around new pieces, the talent is obvious. The challenge now is turning those flashes into something steadier. [Read more 🡒]