Maryland didn’t exactly stroll out of the gate against UConn on Saturday in East Hartford, but once the Terps found their footing, the game turned fast. A 60-yard touchdown to WR Naheem Abdul Raheem Gladding pulled Maryland even, and from there the Terps rolled to a 38-14 win. The result pushed Maryland’s nation-leading non-conference winning streak to 20 games, a run that continues to underline Mike Locksley’s control over out-of-conference opponents over the last 8 seasons.
The biggest early takeaway was the way Maryland’s new-look receiving corps answered the bell. Wide receiver play had been a problem in 2025, with drops and a lack of explosiveness hanging over the room.
Maryland went into the portal looking for exactly those traits, and against UConn, Chris Durr Jr. and Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding finally showed why. Gladding finished with 8 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, while Durr posted 10 receptions for 103 yards and a score.
Both made difficult grabs look routine, and Durr’s one-handed catch in the first half was the kind of play that jumps off the screen. Kaleb Webb chipped in too, bouncing back with 60 yards, a one-handed snag, and a high-point 30-yard catch on third down.
With Malik Washington still uneven at times with his ball placement, the wideouts gave him plenty of help and looked like a major upgrade from a year ago.
Washington’s final line told a pretty strong story on its own: 34 completions on 41 attempts for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns. But the game didn’t start that cleanly.
Maryland leaned on an RPO-heavy approach early, and some throws missed their spots while the receivers were still dealing with drops and tough catches. Washington eventually settled in after connecting with Gladding on the long touchdown, then found a rhythm late in the first half and into the second.
He also showed off a few high-end flashes, including an acrobatic sidearm throw just before halftime. By the end of the night, he had completed 18 straight passes, a new Maryland record.
His 82.9% completion percentage now ranks fourth in program history.
The defensive front was just as impressive, and maybe even more encouraging given the opponent. Maryland had already allowed only 10 rushing yards to Hampton the week before, plus 5 sacks, and the question was whether that dominance would carry over against a more dangerous offense and a mobile quarterback.
It did. UConn managed only 2.2 yards per carry on 31 attempts, with Maryland’s interior line repeatedly stuffing runs near the line of scrimmage.
Sidney Stewart turned in a busy night with 6 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, a sack, and a forced fumble, while Derrick LeBlanc added 2 sacks of his own. Eyan Thomas also made his presence felt against the run, and Bryce Jenkins and DD Holmes combined for a sack.
Joel Starlings added a strong run stop, and the linebackers piled up tackles in support. Zion Elee delivered a key strip sack when the game was tied at 7, and the depth up front wore UConn down as the night went on.
Kalieb Osborne had a 26-yard run, but he was held to 30 rushing yards overall, while the running backs managed just 39.
One subplot that stood out was the quiet night for Zymear Smith. The top-100 recruit from last cycle flashed speed last week on a play that was called back, but against UConn he didn’t get a touch.
That matters, especially with injuries stacking up in the running back room. In a roster era shaped by NIL and the portal, Maryland needs to find ways to get its highest-rated young talent on the field early, and Smith feels like a player the Terps can’t afford to let drift without a real look.
In the end, Maryland got what it needed: a win that started a little shaky, then settled into a convincing performance. The receivers came alive, the defensive line controlled the game, and Washington looked much sharper than he did a week earlier. Next comes Virginia Tech in College Park next Saturday night, a game that could carry major weight in determining Mike Locksley’s future with the program.
In Other News...
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After the second week of college football, ESPNs FPI had already begun reshaping the national picture in ways that matter well beyond the early standings. Oklahoma States upset of Oregon sent the model soaring, while Arkansas and Minnesota took big hits after losses, and even Ohio State and Washington saw movement that underscored how much these rankings lean on projected future results rather than just what happened on the field.
For Maryland, that kind of early volatility is part of the appeal and the warning. A fast start can change how the rest of the Big Ten views a team, but it also invites a closer look from a metric built to sort out whos truly positioned for postseason relevance. The Terps know the conversation around them can shift quickly in September, and the next few weeks will tell whether this is just a hot opening stretch or the start of something the conference has to take seriously. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland's 2-0 Start Just Got A Lot More Exciting
Maryland walked out of Pratt & Whitney Stadium with a convincing 38-14 win over Connecticut and, just as importantly, a 2-0 start that suddenly looks a lot more interesting. Malik Washington powered the offense with 347 passing yards and a program-record 18 straight completions, while Naeem Abdul-Rahim Gladding and Chris Durr Jr. both topped 100 receiving yards as the Terrapins kept stringing together efficient drives and making life difficult for the Huskies on the other side of the ball.
The performance gave Maryland a little of everything it wants this early in the season: a quarterback in rhythm, receivers stretching the field and a defense that held up well enough to keep the game under control. For a team trying to build momentum, it was the kind of all-around showing that can change the mood around a 2-0 start from solid to genuinely compelling. [Read more 🡒]