Maryland didn’t play a clean game Saturday. It didn’t need one.
What the Terps got in College Park was a defense that kept punching, a backup quarterback who settled in just enough, and one huge late play that flipped the game. That formula was enough to edge Wisconsin 24-21 and give Maryland its second straight Big Ten win, the program’s first conference winning streak since Sept. 2023.
The defining moment came with the score tied 21-21 late in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin had the ball and a chance to seize the game, but quarterback Ryan Hopkins was hit from the blind side by linebacker Trey Reddick on an unblocked rush. The sack jarred the ball loose, Maryland recovered at the Wisconsin 33, and the Terps finished the job with a 30-yard game-winning field goal.
“Trey is such a great athlete. He routinely makes those type of plays in practice,” Abdul-Rahim said.
“He can rush, he can cover, he can check. He’s a very valuable piece of our defense … we put ourselves in the position to win the football game with that turnover.”
That turnover was the latest example of a defense that kept dragging Maryland through the mess around it. Interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim said this was the closest his group has come to the version of the defense it had imagined.
“Myself, [defensive coordinator] Zac [Spavital] and [co-defensive coordinator James Thomas Jr.], we were on the staff together the last three years, and we literally were talking through how we would do things if we … had the pen, so to speak,” Abdul-Rahim said. “This is one of the first games where I can truly say the defense was the defense that we envisioned.”
Maryland’s offense had to navigate the absence of Malik Washington, who was out with a lower-body injury after wearing a knee brace against Purdue. Redshirt senior Cardell Williams made his first start for the Terps and gave them a steady hand, even if he wasn’t pushing the ball downfield much.
Williams finished 21-for-23 with 191 183 yards and three total touchdowns, and he set a program record with 19 consecutive completions and a 91% completion percentage.
“The first week [of Abdul-Rahim being interim head coach], he was one of the first person I called in my office because I didn’t like his body language, I didn’t like his demeanor, and some of the decisions he was making off the field,” Abdul-Rahim said. “And I told him, ‘Hey, you’re quitting on yourself right now’ … you never know when you’re going to be needed to win us a football game.”
It took Maryland a while to get going behind him. The Terps’ first four drives produced just 36 yards on 18 plays, even after Hopkins put the ball on the ground. Hopkins, a freshman making his second career start in place of Colton Joseph, lost the ball on a keeper, and Maryland took over at the Wisconsin 37.
But the offense couldn’t cash in right away. Sean O’Haire’s 51-yard field goal try came up short, and the Terps were still searching for a rhythm before Williams finally helped them string together a drive in the second quarter.
He hit Preston Howard on a 30-yard sideline throw to move into Wisconsin territory, then found Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding for 18 yards on a crossing route. Williams finished that march with a one-yard rushing touchdown.
“I didn’t know [Williams] was starting until the first drive, honestly,” Reddick said. “But knowing Cardell since the summertime, I knew what type of person he is. I never doubted him.”
The Terps still never looked fully settled on offense, and Wisconsin kept hanging around. Maryland’s defense forced back-to-back punts and then a fumble late in the second quarter and early in the third. Senior linebacker Daniel Wingate knocked the ball free from Darrion Dupree, and Ricardo Cooper Jr. came away with the recovery at the Wisconsin 12.
“[Spav] is just putting us in literally every perfect position that we need to get the job done,” Reddick said. “And we’re executing it.”
Maryland turned that short field into another touchdown, but the third quarter was otherwise sluggish. The Terps managed only 29 yards in the period and still entered the fourth up 14-13. Wisconsin eventually tied it, Maryland answered with Preston Howard’s 39-yard touchdown, and then Reddick’s sack set up the final kick that sent the Terps home with a 24-21 win.
Maryland is now 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin fell to 6-4 and 4-3 in conference play.
In Other News...
Marylands Coaching Search Just Became Far More Ambitious
Marylands coaching search has taken a notable turn, with Brian Kelly recently interviewing for the Terrapins vacant job. The former Notre Dame and LSU coach has been out of the dugout since LSU fired him last fall, spending this season as a CBS analyst and SiriusXM co-host while the school moved on from Mike Locksley earlier in October.
Kellys name immediately raises the level of the search, which already has included other familiar candidates such as Chip Kelly, Dan Mullen and Biff Poggi. For Maryland, the next hire will shape not just the programs direction but also how aggressively it tries to position itself in a crowded Big Ten coaching market. [Read more 🡒]
Marylands Sudden QB Change Just Changed Everything For The Terps
Cardell Williams did not need long to make his first start feel like a turning point for Maryland. In a tense Big Ten game at SECU Stadium, the quarterback settled the Terrapins in from the opening stretches, helping them control the pace against Wisconsin and keep the Badgers from ever fully dictating the afternoon. His efficiency stood out immediately, and the offense looked far more settled than a unit still adjusting to a sudden change under center.
Williams finished with school-record marks in completion rate and consecutive completions, and he accounted for three total touchdowns in a 24-21 win that felt as much about composure as production. Maryland still had to close it out late, and S. O'Haire delivered the deciding field goal to seal it, but the bigger question now is whether this one-game spark has permanently altered the Terps' quarterback picture. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Let A Statement Win Slip Away When It Mattered Most
Maryland had a chance to turn a strong start into a signature win, building an 11-point lead against Virginia before the game slipped away in the second half. The Terps looked in control early, but the Cavaliers kept hanging around and eventually flipped the momentum with a blistering finish that left Maryland searching for answers after a loss it could have used.
Virginias offense was relentless down the stretch, shooting better than 62% from the field and hitting nine of its final 10 shots. Maryland, meanwhile, ran into trouble with its own shot-making and ball security after halftime, and Buzz Williams along with several players pointed to the same broad takeaway afterward: the Terps have work to do if they want to close out games like this one. [Read more 🡒]