Maryland’s collapse against Rutgers proved costly in more ways than one.
Less than 24 hours after the Terrapins let a 23-13 lead slip away in a 37-30 loss at SECU Stadium, head coach Mike Locksley fired defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino on Sunday. The move came as Maryland (2-5, 0-4) entered its first and only bye week of the fall.
“I appreciate Ted’s hard work and dedication to our program during his time in College Park,” Locksley said in a statement. “As I evaluate our program, I believe this change is necessary. We wish Ted all the best moving forward.”
The timing followed a brutal finish against the Scarlet Knights (2-4, 1-2). Maryland led by 10 before Rutgers ripped off 24 unanswered points over the first 26 minutes of the second half and seized control.
The Terrapins still had one last surge left in them. They scored a touchdown with 2:17 remaining, then got a stop to force one more possession, but the comeback came up 11 yards short.
On third down, DeJuan Williams dropped a pass with so much space in front of him that he might have been able to walk into the end zone. Then, on fourth down, Malik Washington seemed to hit Dorian Fleming in the end zone, but the wide receiver was ruled out of bounds and the call stood after video review.
The loss denied Maryland its first Big Ten win of the season and ended Monachino’s run on the staff.
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