UConn’s 38-14 loss to Maryland on Saturday started with a little promise and ended exactly where the scoreboard said it did: nowhere close.
The Huskies jumped in front 7-0, but Maryland answered with 24 straight points and took control from there. By the time it was over at the Rent, the Terps had done enough on both sides of the ball to make the final margin feel comfortable.
Maryland’s passing game was the clear edge. Malik Washington was sharp all afternoon, completing 83% of his 41 attempts for 347 yards, and two of his receivers topped 100 yards. The Terps didn’t just throw deep and stress UConn vertically; they repeatedly worked underneath and let their playmakers do damage after the catch.
That was a big part of the story. Washington completed 26 of his 41 passes for five yards or fewer, and 14 of those throws came behind the line of scrimmage. Maryland’s receivers turned those short gains into bigger ones, piling up 222 yards after the catch, which accounted for 64% of Washington’s passing yards.
Afterward, Mike Locksley pointed to UConn’s defensive front as a strength and noted that the Husky secondary was less experienced. Maryland leaned into that, using RPOs and getting to the air because UConn’s looks invited the run.
“Those kids on the defensive front played their tails off; played hard throughout the whole time,” Candle said of UConn’s defense. “They can’t just sit there and take punches the whole game; we have to help them out in other phases.”
Maryland also did a nice job of turning routine completions into momentum plays. Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding turned a short catch into a 60-yard touchdown for the Terps’ first score. Maryland never really hit UConn over the top for a massive explosive play, but a couple of timely pass interference penalties helped the visitors on the drive that gave them the lead.
“They had some shifty players; their o-line was getting downfield,” John Lista said. “So you have big bodies like that going downfield, and you’re trying to chase after small, shifty, elusive guys; it’s tough.”
UConn’s offense never found a steady rhythm after the opening burst. In the second quarter, the Huskies managed only 30 yards across two possessions while Maryland strung together two long scoring drives to push the game further out of reach. The Terps kept leaning on UConn in the third quarter, adding two more touchdowns as the game tilted hard in their direction.
The run game never really opened up, and Kalieb Osborne ended up as UConn’s leading rusher. After a strong first quarter that included a touchdown and more than 100 passing yards, the offense stalled badly in the second. The Huskies then went three-and-out to start the second half, and Maryland followed with the touchdown that essentially sealed it.
UConn did answer with a touchdown on the next possession, but Maryland responded and closed the door. The Huskies gained only eight yards in the fourth quarter after producing 78 in the third.
“We definitely saw a little bit more man [coverage]. Compared to last week, it was a little bit more zone,” wide receiver Shamar Porter said. “So, definitely the speed and me having to learn how to get open.”
There’s no way to dress it up too much: it was a loss, and not a competitive one by the final whistle. But it also wasn’t a total disaster for UConn, which is still early in the Jason Candle era and still trying to sort out who it is.
Maryland is a Big Ten team, and the Huskies are the lone FBS Independent without a huge NBC TV deal. Two years ago, this same Maryland team with the same head coach beat UConn 50-7.
This time, the Huskies showed more fight against what looks like a better Terps team than the one Maryland had in 2024.
That’s part of the early-season grind in college football: the result is what it is, but the process still matters. UConn didn’t cover the spread and didn’t keep the game close, yet it gets another week to keep building. The Huskies did the same thing in 2024, and that season ended with eight wins.
“I think every team needs to face adversity at some point, and this is our adversity,” Lista said. “It’s better now than five games in. How we respond is ultimately what really matters.”
The schedule should soften over the next two weeks with Southern Miss and Miami of Ohio, and even the following week against Syracuse could offer a more even matchup after Syracuse lost at home to Cal, 21-18.
One issue that keeps showing up for UConn is penalties. The Huskies were flagged eight times for 72 yards against Maryland, including three defensive pass interference calls. Those penalties led to a touchdown and a missed field goal.
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