Maryland’s first loss of the 2026 season came with a familiar frustration: explosive offense, too many holes on defense, and just enough missed chances to leave the Terps chasing the game all night.
Virginia Tech walked out of SECU Stadium with a 35-26 win on Saturday evening, handing Maryland its first defeat and snapping the Terps’ 20-game winning streak against non-conference opponents, the longest such run in the country. The Hokies were the more efficient team from the opening stretch, rolling up 445 yards and scoring on five of their first six possessions.
Malik Washington did his part to keep Maryland in striking distance. The quarterback finished 30 of 43 for 359 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers, and he became the first Terp since Taulia Tagovailoa in 2022 to post back-to-back 300-yard passing games. Washington and his receivers produced plenty of chunk plays, but Maryland also left some yards on the field when Washington was forced to extend plays outside the pocket and throw on the move.
The passing game carried most of the load because the ground attack never really got going. Maryland finished with just 64 rushing yards as a team, struggling for the second straight week to match the balance it showed in the opener against Hampton.
Chris Durr Jr. was the biggest weapon Maryland had all night. He hauled in 12 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first Terp this century with back-to-back 10-reception games. Kaleb Webb added five catches for 98 yards and set a new career high in receiving yardage.
Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer stayed in control throughout the night, throwing for 314 yards, completing more than 79% of his passes and accounting for three touchdowns. Tight end Luke Reynolds was a major part of that success, finishing with 12 receptions for 107 yards and a score.
Maryland never found a way to keep sustained pressure on Grunkemeyer. On third downs, the Terps had chances to get off the field, but the Hokies kept answering. Senior linebacker Daniel Wingate led Maryland with 12 tackles, including five solo stops and one tackle for loss.
The secondary had a rough night as well. Maryland’s defensive backs were in position at times, but Virginia Tech still came down with too many contested catches.
The Terps also drew four pass-interference penalties, three of them on defense and all on scoring drives. The final one came on offense in the fourth quarter, wiping out a 12-yard gain on third-and-10.
Maryland made things interesting late after entering the fourth quarter down 35-14. The defense forced a stop to end the third, and the offense followed with a touchdown drive finished by a two-yard catch from tight end Dorian Fleming.
Another defensive stand set up another score, and Washington found Durr Jr. in the left corner of the end zone on a back-shoulder throw. But both of Maryland’s fourth-quarter touchdown drives ended with failed two-point tries, and that proved costly as the comeback push ran out of steam.
Maryland returns home next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to face UCLA at SECU Stadium in its Big Ten opener.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Finally Has A Real Benchmark And New Questions
Virginia Techs trip to SECU Stadium gave the Hokies something they had not had in a while: a clean early-season benchmark. The 35-26 win over Maryland pushed them to their first 3-0 start since 2017 and ended a long drought against a nonconference Power Four opponent, with Ethan Grunkemeyer steering the offense with efficiency and poise. He completed 31 of 39 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns, while tight end Luke Reynolds delivered a career-high 107 receiving yards and a score, the kind of breakout connection that changes how defenses have to prepare.
For a team still trying to define itself, the result raised as many questions as it answered. Maryland moved the ball well enough to keep the pressure on, but Virginia Tech handled the late-game stretch and never let the Terps reclaim possession when it mattered most. Now the Hokies have a real early measuring stick, and the next step is figuring out whether this was the kind of win that signals a jump forward or just a promising snapshot before the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Faces Its First Real Test Of This Fast Start
Virginia Tech has spent the first two weeks looking every bit like a team that could make a real statement under James Franklin, pairing a 2-0 start with convincing wins over VMI and Old Dominion. Ethan Grunkemeyer has settled in well at quarterback, and the defense has given the Hokies a sturdy foundation as the schedule begins to tighten.
Maryland is the kind of opponent that should tell Virginia Tech something more meaningful about where it stands. A top-40 team with a strong pass rush, it brings the sort of front that can expose sloppy protection and force an offense to prove it can keep pace. The Hokies are also expecting a healthier offensive line with starting center Kyle Altuner back, and the timing feels right for a matchup that could say plenty about how real this fast start is. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Just Delivered The Kind Of Road Win Fans Needed
Virginia Techs 35-26 win at Maryland was the kind of early-season road result that can change the mood around a program in a hurry. The Hokies controlled the clock, stacked together efficient drives and went into halftime with a sizable lead, with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer helping set the tone through a series of key plays and touchdown passes.
It was also a notable breakthrough beyond just the scoreboard, since it marked Virginia Techs first non-conference win over a Power Four opponent since 2017. Maryland quarterback Malik Washington made his share of impactful plays, but the Hokies handled enough of the games pressure moments to snap the Terrapins 20-game non-conference winning streak and leave Blacksburg with a result fans had been waiting to see on the road. [Read more 🡒]