Maryland’s offense has looked sharp through two games, but Saturday night at SECU Stadium is the first time it gets a real test.
The Terrapins have piled up 100 points without turning the ball over, rolling past Hampton 62-0 and then winning at UConn 38-14. Virginia Tech has been just as efficient, crushing VMI 77-3 before taking care of Old Dominion 44-21 at Lane Stadium.
Both teams have handled lesser competition. Neither has seen a Power Four opponent yet.
That’s what makes the 7:30 p.m. kickoff such a useful measuring stick.
If Maryland is going to keep its production humming, three offensive players will shape the night.
At the center of everything is quarterback Malik Washington, who has already put together a start to the season that looks every bit as clean as Maryland’s record. He completed 18 straight passes at UConn, a school record, and finished that game 34-of-41 for 347 yards and two touchdowns. On the year, he’s 53-of-72 for 533 yards with three scores and no interceptions.
The numbers around him are just as strong. Washington is completing 73.6% of his throws, and Maryland has allowed only one sack all season.
That’s a big change from the nine sacks he took across the entire 2025 season. He’s only a sophomore, but he already has 14 career starts, which is a pretty unusual line for a player who took over as a true freshman and never gave the job back.
His 3,806 career yards of total offense rank fourth among Big Ten quarterbacks through their first 14 starts since 2008. Virginia Tech’s front, though, has been wrecking game plans. Brent Pry’s pass rush leads the country with 12 sacks and 32 tackles for loss, and the Hokies will need to force Washington off his rhythm and into obvious passing situations if they want to slow Maryland down.
Another name to watch is Shaleak Gladding, and Virginia Tech fans already know him. He caught a touchdown at Lane Stadium last September for Old Dominion in a 45-26 Monarchs win before transferring to College Park in January.
Gladding leads Maryland with 187 receiving yards on 14 catches and two touchdowns. His best day came at UConn, where he had a career-high 130 yards on eight receptions. He also handles punt returns, which has helped him build a team-high 221 all-purpose yards.
His production isn’t new. At Old Dominion last fall, he started all 13 games, paced the Monarchs with 51 catches for 667 yards and six touchdowns, and earned All-Sun Belt honorable mention.
Then there’s the run game, where Maryland needs true freshman Nolan Howard to keep trending up. He managed only 125 rushing yards all of last season, but through two games he’s already at 121 yards. He has also scored three rushing touchdowns after finishing 2025 without one.
Howard’s role matters even more now because DeJuan Williams is out of the mix. Williams ripped off a 94-yard touchdown and finished with 116 yards on three carries against Hampton, but he got hurt in the second quarter, did not travel to UConn, and isn’t expected back Saturday.
Maryland gashed Hampton for 365 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground, averaging 9.1 yards per carry. The next week, the ground game cooled off and managed just 3.5 yards per attempt against UConn.
That’s why Howard and Harry Dalton III become so important. Dalton, a redshirt freshman transfer from USC, has three touchdowns on 24 carries. Howard was banged up at UConn as well, though Locksley said afterward he’d be good to go.
If Virginia Tech can make Maryland one-dimensional on early downs, the pressure swings straight to Washington.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Brings Back A Familiar Look For A Huge Maryland Test
Virginia Tech is going with a familiar look for a major early-season test, unveiling an all-white uniform combination for Saturday nights Week 3 matchup against Maryland. The Hokies have had some success in the look over the years, and the switch gives the team a clean, classic presentation as it heads into a game that should carry plenty of attention.
The numbers in white have been solid overall, with Virginia Tech posting a 20-12 record in the uniform set and splitting its games in the 2020s. The Hokies and Terrapins are set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on FS1, so the wardrobe choice will be part of a primetime backdrop for a game that already feels like an important measuring stick. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Faces One Huge Test In A Season Defining Spot
Maryland heads into its meeting with Virginia Tech carrying the kind of questions that tend to follow a team into a season-defining week. The Terrapins have shown enough on offense to make this matchup interesting, but their recent rhythm and the injury situation around the roster add a layer of uncertainty against a Hokies defense that has been the steadier side of the ball. It is the sort of setup where every drive can matter and every mismatch gets magnified.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, has the kind of defensive strengths that can make life difficult if Maryland is not clean early and often. The history between the two programs also gives the game a little extra edge, even if the present-day stakes are what really matter now. For Maryland, this is one of those spots where the season can either settle into a better shape or start raising louder questions, and Virginia Tech is well positioned to make the answer difficult. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Faces A Maryland Defensive Threat That Could Swing Saturday
Marylands defense has already given opposing offenses plenty to sort out this fall, and Virginia Tech is next in line to deal with it on Saturday. The Terps have been especially stingy against the run, giving up just 77 rushing yards on 62 carries with no rushing touchdowns allowed, and they enter the matchup ranked fourth nationally in total defense while sharing the top spot in red zone defense.
The pressure has come from several places, with Holmes, Thomas and Delhomme helping fuel a front that has piled up 10 sacks and made life difficult both in the backfield and near the goal line. For Virginia Tech, that makes this more than just another ACC meeting, because Marylands ability to disrupt the run, force uncomfortable passing situations and shrink scoring chances could end up shaping the whole day. [Read more 🡒]