Maryland football defeated Towson, 44-17, on Sept. 13.
The Terrapins (3-0) dominated the first half en route to a comfortable victory, setting the tone ahead of their Big Ten opener on Sept. 20 at noon against Wisconsin.
Maryland opened the game with six consecutive scoring drives against the Tigers and will look to carry that confidence and momentum into their trip to Madison.
But first, here are three takeaways from the win:
Maryland’s passing game was efficient.
Freshman quarterback Malik Washington had his best game of the season so far, finishing 16 of 22 for 261 yards with one interception, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. He gave way to redshirt freshman Khristian Martin with 5:42 remaining in the third quarter.
Maryland scored on their first six drives with Washington in the game.
“[Washington] was really an efficient force,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “He did a really good job of getting the offense rolling early on and gaining some momentum.”
Washington led a perfect drive in the first quarter when he went 4-for-4 with a back-shoulder throw to senior wideout Shaleak Knotts for 33 yards. Washington capped the drive off with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to increase the Terrapins’ lead to 17-0.
Knotts finished with 79 yards and a touchdown. He has scored a touchdown in each game to open the season.
Senior wideout Octavian Smith Jr. also had a great game after being held in check during his first two outings this season. Smith totaled six catches for 51 yards against Florida Atlantic and Northern Illinois.
Smith exploded for a huge game against the Tigers, finishing with four catches for a career-high 109 yards and becoming the first Terrapins receiver to reach 100 yards in a game since Tai Felton did it at Minnesota in 2024.
“I didn’t think I had 100,” Smith said. I thought I had close to 80, but not 100. It felt good.”
Maryland’s defense bounced back.
The Terrapins’ defense didn’t play poorly last week, but the run defense was a concern. Maryland held Northern Illinois to just 91 passing yards but gave up 180 rushing yards. Despite struggling to stop the run, the Terrapins allowed just nine points.
It was a different story against Towson, which ran for just 51 yards. Although the Tigers surpassed 100 passing yards, much of that came while playing from well behind.
“Last week it was small little things that led them to [being able to run the ball],” freshman linebacker Carlton Smith said. “This week we practiced, made up for the mistakes and went through the mistakes that [NIU] scored on, so I feel like that helped us against Towson.”
Maryland’s defense held Towson scoreless until 6:48 remained in the third quarter, when Tigers freshman quarterback Andrew Indorf connected with senior wide receiver Lukkas Londono for a 19-yard touchdown pass.
Maryland had already forced two turnovers by then. In the second quarter, sophomore defensive lineman Eyan Thomas forced a fumble at Towson’s 25-yard line, which freshman Messiah Delhomme recovered. The Terrapins capitalized on the short field with a four-play touchdown drive capped off by sophomore Nolan Ray to extend the lead to 31-0.
Maryland’s second turnover came in the third quarter. Maryland sophomore defensive back La’khi Roland intercepted Indorf in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 41-0. It was Maryland’s first 100-yard interception return since Tom Brown accomplished the feat in 1962.
“The quarterback scrambled out the pocket. So our job as a secondary is to plaster our man, and that’s what I did,” Roland said. “Right place, right time, caught the ball, touchdown.”
Can Maryland keep this momentum in Big Ten play?
Maryland begins its Big Ten schedule with a trip to Madison to take on Wisconsin. The Terrapins are 0-4 all-time against the Badgers, with the most recent meeting resulting in a 23-10 loss in 2022.
Maryland finished 1-8 in conference play in 2024. The Terrapins’ lone win was a dramatic 29-28 comeback victory against new Big Ten foe USC, which ended with fans storming the field.
Since Locksley took over as head coach ahead of the 2019 season, Maryland has posted a 13-32 record in conference play excluding the 2020 season. This year, Locksley aims to achieve a winning conference record and return the Terrapins to bowl eligibility after missing out in 2024. Prior to that, Maryland had appeared in — and won — three consecutive bowl games.
“We’ll learn a lot about who we are as a team on the road against Wisconsin,” Locksley said. I know the players are excited about getting out of nonconference [play at 3-0]. Excited to go on the road up to Madison and put together a good week of work to put ourselves in position to get a road win up there in Madison.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics