Maryland football faces Michigan State on Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. EST in the season finale for both.
Maryland (4-7, 1-7) aims to send its seniors out with a win after a promising season turned sour.
“We have the chance to write our own ending to a tough year — a chance to send our seniors out with a victory,” Maryland head coach Michael Locksley said.
Michigan State (3-8, 0-8) is also looking to end the season on the right note and grab its first conference win of the season.
The Spartans and Terrapins last met on Sept. 7, 2024, when Michigan State narrowly won, 27-24. Locksley is 2-3 against the Spartans.
For the last time this season, here are three things to look for in the upcoming matchup:
Can Maryland start fast?
Although the final score indicates otherwise, Maryland got off to a quick start against Michigan in a 45-20 loss on Nov. 22.
The Terrapins opened the game with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take an early 7-0 lead against the Wolverines.
Maryland ripped off chunk plays of 20 and 29 yards en route to first-and-goal. It took all four downs, but freshman quarterback Malik Washington eventually found sophomore tight end Dorian Fleming in the end zone for the score.
Although the ensuing onside kick didn’t go as planned, Maryland could still opt to be aggressive and take chances against Michigan State in an effort to secure its first win since September. Besides, it has nothing to lose at this point.
“It’s going to be important even more so this week to find a way to stop the run but even more for us is to try to create some explosives,” Locksley said. “We still aren’t getting enough explosives.”
Will Malik Washington use his legs?
Washington ran for less than 20 yards against Illinois and Michigan after posting 164 rushing yards against Rutgers on Nov. 8.
Maryland’s run game desperately needed a spark all season, and after the Rutgers game, it seemed Washington might become more involved in the ground attack.
A balance must be struck between keeping the quarterback upright and letting him run, but Washington has proven he can make plays with his legs when given the chance.
Freshman running back Dejuan Williams leads the backfield with 449 total rushing yards. Sophomore running back Nolan Ray (288) and Washington (285) are behind him.
“If you look across the country all the top teams have the ability to run the football,” Locksley said. “We went into this year saying that was a point of emphasis for us. … Running the football is important. If you want to win, you have to run it.”
Can Maryland’s defense get off the field?
Michigan’s offense was nearly flawless, scoring on all but three drives — a missed field goal, time expiring before halftime and time expiring at the end of the game. The Wolverines were 12 of 14 on third down and held the ball for 35:38.
In fact, Maryland has not held an opposing offense to under 50 percent on third down since a 20-17 loss to UCLA on Oct. 18.
Similarly, the offense has also struggled on third down during this stretch. Maryland is just 15 of 50 on third down conversions in its last four games.
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