Maryland football fell to Michigan State, 38-28, at Detroit’s Ford Field in the season finale for both teams on Nov. 29.
The loss marked Maryland’s eighth straight defeat, capping a season that began with a promising 4-0 start. The Terps finished 4-8 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten, the second straight season with those marks.
“This year wasn’t good enough, let’s start with that,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “We did not meet expectations that any of us set inside of Jones-Hill House. Not good enough, not coached good enough, not played well enough and that starts with me. It’s my job to quality control this season and make any and every necessary change for us to get this program back to where we all need it to be. This has been a tough two-year stretch.”
Maryland wanted to send its seniors out on a high note, but instead, the Terps came up short despite a resilient comeback effort. Down 31-28 in the fourth quarter, Maryland had two chances to tie or take the lead but failed to capitalize on either.
Terps kicker Sean O’Haire missed a 27-yard field goal that would have tied the game at 31. On the ensuing possession, redshirt junior defensive back Jamare Glasker intercepted quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, giving the Terps new life. However, the offense stalled. Freshman quarterback Malik Washington was sacked on fourth down, setting up Michigan State at Maryland’s 35-yard line.
The Spartans marched down the field with ease, but the Terps still had a chance to make one final stand with two minutes remaining. On fourth-and-7, Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith opted to try to put the game away instead of kicking a field goal. Milivojevic found wideout Omari Kelly for his fourth touchdown of the game, extending the lead to 38-28.
Milivojevic finished 27 of 39 for 292 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Kelly had five catches for 76 yards, while sophomore wideout Nick Marsh led the Spartans with seven receptions for 85 yards.
Washington threw an interception on Maryland’s final possession while trying to rally from a 10-point deficit with little time remaining. Aside from that turnover, he did everything he could to snap Maryland’s losing streak.
Washington finished 38 of 61 for 459 yards and three touchdowns — the second-most passing yards in a game by a Maryland quarterback.
The Terps were in a 24-7 hole at halftime, unable to score or stop Michigan State — a recipe for disaster. Milivojevic threw three of his four touchdowns in the first half alone, spreading them among four different receivers.
Maryland found its rhythm in the second half, scoring on three straight possessions out of the break — first a touchdown by freshman running back Dejuan Williams, then by senior receiver Shaleak Knotts and finally by senior receiver Jalil Farooq.
Knotts finished with a career-high eight receptions for 139 yards. Farooq finished with 10 catches for 110 yards and two scores.
Ultimately, Maryland’s slow start proved costly, and the Terps closed the season with another frustrating loss.
Locksley will now look ahead to an offseason of adjustments to his roster. The 2026 high school recruiting class is headlined by Baltimore native and five-star defensive end Zion Elee.
“Our ’26 season starts today,” Locksley said. “Obviously we’ve got a lot of things to get corrected, a lot of things to get evaluated. We’ve got a lot of recruiting coming up, which we need to maintain that momentum there. We’ve got to retain this roster, which I expect us to be able to do. I’m confident that we’ll get this program bounced back the way we all want it to be.”
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox