Maryland embarrassed by Northwestern in rout

COLLEGE PARK — Another moribund post-bye week performance under Mike Locksley reared its ugly head for Maryland on Friday night against Northwestern.

A ground game that had averaged 146.6 yards rushing per game struggled all night, with a whopping 33 carries resulting in just 59 yards.

A litany of errors plagued the special teams unit, from muffed and fumbled kickoffs to getting pinned deep on multiple occasions. 

A team that had led the nation with a plus-11 turnover differential gave up four.

And Terrapins quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. looked rushed, shaken and pedestrian against a Wildcats defense that had allowed the seventh-most points per game in the Big Ten, as Maryland was embarrassed by Northwestern 37-10.

“Today, we took a step back,” Locksley said.

Somehow, the Terrapins outgained Northwestern 355-282, ran nearly double the plays (85 to 52) and recorded nearly triple the first downs (25 to 9). Yet none of that mattered for a team with two weeks to prepare after a loss at Indiana but looked completely unprepared, falling to 0-5 under Locksley following a bye week.

“It’s tough, it’s frustrating,” Edwards said, “but we’re at the midpoint way of the season, and we only really have one choice but to look inside, to fix some things, to come together as a team, and continue to push forward. That’s really all we know.”

The coup de gras came on Northwestern’s next-to-last touchdown: A strip-sack of Edwards at the Maryland 2-yard line, followed by a scoop-and-score by defensive lineman Aidan Hubbard early in the fourth quarter. 

“Our left guard [Issac Bunyun] totally missed the block. Obviously, we prepare our quarterback. Things like that happen,”  Locksley said.

“I didn’t help us. I got to do a better job of helping us with when they’re struggling.”

Maryland (3-3, 0-3) remains winless in Big Ten play halfway through October in its worst conference start since 2015. Locksley, who was able to mask some deficiencies under quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa the last four-plus seasons, will now face mounting heat and questions about why the Terrapins —regardless of who’s under center — continue to lose winnable games they are favored in.

“I mean, for me, it’s putting out the fires of a young team,” said Locksley, who took over playcalling duties from offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. “You know, one week it’s penalties. Today we had, I think, three penalties. So we get that fixed, and that’s now, and all of a sudden, the turnovers show up, which we haven’t turned the ball over.”

Portending what was to come, Maryland’s offense put on a meek showing for its two first-quarter drives, only mustering 33 yards of offense with a run-heavy play distribution — nine rushes out of the 13 plays run in the quarter.

The Wildcats found their stride on their second drive, ending with quarterback Jack Lausch scrambling up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown, set up by a 40-yard completion to receiver A.J. Henning three plays prior.

Northwestern (3-3, 1-2) kept the momentum, marching 98 yards on its next drive for its second score. It was keyed again by an identical 40-yard pass play, this time from Lausch to Bryce Kirtz inside the Maryland 10 yard line before running back Cam Porter took a direct snap 3 yards into the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

Redshirt freshman Ricardo Cooper Jr., getting reps in place of two-year starting returner Braeden Wisloski, fumbled the ensuing kickoff at the 23, leading to more Northwestern points courtesy of a 46-yard Luke Akers field goal.

“We are looking for consistency back there,” Locksley said, noting Wisloski had been “banged up.” “We’ve had poor decision-making by our returners in the kick game.”

Maryland snapped back to life with a lengthy drive of its own, taking nearly 8 minutes to go 90 yards, capped by a fourth-and-1 quarterback shove of Edwards across the goal line. The 11th rushing touchdown of his career — eight of those of the 1-yard variety — cut Northwestern’s lead to 17-7.

After deferring the first-half kickoff, Maryland had two possessions in the final 2 minutes of the half to capitalize on what Locksley calls the “middle eight” period that bridges halftime. 

It did not, going three-and-out and then missing a 54-yard field goal. The opening drive of the second half, which started with promise and a couple of Felton first down catches, also fizzled out when Prather dropped a short pass on fourth-and-1 in Northwestern territory.

“It starts up front right now for us. I mean, we’re trying to make sure that as we bring along some of these inexperienced guys up front … but when you turn it over, and you don’t come away with points, and then you start chasing points. And I think that’s that’s kind of what happened there, late in the third and fourth quarter, you start chasing,” Locksley said. “And right now, that’s not who we are.”

Another grind of a drive — one that nearly ended before it began when the first play was reviewed for a safety — made it from Maryland’s 1 to the precipice of the end zone before three straight negative yardage plays forced the Terrapins to settle for a field goal. 

Jack Howes’ 31-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter cut the deficit to 17-10, the closest Maryland would get before the Hubbard fumble recovery. Next is homecoming against Southern California is Oct. 19, one of four games remaining against opponents ranked in the top 25 to begin the season.

“Here’s what I’ll tell you: No one’s going to be tougher or nobody can be tougher on us than we will be on ourselves and than what I will be on myself,” Locksley said.