Buoyed by a season-shifting comeback win over Southern California, Maryland now has a pep in its step as it hits the road again in the Big Ten this week.
“Couldn’t have happened at a better time for us,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said Tuesday. “A much-needed win for our program to give it that shock of confidence.”
Down 14 twice in the third and fourth quarters, the Terrapins rallied, with a block by defensive lineman Donnell Brown on a USC field goal attempt helping to set up the winning 3-yard score by quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. The 29-28 win sent fans pouring out of the SECU Stadium stands and onto the field to celebrate the biggest fourth-quarter comeback since October 2020 — ironically against this week’s opponent, Minnesota.
“We didn’t get voted off the island this week, which is, you know, transactional college athletics,” Locksley said. “College football is a transactional deal, where it’s, ‘What have you done for us lately?’ I like the way our team has continued to fight. Hasn’t always been the results that we wanted, but as I’ve told them, we’re going to try to stay process and progress oriented right now.”
Maryland (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) has lost its last two games in Minneapolis, but this will be the schools’ first meeting in three years after playing six straight times from 2016-21.
“It’s always tough, as it’s been highlighted. Every week you see teams really struggle when they go on the road in the Big Ten because it’s a tough league,” Locksley said.
The Golden Gophers (4-3, 2-2) are coming off a bye week and boast the fifth-best total defense in the nation, only allowing 262.3 yards per game and 12 total touchdowns in seven games.
“Really consistent with their scheme,” Locksley said. “They’re big up front. They’ve got great length, athletic, and like I said, their corners have the ability to kind of play man, which allows them to load that box up to stop the run.”
With Locksley now in his second week calling plays instead of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, Maryland all but essentially abandoned the run. Terrapins running backs only gained 68 yards on 12 carries, with Locksley using wide receivers and running back Roman Hemby heavily in the run-pass option game to get playmakers on the outside of Maryland’s still-developing offensive line.
“We’re constantly trying to figure out how can we get better, faster, because we don’t have a lot of time,” Locksley said. “We know that. We’ve got to get better fast. I thought we saw some incremental improvements and some of the things we’ve made decisions on, and it’s very atypical of how it happens.”
One of those playmakers, receiver Tai Felton, has been held under 100 yards in each of the last three games after hitting the century mark in his first four this season. But fellow wideout Kaden Prather is starting to come into his own, Locksley said, thanks to some encouragement.
“We’ve challenged Kaden the last couple of weeks,” Locksley said. “He’s put the work in on the practice fields, but challenged him to be dominant. And I thought he did a really good job of making some plays for us.”
Prather’s nine receptions and 111 yards were both career bests, coming at a perfect time for a team that finally looks in-stride.
“This team is a little different than any other team I’ve coached and I want to make sure I emphasize how proud I am about the mindset of this team,” Locksley said. “I think they understand how important it is to continue to stay focused on the process as well as the progress, and when you make small changes, they typically add up to big shifts.”
• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.
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