Maryland football falls flat against Virginia Tech in 35-26 loss
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
As Maryland football took the field for the second quarter of its massive matchup with Virginia Tech, it appeared to have stifled the Hokies’ momentum.
Virginia Tech outgained Maryland 143-12 in the first quarter and had gotten a yard away from punching in a second touchdown. Two false starts, extended replay review delays and a Nahsir Taylor sack pushed them back, stalling the drive and injecting energy back into the sold-out SECU Stadium crowd.
But facing a third-and-goal from the 18-yard line, Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer shifted gears. He climbed through a collapsing pocket and scampered through a dissolved defensive interior, shrugging off two attempted tackles and falling into the end zone for a touchdown.
While the Hokies couldn’t convert the extra point, Maryland never got closer than those six points. The Terps were outclassed under the SECU Stadium spotlights in a 35-26 letdown against the Hokies.
A week after Washington’s uber-efficient game against UConn, it was his counterpart who looked nearly faultless in College Park. Grunkemeyer had the answer for the Terps all night, finishing 31-of-39 for 314 yards and three touchdowns and doing much of his damage in the intermediate passing game. Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin dialed up spreads and curls that left the Terps running in circles all night.
To counteract the early deficit, Maryland attacked Virginia Tech at a frenetic pace. The Terps either flew down the field — like they did for their first touchdown, moving 75 yards in 2:20 — or were frustrated early on every drive, none of which took enough time to give the defense a rest.
Maryland’s only first-half foray to push past three minutes ended with quarterback Malik Washington opting for a pooch punt on fourth-and-13 from the 34-yard line. Even that bounced into the end zone and netted a paltry 14 yards.
The defense couldn’t find respite as the Hokies’ barrage continued. Daniel Wingate was tasked with covering Jeffrey Overton Jr’s route into the flat and was a step slow, letting the running back round the corner. Wingate tried to make the tackle and missed; three more Terps missed tackles as a short completion turned into a 49-yard touchdown.
Meanwhile, as in 2025, all offensive responsibility fell onto Washington’s shoulders — the offense generated just 64 rushing yards, and the quarterback had a quarter of them.
Washington did what he could, finding Chris Durr Jr. to make the score 20-14 with just under two minutes left in the first half. But Maryland couldn’t stop Virginia Tech before or after the half, with a two-point conversion making the score 35-14 halfway through the third quarter and sending Maryland fans streaming for the exits.
In garbage time, Maryland attempted to string together a comeback. Washington continued to deal, finding Dorian Fleming and Chris Durr for fourth-quarter scores to cut the lead to nine points.
The defense had to hold up its end of the bargain to complete the comeback, though, and Virginia Tech did just enough, barely converting a fourth-and-1 with three minutes remaining to ice the game.
Three things to know
1. Non-conference streak resets. Entering the game against Virginia Tech, Maryland had won 20 straight non-conference games, the longest streak in the nation. Ahead of the 2027 non-conference schedule (or a potential bowl game this year), the Terps will start from scratch for the first time since 2019.
2. Jekyll-and-Hyde night from Durr and Gladding. After combining for 233 yards and two touchdowns against UConn, Maryland’s top two wide receivers had drastically different nights Saturday.Durr finished with 12 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, grabbing everything that came his way, while Gladding caught just three of six targets for 52 yards.
3. Missed tackles, missed opportunities. The Terps’ defense had the chance to make plays throughout the game, but several catches and runs were extended by an inability to get the Hokies on the ground. The Terps also had a few backbreaking instances of offensive plays getting negated or defensive yards getting spotted by penalties. Both were issues in 2025.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos