Maryland football wilts in 35-26 loss to Virginia Tech, ending long streak

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COLLEGE PARK — James Franklin still has Michael Locksley’s number.

After building a significant advantage while coaching Penn State, Franklin proved his mastery over Locksley isn’t limited by geography, as Virginia Tech beat Maryland, 35-26, on Saturday night before a sold-out crowd of 46,185 at SECU Stadium.

The Terps (2-1) missed out on opening a season with three straight victories for what would have been the fifth time in the past six years. They also watched their nation-leading streak of wins against nonconference opponents end at 20 straight.

On a more personal level, Locksley dropped to 1-7 against Franklin, with the lone victory coming Nov. 7, 2020, when Maryland stunned the Nittany Lions, 35-19. Franklin has won the past five meetings with Locksley and the Terps.

The history between Locksley and Franklin is long. When they were members of Ralph Friedgen’s staff in the early 2000s, Locksley was the running backs coach, while Franklin was the wide receivers coach.

As rival head coaches, Franklin, 54, has lorded over Locksley, 56. Franklin has won by at least 30 points in four meetings. In their previous matchup, Franklin allowed a backup quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in the waning seconds of an eventual 44-7 thrashing on Nov. 30, 2024. That drew the ire of Locksley, who confronted Franklin during their postgame handshake and dropped some profanity during his news conference afterward.

After demolishing Hampton, 62-0, on Sept. 5 and handling UConn, 38-14, on Sept. 12, Maryland was reminded that playing a Power 4 foe is a different beast.

The Hokies scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions, including each of their first three, to take a 20-7 lead. Even after Terps quarterback Malik Washington connected with junior wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. for a 12-yard scoring strike with 2:11 left in the second quarter, Virginia Tech marched 75 yards in 1:55 to regain its double-digit lead with 16 seconds to go when junior quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer found senior tight end Ja’Ricous Hairston alone in the end zone for a 27-14 lead at halftime.

After Maryland wasted a chance to get back into the game by going three-and-out to start the third quarter, the Hokies scored another touchdown — this time on a 2-yard run by sophomore running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. — to seemingly put the game out of reach. Shortly after, Terps fans began leaving the stands.

Washington, the Glen Burnie native and Spalding graduate, was prolific for the second straight week. After completing 34 of 41 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns against UConn, he finished 30 of 43 for 359 yards and two scores against Virginia Tech.

Washington became the first quarterback to post back-to-back 300-yard games since Taulia Tagovailoa did so against Michigan State and Purdue in October 2022. But much of his success came late in the second half, after the Hokies had already built a 35-14 lead.

Durr, a transfer from Wyoming, caught 12 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. He is the first Maryland player to total 10 or more receptions in consecutive games since at least 1996 and the first Terps player to finish with 12 catches and 100 receiving yards in a single game since DJ Moore (12 for 210 and two touchdowns) in a 37-21 setback at Northwestern on Oct, 14, 2017, and Torrey Smith (14 for 224 and four touchdowns) in a 38-31 win against North Carolina State on Nov. 27, 2010.

But Washington and the rest of the pass offense didn’t get much help from a ground game that once again lacked redshirt sophomore running back DeJuan Williams, the Baltimore resident and St. Frances graduate who presumably still has a knee issue that forced him out early in the season opener against Hampton. Sophomore Iverson Howard and redshirt freshman Harry Dalton III combined for just 48 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries.

In Franklin’s last six wins against Locksley, the former’s defenses have held the latter’s rush offense to less than 100 yards in each game.

Maryland’s defense had amassed 10 sacks, three interceptions and one fumble recovery in its first two games. But the unit struggled to hem in the Hokies.

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Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin from Penn State, was surgical against a Terps defense that had feasted on inferior quarterbacks. He completed 31 of 39 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score, converting a third-and-goal from Maryland’s 18-yard line just nine seconds into the second quarter.

Grunkemeyer was sacked once, and Virginia Tech did not turn the ball over. The Hokies’ offense converted 66.7% (10 of 15) of its third-down opportunities.

Grunkemeyer’s favorite target was junior tight end Luke Reynolds, another Nittany Lions transfer who caught 12 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

The Hokies (3-0) remained perfect under Franklin for the first time since 2017, when that squad got off to a 4-0 start. The win, Virginia Tech’s first over a Big Ten team since 2015, also ended a 15-game losing streak against nonconference opponents.

Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.

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