Rutgers Opponent Q&A w/ Maryland’s Testudo Times

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Rutgers matchup against Maryland is viewed on both sides of the aisle as one of the few realistic opportunities to get a Big Ten win by both teams. With both teams having coaches on the hot seat and having four losses, we wanted to do a check-in on our bottom of the Big Ten brothers. Below is a list of questions that we had answered by Nolan Rogalski, a reporter for SB Nation’s Testudo Times, on the status of Maryland football and their views on their upcoming matchup with the Scarlet Knights.

1. What is your strongest position group on offense?

Maryland’s strongest offensive position group… is a difficult question to answer. Before the season, I would’ve told you without a second thought that Malik Washington is the best player on this team. But that hasn’t been the case fully… more on that later. For now, I’ll say it’s the tight end room, which has two legitimate NFL prospects in Dorian Fleming and Preston Howard. However, both of these guys have been injured at times during the season, and whether it’s because of that or something else, they have not been as notable a part of the passing or run-blocking game as I would have expected. Combined with some useful depth pieces, it’s the best of a less-than-ideal bunch, though. One of Maryland’s biggest issues this season has been its lack of depth just about everywhere. The Terps have suffered a lot of injuries this season and have clearly lost a step talent-wise.

2. What is your strongest position group on defense?

Maryland’s strongest defensive position group is undoubtedly its defensive ends — even with a 2025 freshman all-Big Ten player in Zahir Mathis out for the year. Sidney Stewart is probably the singular most important piece for Maryland on defense, he will command double-teams constantly and still get home to the quarterback a couple times a game. His stats are down because of it, but it gives room for his opposite number to work as well, whether that be five-star freshman Zion Elee — who’s grown into a role on this defense and has the talent to play somewhere far better than Maryland next year — or sophomores DD Holmes and Nahsir Taylor, who form a legitimate four-man platoon on the edge that has the ability to keep quarterbacks honest. It’s also freed up Maryland’s interior defensive linemen, which is a group that has definitely improved from last year. However, Maryland’s edge is much better against the pass than the run, the Terps will likely have quite a few problems stopping Antwan Raymond.

3. How has Malik Washington developed from his freshman to sophomore year?

Malik Washington was incredibly talented but very raw as a freshman. As a sophomore, he hasn’t made enough of a step forward in some areas that feel like they arguably come down to coaching. His footwork, for one, has not progressed. Washington will get happy feet in the pocket and won’t set himself correctly on a lot of throws. His ability to progress through his reads and make decisions on where the ball goes has never been the strongest part of his game, but it has definitely been a weakness in 2026, as there have been some open players he has passed up in favor of more difficult throws. The biggest issue, though, is he seems to be playing without a lot of confidence right now. The coaching staff has attempted to simplify the passing game and get him relying more on his fundamentals, but he threw for a career-low 64 yards against Ohio State last week and looked spooked while doing it.

4. What position battle are you highlighting as a catalyst for the outcome of this game?

The biggest determining factor I see in this game is Maryland’s offensive line against Rutgers’ defensive line in the running game. Maryland has a really talented running back in DeJuan Williams, but oftentimes, the line hasn’t been able to get enough of a push to open up lanes. It’s something Locksley has said he’s seen improvement with over the last few weeks, but it hasn’t happened for Maryland in a game yet. Of course, against Rutgers feels like the most likely place for that to happen, given the difficulties the Scarlet Knights have had in containing their opponents on the ground. It’s very much an issue of a stoppable force against a movable object. If Maryland is able to get the running game going, though, then that will likely lead to success in the passing game and on third downs — the Terps would be staying on schedule offensively for the first time in a month. It’s a critical area of the game for me.

5. What can you say about Locksley’s job security? What are fans saying? Do you see him getting fired this season, and if so, when? Has your AD said anything on the matter?

There’s a lot to say here, but I’m going to try to keep it short. A sizable contingent of fans have wanted Mike Locksley out the door since the 2024 season. If you hadn’t checked the calendar in awhile, it’s now 2026. Last year, he got a lot of support from AD Jim Smith, who was in his first year with Maryland athletics and clearly didn’t want to rock the boat too badly. Smith said last year that Locksley would coach until the end of the season and be the coach in 2026; we haven’t heard anything like that yet this time around, and the calls for Locksley to get fired have only gotten louder. To that extent, it’s probably a little fortunate the team has been on the road the last two weeks.

Buying out Locksley’s contract would cost roughly $9 million, and that price is dropping by the week, it’s definitely not the sort of call that should hamstring a Big Ten athletic program financially. However, Maryland is far from the richest school in the conference, and this number is reportedly potentially hard to stomach for some. I’ve said since the Terps lost to Virginia Tech that I thought this game was the deciding game as to whether Locksley makes it to the end of the season, given the importance to the university as a homecoming game and the fact that this is Maryland’s last game before the bye week. If Maryland wins, I think he’ll make it to the end of the season; I think he might stick around even if they don’t win. Locksley’s recruiting power is real, and there’s a legitimate chance they want to transition him into a front-office role to try to retain that. He loves this program, there’s a legitimate chance he’d accept it, too. But if Maryland loses… it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this is Mike Locksley’s last game as head coach in College Park.

6. Do you view Rutgers-Maryland as a real rivalry?

I think I have to consider this a rivalry because the programs have to. It’s almost a rivalry of necessity, which isn’t really a great situation to be in, but it’s an important one all the same. Neither team likes to lose to the other in any sport, with programs far better or worse than how football is in each place. I can’t speak for New Brunswick, but people in College Park are also not a big fan of Rutgers as an entity. There’s a lot to be said about how damaging a loss to Rutgers in particular would be for Locksley in the public sphere, even though Maryland has lost its last two games against Rutgers. With time, I think it’ll get to be a truer rivalry, particularly if there are some controversial close results (this would be the perfect weekend for that). I think it would also help if both of these schools can find some improvement in their major revenue sports, that will bring it more legitimacy. For now, I’m happy to be part of the crowd that pushes it. It just makes sense as the two true East Coast teams of the Big Ten.

7. What is your prediction for this game?

Because both teams can’t lose, I’ll say Maryland wins, 24-21. I have zero confidence in that prediction, but I feel like this game is going to be won in the extra possessions, and I trust Maryland’s defense to force a few turnovers more than I trust Rutgers’ defense.

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