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UConn head coach Jason Candle said after last week's 56-7
win over Lafayette that his only complaint was that his team didn't face any
adversity.

He cannot say that anymore.

Maryland defeated UConn 38-14 on Saturday at Pratt &
Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, snapping the Huskies'
nine-game home winning streak. For the Terrapins, it was their 20th consecutive
nonconference victory, the longest in the nation.

While UConn couldn't pull out the win, Candle undoubtedly
will be happy with a few instances of how the team responded to adversity.
Still, the game showed Candle where the Huskies need work.

How the game unfolded

The Huskies scored first as sophomore quarterback Kalieb Osborne
led a quick three-play, 47-yard drive capped by a 36-yard touchdown pass to JD
Willoughby with 4:39 to play in the first. The UConn drive took just 81 seconds.

The lead didn’t last long as the Terrapins tied the score after
their own four-play, 75-yard drive. Maryland QB Malik Washington capped the 75-second
series with a 60-yard scoring pass to Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding.

Maryland added another touchdown and a field goal before the
end of the half to take a 17-7 lead. On the final drive of the half, a UConn
goal-line stand forced Maryland to kick the field goal, giving the Huskies some
momentum going into halftime.

Halftime pic.twitter.com/rVo62w2ffj

— UConn Football (@UConnFootball) September 12, 2026

The Huskies had possession to open the second half and
needed a solid drive to build on the momentum but went three-and-out with a loss of 4 yards.

Maryland scored another touchdown to boost its advantage to
24-7 before UConn went 77 yards on seven plays to cut the lead to 24-14 about
midway through the third quarter. Shamar Porter hauled in a 39-yard TD pass from
Osborne.

That was as close as the Huskies would get.

What the tape will show

Notes on the offense

UConn gained a program-record 671 yards last week, but the
Maryland defense held the Huskies to 223 total yards on Saturday. Osborne was 10-of-21
passing for 156 yards, and the Huskies were held to 67 rushing yards – 30 of
them from Osborne – on 31 carries. Featured running back Kenji Christian had nine
carries for just 17 yards, an average of 1.9 yards per run.

The Huskies never reached the red zone; both of their
touchdowns came on passes of longer than 20 yards.

Better communication between Osborne and the
receiving corps is needed. On some plays, Osborne and the receivers were not on the same
page. With 87 new players on the roster and a first-year starting quarterback, the
offense showed a lack of familiarity that should improve as the season goes on.

A hallmark of the 2025 team was ball security. Quarterback
Joe Fagnano was intercepted just once, and the Huskies lost only one fumble en
route to a nine-win season. UConn had two turnovers against Lafayette and lost
a fumble on Saturday.

The Huskies managed just 12 first downs. They were
successful on three of 11 attempts on third down, and they couldn’t convert
either of their two fourth-down tries.

Notes on the defense

Maryland’s Washington had a huge day, finishing 34-of-41 passing for 347 yards with two touchdowns. In one stretch, he completed 18 passes in a
row before throwing an incompletion.

UConn allowed Maryland to score on five of six possessions
in the red zone. Their only miss came when Sean O’Haire’s 37-yard field goal
attempt went wide left with 5:18 remaining in the game.

Maryland gained 475 total yards, and two wide receivers went
over the century mark in yards. Chris Durr Jr. had 103 yards and a score, and
Abdul-Rahim Gladding gained 130 yards on just eight catches, including a 60-yard
reception.

The defensive coaching staff undoubtedly will address missed tackls that cost the Huskies precious yards.

More to the story

For UConn to win, the Huskies needed to play a clean game.
Instead, they were flagged eight times for 90 yards. Maryland committed five penalties
for 37 yards.

This is the Huskies’ second straight loss to the Terrapins,
who beat UConn 50-7 on Aug. 31, 2024, in College Park, Md.

Maryland’s passing totals were inflated by the
receivers gaining 222 yards after carry. For the Huskies, the total was 64.

The Terrapins’ completion percentage was 83.3%
compared to 47.6% for the Huskies.

The Huskies have a 2-8 all-time record against Big Ten teams.
UConn is 2-1 against Indiana, 0-3 against Michigan, 0-2 against Maryland, and
0-1 against Illinois and Purdue.

Up next for UConn

The Huskies (1-1) will play their first road game on Sept. 19, facing Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., at 7 p.m. The Golden Eagles (1-0) were playing Saturday night at Auburn.

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