UConn Football Takeaways: Maryland ran away with it in Week 2
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UConn football lost to Maryland on Saturday; by the end, it wasn’t close. The Huskies took an early 7-0 lead, but then the Terps scored 24 straight to secure control of the contest.
The visitors were quite stout defensively and modestly efficient on offense, as quarterback Malik Washington completed 83% of his 41 pass attempts for 347 yards and two of his receivers went over 100 yards each. The Huskies showed some flashes of competence, but also that they are not a finished product at this early stage of the Jason Candle era.
Some takeaways from the 38-14 setback at the Rent.
Maryland Went After the Secondary
The Terps passed on 14 out of 18 plays in the first quarter and 11 of 18 in the third quarter. Washington’s stat line was prolific, but 26 of his 41 attempts went five or fewer yards through the air, including 14 behind the line of scrimmage, and his receivers racked up 222 yards after catch, representing 64% of his passing yards.
After the game, head coach Mike Locksley said that UConn’s defensive front was a strength and the Husky secondary was less experienced. They ran a lot of RPOs and went to the air because UConn’s defensive looks favored the run.
“Those kids on the defensive front played their tails off; played hard throughout the whole time,” Candle said of UConn’s defense. “They can’t just sit there and take punches the whole game; we have to help them out in other phases.”
To their credit, Washington and his receivers did a great job of making completions in tight windows. Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding took a short pass 60 yards to the house for their first touchdown. They never got over the top for a big play, although a couple of timely pass interference penalties did support their go-ahead scoring drive.
“They had some shifty players; their o-line was getting downfield,” John Lista said. “So you have big bodies like that going downfield, and you’re trying to chase after small, shifty, elusive guys; it’s tough.”
The Husky Offense Stalled
In the second quarter, UConn gained just 30 yards in two possessions and allowed two long scoring drives to fall behind by two scores. In the third quarter, Maryland built on its lead with two touchdowns as the Terps wore UConn down on both sides of the ball. The running backs weren’t getting much space at all as Kalieb Osborne finished as the Huskies’ leading rusher.
After a solid start, with a touchdown and over 100 passing yards through the first quarter, the second quarter was a dud, and then they went three-and-out to start the second half before allowing a touchdown that effectively put the game out of reach. The Huskies were chasing from there, and even though they got a TD on the next possession, the Terps responded and clamped down for the win. UConn gained just eight yards in the fourth quarter after a modest 78 in the third.
“We definitely saw a little bit more man [coverage]. Compared to last week, it was a little bit more zone,” wide receiver Shamar Porter said. “So, definitely the speed and me having to learn how to get open.”
Bad Loss, Not Horrible
This was an okay way for the game to go given the circumstances. Maryland is in the Big Ten. UConn is the lone FBS Independent without a monster TV deal from NBC. Two years ago, this same team with the same head coach clobbered UConn, 50-7. This year, the Huskies showed some fight against a Terps side that is probably better than its 2024 version.
College football, especially early in the season, can be difficult to evaluate on the margins when wins and losses are the only way that teams are judged. UConn lost; the game wasn’t particularly close, and didn’t even cover the oddsmakers’ point spread. But they live to fight another week, as they did in 2024, which ended up being an 8-win season for UConn.
“I think every team needs to face adversity at some point, and this is our adversity,” Lista said. “It’s better now than five games in. How we respond is ultimately what really matters.”
The Huskies should be on more even footing the next two weeks against Southern Miss and Miami of Ohio, and maybe even the following week against Syracuse, who just lost to Cal at home, 21-18.
Helping The Opponents
For the second consecutive week, the Huskies committed several penalties. This time they had eight for 72 yards. This included three defensive pass interference calls, which led to a touchdown and a missed field goal.
“I feel like it started with us; we beat ourselves a couple times with penalties,” Porter said. “On the offense, you have to get going; it’s not just going to come to you.”
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