Next up in our opponent preview series is the Maryland Terrapins. Rutgers snapped a three-game losing streak to Maryland with a bowl-clinching victory in College Park by the score of 31-17 last season. With this year’s matchup coming at a similar time in the year, bowl eligibility could be at stake for the Scarlet Knights and potentially the Terrapins as well. The Scarlet Knights will look to make it two straight against Maryland in their second-to-last home game of the season.
Maryland stumbled to
a 4-8 season last year, and they lost a significant amount of their top talent to the transfer portal or the NFL draft. However, a schedule without the likes of Penn State, Ohio State, and Oregon should keep the Terps in the mix for bowl eligibility, and the Rutgers game could play a big role in whether each team gets to the six-win mark or not.
The Maryland offense will look a bit different this year. Last year’s starting quarterback, Billy Edwards, transferred to Wisconsin, leaving a quarterback competition between the highly-touted freshman Malik Washington and UCLA transfer Justyn Martin. Martin will be favored to earn the starting job, with enough experience not to be completely fresh.
Around him, most of the top skill players are gone, with top receivers Tai Felton and Kaden Prather being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Top running back Roman Hemby transferred within the Big Ten to Indiana after accumulating over 2,300 yards and 22 rushing touchdowns in three years with the Terrapins.
Number two back Nolan Ray will look to step up with Hemby no longer on the team, while at receiver, last year’s fourth leading pass-catcher, Octavian Smith, will lead the way. The receiving core also features fifth-year senior Jalil Farooq and Tennessee transfer Kaleb Webb, while behind Ray, DeJuan Williams and Josiah McLaurin will look to bolster the Terps’ run game.
Tight end Dorian Fleming could be another weapon in the passing game for the Terps after having 49 catches and six touchdowns with Georgia State in 2024. The offensive line returns two starters and adds Rahtrel Perry from Central Connecticut State, one of the top tackles in the portal. Although Maryland is not deep at offensive line, it has a solid starting five to protect its quarterback.
Although the Maryland offense sputtered after a strong start, the defense was even worse last season, allowing over 30 points per game. The pass rush was the worst in the conference, while the back seven left a lot to be desired as well. The defensive line lost Jordan Phillips to the NFL draft, while last season’s leading tackler, linebacker Ruben Hyppolite, was taken by the Bears.
Maryland typically plays a 3-4-4 defense, meaning it usually lines up three defensive linemen and four linebackers behind them, rather than the more common 4-2-5 alignment. Ohio transfer Cam Rice will likely occupy the nose tackle spot, while defensive ends Avery Neeo and Dillan Fontus will surround him on the edges of the line. Outside linebackers Trey Reddick and DJ Samuels will look to assist the defensive front and give the Terrapins a formidable pass rush, which needs much improvement from last season.
Inside linebackers Michael Harris and Daniel Wingate will be preoccupied with stopping the run, providing the Terrapins with a strong interior punch. The secondary is one of the team’s strong points, with transfer cornerbacks Jamare Glasker (Wake Forest) and Dontay Joyner (Arkansas State) being ready to start for the Terps right away. Behind them, the safety duo of Jalen Huskey and Lavain Scruggs brings experience to the position, filling the hole left behind by drafted star safety Dante Trader Jr.
Maryland starts the season with a favorable schedule, hosting Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois, and Towson before Big Ten play starts with a road date at Wisconsin and a bye to end September. October sees the Terrapins host Washington and Nebraska before traveling to UCLA, with new conference power Indiana coming to SECU Stadium for a big clash on November 1st. The Terrapins’ final four games come against Rutgers, with a second consecutive road game at Illinois the following week. The schedule does not get much easier to end the year, with Michigan coming to College Park before the season finale against Michigan State in East Lansing.
Last year’s Terrapins team started the season 3-1, before stumbling to a 4-8 record, with a surprise upset against USC along the way. Assuming Maryland will get its season started with three straight nonconference wins, home games against Washington and Nebraska, as well as the road date at UCLA, are all winnable. Even tougher contests at Wisconsin and home against the Hoosiers aren’t completely out of reach.
If the Terps can snag two Big Ten wins in October, the Rutgers-Maryland game could come into play for both teams, with each team potentially sitting at five wins, assuming the Scarlet Knights defeat their nonconference opponents, Purdue, and pick off one of Iowa, Minnesota, or Washington. While Maryland will likely have a final chance to earn a sixth win at Michigan State, Rutgers finishes the season in much tougher fashion, with a road date in Columbus against the Buckeyes followed by a home game against the Nittany Lions.
However, Rutgers was the better team last season, and with Maryland losing many of its best players this offseason, that should be the case once again in 2025. The Scarlet Knights will likely need to win this game to punch their ticket to a bowl game, as they will likely be underdogs in their other three November games against ranked competition. Greg Schiano has been able to win the games he should in his second stint at Rutgers, and this is a big spot where Rutgers needs to do exactly that.
