When Maryland boarded its charter flight to Indiana for Saturday's Week 10 matchup against Purdue, a 13-game Big Ten losing streak still hung over the program.
By the time the Terrapins land back on the East Coast on Saturday night, that skid will be considered a thing of the past.
The Terrapins avoided a late fourth-quarter comeback from the Boilermakers on Saturday, Nov. 7, clinching their first conference win since Sept. 20, 2025, at Wisconsin. With that, the team carried interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim off the field at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.
"I'm just overjoyed for the kids, man," Abdul-Rahim said on the Big Ten Network after Maryland's
34-29 win. "It's all about them at the end of the day. It's been a crazy last two weeks, so I'm really happy, man that they can get some joy. You can see it on their face. You wouldn't even know it was just game nine right now.
"I'm really happy with everything for them."
You love to see it 🥹@TerpsFootball players carried off interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim after their win at Purdue. pic.twitter.com/6eHXj6X6v4
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 7, 2026
Abdul-Rahim, Maryland's co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach entering the season, was named the program's interim coach for the rest of the season after the athletic department and Mike Locksley agreed to part ways on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Maryland's 34 points scored on Saturday were its most points scored in Big Ten play since November 2023 against Rutgers, when it scored 42 points behind a three-touchdown day from Taulia Tagovailoa.
Following Maryland's win, the Big Ten Network immediately sent the broadcast from West Lafayette back to its studios in Illinois ahead of the Wisconsin-Rutgers game, where Locksley was making his studio analyst debut with the network.
"I got my first guaranteed victory out of the way. Congrats to Coach Aazaar and the Maryland Terrapins football team," Locksley said.
Immediately after Maryland ends a 13-game Big Ten losing streak, Big Ten Network cuts to recently fired head coach Mike Locksley in its studio for reaction. pic.twitter.com/M9BnRQBlzW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 7, 2026
The 49-year-old Abdul-Rahim is a native of Washington D.C.,and is well-connected to the DMV area. He has also been a part of two separate coaching staffs at Maryland, the first coming under former Terrapins coach DJ Durkin.
"A tremendous amount of pride, because I think this area is a unique area," Abdul-Rahim told USA TODAY Sports' John Brice about taking over Maryland's program. "I’ve been all over the place, but this area is a unique area and a very prideful area. We march to our own beat here. We’re a little bit different than New York, and we’re a lot different than North Carolina.
"We’re our own kind of separate entity, and I take pride in that."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maryland carries off Aazaar Abdul-Rahim after snapping 13-game Big Ten skid
