The Wisconsin Badgers face off against the Maryland Terrapins for their first Big Ten Conference challenge of the 2025 season. Kickoff is at 11:00 A.M. CT on NBC/Peacock, with the Badgers being 9.5-point favorites.
The Badgers’ trip to Tuscaloosa last Saturday was one to forget. Behind spectacular performances from Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson and wide receiver Ryan Williams, the Tide took a 28-0 lead on Wisconsin, ultimately winning 38-14.
What should Badgers fans know about this year’s
Maryland Terrapins?
Opponent Preview
Maryland aims to bounce back from last season’s 4-8 record, which was partially attributed to head coach Mike Locksley admitting he lost the locker room. In the offseason, Locksley brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators with NFL coaching experience in Pep Hamilton and Ted Monachino. So far, everything has gone to plan in Lockley’s seventh season at College Park, as the Terrapins are off to a 3-0 start with expected wins over Florida Atlantic (39-7), Northern Illinois (20-9), and Towson (44-17).
Leading the way at quarterback is true freshman Malik Washington. The four-star recruit from Severn, Maryland, has thrown for 773 yards, six touchdown passes, and one interception.
With last season’s leading rusher, Roman Hemby, now at Indiana, Maryland is looking for a go-to running back in 2025. Redshirt freshman DeJuan Williams currently leads the Terrapins with 121 rushing yards, with redshirt sophomore Nolan Ray right behind him with 98 rushing yards. As a team, Maryland ranks last in the Big Ten teams with 350 total rushing yards.
The Terrapins boast four pass catchers with over 100 receiving yards. The leader of the group is 6′ 3″ senior wide receiver Shaleak Knotts with 196 yards and a team-high three touchdown catches. Additional wide receiver threats in the passing game are senior Octavian Smith Jr. with 154 yards and Oklahoma transfer Jalil Farooq with 151 yards. Georgia State transfer tight end Dorian Fleming has 106 yards and two touchdowns.
One of the impressive features of this year’s Maryland team so far has been their defense. The Terrapins lead the Big Ten with 137 solo tackles and seven interceptions, including two pick-sixes. Junior linebacker David Wingate is a tackling machine with 17 solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles through the first three games of the year. On the defensive line, true freshman Sidney Stewart leads the Terrapins with four sacks and the Big Ten with 5.5 tackles for loss. Stewart is among the nation’s elite in quarterback pressures.
Score Prediction
The Badgers need to get the stench from the Alabama game out of their system in the worst way, and what better way than facing an unproven Maryland team with a true freshman making his first career road start. On the other hand, Maryland’s athletic defenders could give this Wisconsin offensive line fits, so the game will come down to who makes the big, momentum-swinging stop on defense.
This game should be a four-quarter battle, despite the 9.5-point spread, but in front of a striped-out Camp Randall Stadium, I’m taking the Badgers.
Prediction: 21-13 Wisconsin
