Maryland football’s 2025 season got off to a hot start against Florida Atlantic. The Terps trounced the Owls, 39-7, Saturday at SECU Stadium.
Freshman quarterback Malik Washington stole the show. The former four-star Archbishop Spalding product was announced as the starter just hours before kickoff and lived up to his highly-anticipated billing, throwing for 258 yards and three touchdowns in his college debut.
Here are position-by-position grades for the Terps’ performance against the Owls.
Quarterbacks
There isn’t
much to say about Washington’s performance that hasn’t already been said. It took him some time to find a groove, but once he did, the freshman was electric.
After going 3-of-9 passing in the first quarter with multiple errant throws, Washington found an open Shaleak Knotts deep down the right sideline for his first career touchdown pass. The next two drives he led produced the same result: touchdowns by transfers Kaleb Webb and Dorian Fleming.
Washington’s size — 6-foot-5, 231 pounds — and arm talent are nothing new. But his ability to read the defense, quickly go through his progressions and make a good decision with the ball is outstanding, especially for a true freshman in his first college action.
Justyn Martin and Khristian Martin split the reps on Maryland’s last four drives with the game well out of hand. Justyn Martin left early after being injured on a six-yard and didn’t throw a pass. Khristian Martin completed one of four attempts for 10 yards.
Grade: A-
Running backs
Nolan Ray entered the year expected to be the clear leader of Maryland’s running back room. After four quarters of football, that no longer appears to be a foregone conclusion.
Ray led the backfield with 34 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, but right on his coattails was redshirt freshman DeJuan Williams with 30. Williams ended up leading the group comfortably with 54 rushing yards on a team-high 10 carries, headlined by impressive 15- and 17-yard runs in the first quarter. He also caught three passes out of the backfield for another 21 yards.
Ray’s eight carries only culminated in 25 yards, with a long of 11 yards. It’s not likely his starting role is in jeopardy just yet, but look for Williams to continue bearing much of the load out of the backfield — with room for even more run.
Either way, it’s a benefit for the Terps to have two productive running back options.
Freshman Iverson Howard earned eight carries in garbage time, racking up 23 yards.
Grade: B
Wide receivers
Maryland’s pecking order at wide receiver wasn’t entirely clear entering the season. Saturday’s contest provided some transparency in that department. Octavian Smith Jr., Oklahoma transfer Jalil Farooq and Shaleak Knotts were the three clear leaders in snaps, each above 40 with the next closest — Ryan Manning — at 23.
Farooq showed some inconsistency, with multiple costly drops and stretches in which he was a nonfactor. But he did finish with 43 yards on four receptions, including an impressive grab on a beautiful throw from Washington down the right sideline for 24 yards.
Knotts also impressed Saturday — a good sign after years of coaches making it clear they expected him to take the next step. His 29-yard touchdown highlighted a five-catch, 54-yard performance. Smith finished with 33 yards on three catches.
One of the group’s most impressive plays came from Tennessee transfer Kaleb Webb, who went up for an impressive grab in tight coverage on a deep-ball touchdown. Webb played 15 snaps and was frequently subbed in on third down in the first half.
Junior college transfer Jordan Scott, who stands 6-foot-7, also got extended run in garbage time. He didn’t record a catch but was targeted on a deep ball down the right sideline that he dropped.
Grade: B
Tight ends
Georgia State transfer Dorian Fleming wasn’t asked to do much Saturday, but he succeeded in nearly every opportunity he was given. He hauled in a team-high six catches for 36 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown to extend Maryland’s lead to four possessions with less than a minute halftime.
The only blemish on Fleming’s performance was a drop. Leon Haughton Jr., Maryland’s primary backup tight end, also suffered a drop.
Junior AJ Szymanski, redshirt sophomore Thomas McCluskey and freshman JT Taggart also saw the field.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
The bar for Maryland’s offensive line taking a step up this season was very, very low. Nearly anything would have been an improvement after a disastrous 2024. But through four quarters of football, it looks like it’s gotten the job done.
Penalties were kept relatively minimal up front. Running lanes were inconsistent but vast when executed right. Williams’ two big carries were the product of huge holes to run through. Pass protection was a much better story.
Maryland’s quarterbacks were not sacked once Saturday, and only hit twice. That effort earned left tackle Rahtrel Perry, center Michael Hershey and right guard Aliou Bah PFF Big Ten team of the week honors.
The pieces are in place for one of the Terps’ biggest weaknesses a season ago to no longer be a liability.
Grade: B+
Defensive line
Plenty of turnover on the defensive front presented questions about how the new key contributors would hold up. Those concerns were, for now, put to rest.
The freshman defensive end duo of Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis stole the show against FAU. Stewart sacked quarterback Caden Veltkamp in the end zone for a safety, while Mathis notched a sack of his own and forced an errant throw with a hit on Veltkamp that led to a pick-six by linebacker Daniel Wingate.
The new-look interior defensive line held up quite well in run defense, holding the Owls to just 3.3 yards per carry when adjusted for sack yardage. Transfers Eyan Thomas and Cam Rice looked particularly daunting inside.
This looks like a unit with substantial depth, and one Maryland fans may have to worry about much less than they anticipated.
Grade: B+
Linebackers
Simply put, Daniel Wingate is as advertised. The 6-foot-5 junior was billed all offseason as the successor to lead the defense, and he did just that Saturday. He led Maryland with 10 total tackles and a tackle for loss.
His impact was felt particularly on two of the Owls’ first three drives. On their first, he blew up Veltkamp on a fourth-down keeper from the 3-yard line to force a turnover on downs. On their third, he fielded an errant pass forced by Mathis’ pressure and ran it back for the Terps’ first touchdown of the season.
Michael Harris is a name to watch this upcoming week. He played just five snaps but recorded two tackles. The junior was expected to play a key role for the Terps, and it’s unclear whether he suffered an injury or is simply much lower on the depth chart than anticipated.
Sophomore Trey Reddick, sophomore Keyshawn Flowers and freshman CJ Smith each saw extensive time at off-ball linebacker.
Grade: B+
Defensive backs
There isn’t much more one could have asked from Maryland’s secondary against the Owls.
Five of Maryland’s six interceptions — its most in a game since 1998 — came from that unit. Dontay Joyner, Lavain Scruggs, La’khi Roland, Braydon Lee and Ricardo Cooper Jr. were the beneficiaries.
But outside of the chunk plays, the Terps’ defensive back did an incredible job limiting FAU’s high-flying air raid offense. It averaged just 4.6 yards per passing attempt and had just four over 20 yards — especially impressive given the air raid system predicates on the deep ball.
Outside of the six interceptions, the Terps recorded an additional six pass breakups.
The future looks bright for a young and deep unit that struggled mightily in 2024.
Grade: A+
Special teams
Maryland’s specialists showed out Saturday. Its special teams units did not.
Richmond transfer kicker Sean O’Haire lived up to the hype in his first career game in College Park. The Irishman was 3-of-3 on field goals, including two above 40 yards, and converted all four extra points.
Punter Bryce McFerson was equally impressive, averaging 50 yards on his seven punts with a long of 62 and two downed inside the 20-yard line.
But where the Terps struggled was in kick coverage. The Owls were allowed big lanes to run through on kick returns, leading to FAU starting drives nearly at midfield on multiple occasions. That’s an issue Locksley and his squad need to patch up ahead of tougher competition.
Grade: B+
