After breaking its 13-game Big Ten losing streak, Maryland football had a chance to snap a pair of droughts against Wisconsin. The Terps hadn’t won consecutive Big Ten games since 2023 and were winless in their previous nine home conference clashes.
Those skids came to an end Saturday.
Even without starting quarterback Malik Washington, Maryland stormed back from a 10-point deficit to defeat Wisconsin, 24-21. Sean O’Haire drilled a 30-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining to pull off the come-from-behind
victory.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s drubbing.
Rejuvenated offense without Malik Washington
During Washington’s early-season struggles, some fans called for a switch to backup quarterback Cardell Williams. Saturday was fans’ first real glimpse at what the Sacramento State transfer offered under center.
Williams’ first start at Maryland was turbulent early on, despite operating with a simplified playbook.
His first two pass completions were targeted to Chris Durr Jr. behind the line of scrimmage for just four combined yards. While offensive coordinator Clint Trickett’s play selection emphasized getting the ball to his weapons, it wasn’t successful. Williams’ nine-yard pass to Durr on Maryland’s third possession was the longest completion for the opening 23 minutes.
The redshirt senior did show some promise, threading the needle between two Wisconsin defenders for a 30-yard gain to Preston Howard. Williams later punched it in for a one-yard rushing touchdown to cap off a methodical drive.
While Williams’ accuracy was shaky early on, he looked more comfortable in the pocket after the first quarter. He finished with 183 passing yards on an efficient 21-for-23, including a program-record 19 consecutive completions. His 91.3% completion percentage was also a school-high.
Without its starting quarterback, Maryland’s run game became more prevalent. Following a 99-yard rushing performance against Purdue, DeJuan Williams had 22 carries for 72 rushing yards. But 50 of those yards came in the second half, with gaping holes emerging.
The bulk of the Terps’ success on the ground early on came via quarterback scrambles. Cardell Williams was the leading rusher in the first half with 22 yards and totaled a pair of rushing touchdowns in the game.
“He’s special as far as what he can do with his feet,” head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim said. “We were excited that Wisconsin hadn’t played that type of quarterback this year. So we put in a lot of things that we were hoping to be successful with offensively.”
Turnover battle aids success
After producing seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss against Purdue, Maryland’s pass rush continued to get home Saturday.
The Terps pressured Wisconsin quarterback Ryan Hopkins eight times, with four leading to sacks. It wasn’t from Maryland’s typical players, though; Trey Redick, Jamare Glasker and Lavon Johnson each recorded a sack. Nahsir Taylor and Jayden Shipps teamed up for one late in the second quarter.
But the impact of the pass rush also helped the Terps gain good starting field position for the offense. Maryland forced three fumbles, including Reddick’s strip sack that positioned Maryland at Wisconsin’s 33-yard line for the game-winning field goal.
“We really didn’t have a lot of turnovers as we did last year,” Reddick said. “We had multiple turnovers, but we made an emphasis this game that we were going to have to win the game on defense, and that’s what we did. Had to force more turnovers than we did all year.”
While the Terps didn’t convert on Johnson’s forced fumble in the first quarter — the offense stalled out after a pair of penalties — they scored 10 points off the final two turnovers.
However, the Terps had their own costly fumble late in the first half. After driving down the field, Cardell Williams botched a handoff to Iverson Howard on the one-yard line. But that turnover didn’t prove costly, largely thanks to Maryland’s defense, which gave the offense five drives in Wisconsin territory.
Backbreaking penalties
While Maryland was flagged just once in Abdul-Rahim’s first game, the penalties have piled up in the last two weeks.
The Terps were called for nine flags against Purdue, with Zion Elee’s personal foul aiding the Boilermakers potential game-winning drive. The freshman, who leads Maryland with six sacks, has committed multiple costly penalties this season.
After not committing a penalty in the first four games, Elee has been flagged six times in the last six games. Three of those have been unsportsmanlike conducts along with a pair of personal fouls. The freshman has let his emotions get the best of him at points this season.
“Unacceptable. First and foremost, not gonna be tolerated,” Abdul-Rahim said. “Immaturity at its best. [He] just turned 19 years old yesterday, and it’s not just him.”
Elee had two of the Terps’ 11 penalties Saturday, with a roughing the kicker penalty that erased Wisconsin’s three-and-out. That prompted one of Maryland’s assistant coaches to pick up an unsportsmanlike conduct after arguing with the officials over the call.
“Teachable moments are always better when you have a win behind,” Abdul-Rahim said. “So all of his teachable moments, we don’t accept that. Built on discipline.”
