Takeaways from Maryland Football's loss to Rutgers

Maryland's football season has been marked by devastating losses, and Saturday was another one.

The Terps welcomed Rutgers to College Park, but fell flat on their faces, losing 31-17.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Another week, another disappointing loss

Maryland has fallen from its usual position in the middle of the Big Ten standings this year. But this isn't a byproduct of a tough schedule or a change in routine with the newcomers to the conference. The Terps are simply losing games they should be winning.

Maryland finished fourth in the Big Ten East standings in each of the past two seasons; the Terps are ranked second to last in the entire conference this year. They were dismantled this season by Indiana, Michigan State and now Rutgers, all of whom blew them out last year. While Indiana has climbed the national rankings this year, Michigan State and Rutgers have remained the same. Maryland has only been worse.

The Terps were also destroyed by Minnesota and No. 1 Oregon, as they were consistently outcast against nearly every conference opponent in 2024.

Whether this is an amalgamation of a lack of talent, poor coaching or a mix of the two is up for debate, but there's no denying how disappointing and bad the Terps have been this season.

A different story than previous years

Maryland entered Saturday with history on its side.

The Terps are 7-3 against Rutgers since they both joined the Big Ten in 2014. They have also dominated recent games, winning by an average of 26.3 points in each of the past three seasons, including a 42-24 win last year.

They are a veteran group, head coach Michael Locksley said when asked what is different this year. Our boys didn't play enough. Those guys executed their game plan to perfection.

Saturday's match was a very different match between the two teams. Rutgers led at halftime for the first time in three years and outscored the Terps in almost every aspect of the game. The Scarlet Knights were outrushed (132 yards to 122), outscored and won the turnover battle (1-0) against Maryland. Rutgers also racked up more passing yards than Maryland in the first three quarters, while Billy Edwards Jr. racked up 181 yards in the fourth quarter and garbage time.

Maryland's only saving grace was Roman Hemby, who produced one of his best games of the season. He posted 87 yards rushing, 59 yards receiving and a touchdown. He beat Rutgers star running back Kyle Monangai, but that didn't change the outcome.

The Terps bowl game path is closing

Maryland's streak of three straight bowl game appearances is all but over after Saturday's loss. Since six wins is the magic number to qualify for bowl games, the Terps must win their final two games to qualify. But the rest of their schedule is no gift.

Next week, Maryland welcomes Iowa to College Park. While the Hawkeyes record isn't as impressive without the luxury of the Big Ten West, they are still 6-4 and coming off a bye week. Well rested and adequately prepared, Iowa is preferable despite heading out on the road.

And the Terps' final game faces a near-impossible task: No. 4 Penn State. The Nittany Lions have lost just one game to No. 2 Ohio State this season and boast one of the most talented rosters in the country, led by former five-star quarterback Drew Allar.

The game will be played in Happy Valley, one of the toughest road environments in college football and Penn State will have the Terps number. Since joining the Big Ten, Maryland is 2-8 against Penn State, with the three most recent games ending in a 51-15 loss, a 30-0 loss and a 31-14 loss.

While not impossible, the Terps' chances of qualifying for bowl games are slim, with a 4-8 finish looking most likely at this point.

We've got to find a way to turn the page on this pretty quickly, Locksley said. We let Iowa come here again to keep our season alive…we couldn't get it done today and were running out of chances.