Maryland football vs. UCLA preview

· Yahoo Sports

Maryland football knows what one loss turning into many feels like. 

The Terps’ 2025 season saw one loss turn into two, then into three, until the Terps lost their eighth consecutive game to end the year. Maryland’s first loss of 2025, against Washington, shared some similarities with its first of 2026, against Virginia Tech. 

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The program will hope the rest-of-season similarities stop there.

In a press conference Tuesday, head coach Michael Locksley was asked why this year’s team can bounce back in a way last year’s couldn’t. 

“I own that we have not finished very well after we’ve lost games, and I’ve got to own that,” Locksley said. “But it’s not going to be fixed here at the podium. It’s going to be fixed with the work that we do Monday through Friday, the mental work, and then showing up and getting it executed.”

The Terps will once again show up at SECU Stadium after dropping their first nonconference game in seven years. They will have to execute against UCLA — the last conference opponent they held within single digits in 2025 — to avoid starting another ugly losing streak.

The game is set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. and will be available to watch on the Big Ten Network. 

UCLA Bruins (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten)

2025 record: 3-9, 3-6 Big Ten

UCLA made a big coaching move over the offseason, furthering the meteoric rise of head coach Bob Chesney by luring him away from James Madison after two seasons. 

The Bruins had the chance to reset their roster, having rolled with an interim leader all year following former head coach Deshaun Foster’s 0-3 start to the season and subsequent dismissal. However, just 24 players entered the transfer portal, providing Chesney a solid foundation upon which he could demonstrate his coaching ability.  

Chesney has begun his tenure well, getting the program off to its first 3-0 start in four years while playing effective football. Conceding 38 points to Purdue is less than ideal, but the Bruins have already matched their win total from 2025 and have several winnable games remaining on their schedule, beginning with their tilt in College Park.

Players to watch

Nico Iamaleava, senior quarterback, No. 9 — Iamaleava hasn’t quite made good on his five-star recruiting status through his career at Tennessee and UCLA, and time is running out for him to prove to NFL coaches and scouts he has what it takes to play professionally. 

He remains a threat both in the air and on the ground, but the Bruins have not asked nearly as much of the quarterback this year — he has only attempted 75 passes through three games, with just over 200 yards per game leading to three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Sammy Omosigho, senior linebacker, No. 10 — Omosigho was a productive tackler for Oklahoma for three years, finishing fifth on the Sooners with 50 last year despite not being a starter. He has already logged 33 tackles, recorded three sacks and an absurd four forced fumbles through three games out on the West Coast. His impact will be felt all around the line of scrimmage Saturday.

Rodrick Pleasant, senior defensive back, No. 2 — Pleasant was an All-Big Ten honorable mention last season and was named to the conference’s preseason fourth team. He remains a boom-or-bust guy on the outside. Pleasant has been targeted 13 times, allowing just six receptions for 75 yards while recording an interception and two pass breakups. However, he has also been flagged three times, and he has five tackles with six missed tackles. He’ll make things unpleasant for receivers on routes, but after the catch, he has the potential to be exposed.

Strength

Rushing. There’s no point in overcomplicating this: UCLA’s ground game is statistically the best of any power conference team so far this season.  

The Bruins lead the nation in expected points added per run and rushing success rate. They gain seven yards per carry and have 14 rushing touchdowns on the year already. 

And they do it with a committee in the backfield. Wayne Knight is top dog for UCLA, having rushed for 345 total yards and eight touchdowns, but fellow tailbacks Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas each average over six yards per carry and are no strangers to the end zone in their own right. Even Iamaleava has added 140 yards on the ground. 

Weakness

Defending the pass. The Bruins have allowed opponents to throw for over 250 yards per game, ranking dead last in the Big Ten. Their 7.9 yards allowed per completion ranks ahead of only Purdue and Rutgers in the conference, and six of nine touchdowns they have allowed this season have come through the air. Malik Washington will be relied upon to do even more than he already has this season, particularly with the backfield falling apart around him.

Three things to watch

1. Maryland’s wounded rushing attack. The Terps prepare to go up against a UCLA team with three starting-caliber running backs while having three healthy first-team running backs themselves.

Top back DeJuan Williams remains out, having received surgery after playing just one game. Third-stringer Harry Dalton III was ruled out after playing against Virginia Tech Saturday and reportedly could miss extended time as well. 

The injuries go deeper. Graduate transfer Terrez Worthy and reserve pieces DJ Samuels, Solomon Foye and John Boley — a walk-on who wasn’t even listed on the online roster as of Thursday morning — are all out. Even backup quarterback Cardell Williams, who was inserted for two rushing plays against UConn, was questionable as of Thursday morning. 

That leaves second-stringer Iverson Howard, baseball-first transfer Luke Willson and freshman converted linebacker Jianni Davis in the Terps’ backfield. Blocking problems may be the least of the concerns for Maryland’s run game, at least for one week.

2. Back to Big Ten play. The Terps have won three of seven Big Ten openers under Locksley, including a win in their most recent one against Wisconsin. But that Wisconsin game continued a six-game pattern of win, loss, win, loss, win, loss stretching back to 2020 — a pattern that doesn’t paint an appealing picture for Family Weekend.

3. Last chance for September Maryland. Over the last decade, Maryland football has gone 32-8 in September, a win percentage of 80%. Post-September, the Terps have gone 16-56 for a win percentage of just 23.7% — a drop of 56 percentage points. No other team’s win percentage has dropped by more than 35.5 points from September onwards.

In what could be a pivotal, organization-defining year, this final September game offers an opportunity for the Terps to continue a trend. But for the season to be considered a success, they’ll have to buck another trend soon thereafter.

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