
Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkTerrapins
The Maryland Terrapins have star freshman, Malik Washington, as their quarterback with his seventh career start in this game. After dropping two games with leads in consecutive games, the 4-2 Terps need to find the win column — and it is a tough customer today in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The Terps are 4-2 to start the season and 1-2 in the Big Ten conference — and the team just has to find a way to hold leads against their Big Ten opponents. Time to get that done.
Maryland has won 18 straight non-conference games, which is the longest active streak in the FBS. In all 18 games, the Terps have allowed less than 30 points. That is the longest such streak by any Big Ten team over the last 45 years.
In the Locksley era (2019-pres.), the Terps are 20-1 in non-conference games.Maryland’s average of 40.1 points per game in non-conference play ranks seventh in the nation, only trailing Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU and Ohio State. The Terps have scored 30+ points in 17-of-21 non-conference games under Locksley.
Malik Washington is one of four Power Conference True Freshman QBs with 200+ passing yards in each of his first six career games since 2000. He’s joined by Philip Rivers (NC State, 2000), Sam Ehlinger (Texas, 2017) and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Cal, 2025).
Washington’s 137 completions through six-career games are the most by a true freshman quarterback since Mississippi State’s Will Rogers in 2020. This mark also places him fourth in the Big Ten currently this season. Washington’s 1,506 passing yards through six-career games rank third-most among true freshman quarterbacks since 2019 (Jayden Daniels had 1,610 at Arizona State, Sam Howell had 1,544 for UNC).
Washington’s 10 passing touchdowns through six-career games are tied for third-most among true freshman quarterbacks since 2019. Only Sam Howell (15 in 2019) and Caleb Williams (14 for OU in 2021) had more.
Washington is currently second in the country in total touchdowns among true freshman, with 13 total. He trails only BYU’s Bear Bachmeier who has 15. Washington has thrown at least one passing touchdown in all six games this season. That is the longest streak to begin a career by any Maryland QB over the last 30 seasons.
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— head coach Michael Locksley said
Malik’s a little older than his years in the way he handles things, and best part about it is he’s only going to get better.
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Maryland welcomed their new athletic director, Jim Smith, ahead of the 2025 football season, signaling a new era for Terrapin Athletics. Smith was named Maryland’s Director of Athletics on May 15, 2025, and officially began duties on July 15. He joined from the Atlanta Braves, where he served as Senior Vice President of Business Strategy. Smith brings over 30 years of experience in college and professional sports, including leadership roles at Ohio State, the Atlanta Falcons, and Atlanta United.
Maryland also hired three new coordinators heading into the 2025 season that includes Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton, Defensive Coordinator Ted Monachino, and Special Teams Coordinator Andre Powell.
Maryland’s record: 4-1, 1-1 Big Ten
Nebraska’s record: 4-1, 1-1 Big Ten
All-time series: Maryland is behind 2-1
BetUS Sportsbook : Maryland are underdogs at +7.0, O/U 47.0
Kickoff: Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:00 ET
Stadium: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
TV: FS1 Play-By-Play: Noah Reed
Analyst: Robert Smith
Streaming TV: FS1
Radio: Audacy Radio App / SiriusXM 137; 105.7 FM (Balt.) / 980 AM (D.C.) — Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Steve Suter (analyst), LaMont Jordan (sideline)