Since entering the Big Ten in 2014, Maryland and Rutgers have never competed for a conference title.
Both teams are on familiar turf as they prepare to meet Saturday in Piscataway, N.J., with both struggling to achieve bowl eligibility.
One more commonality for Maryland (4-4, 1-4) and Rutgers (4-5, 1-5) is the growing discontent from their fan bases, which heightened last week.
Maryland’s 55-10 loss at home to No. 2 Indiana was the Terrapins’ fourth straight. It came after a trio of frustrating Big Ten defeats in games in which they held late fourth-quarter leads.
Late in the game against Indiana, in which Maryland’s defense surrendered 588 yards, groups of fans chanted for the departure of coach Mike Locksley, who has a 37-45 record in his seven seasons.
“I probably would have chanted it too if I had a few beers and we played the way we played,” Locksley said Tuesday. “We’re in the entertainment business. I get judged to win games.”
Meanwhile, Rutgers lost for the fifth time in its last six games last Saturday, falling at Illinois 35-13. The Scarlet Knights have surrendered at least 31 points in each of the five defeats.
“We’re getting better on defense,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said Monday. “I just think that until you make big steps, it doesn’t show in the results, but there is incremental improvement going on all over the place. I’m hoping that this week it surfaces.”
Considering the recent form of the defenses of the Terrapins and Scarlet Knights, Saturday’s matchup could be a shootout.
Rutgers is equipped for such a game as Athan Kaliakmanis leads the Big Ten in completions (190) and passing yards (2,476), while Antwan Raymond ranks third in rushing yards with 760.
Maryland will counter with true freshman Malik Washington, who has thrown for 1,958 yards and accounted for 15 total touchdowns.
“Young quarterback, but immensely talented. We know him well. We recruited him,” Schiano said. “Malik is everything you want in a quarterback. He’s big, he’s strong, got great arm talent, tremendous human being.”
Rutgers won 31-17 at Maryland the last time these teams met in November 2024, as Kaliakmanis threw for 238 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
