Maryland football aiming to extend FBS-best non-conference winning streak against Towson

Through two games, Maryland football head coach Michael Locksley has been impressed with the attitude and composure of his players. 

“With a young, inexperienced team, we’re still working to correct some things that allow us to be the best version of ourselves,” he said. “What I really like about this group is they weren’t overly excited about the win, because they know we didn’t play to our standard.”

The Terps (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will look to continue to grow on Saturday, taking on Towson (2-0) at noon. The game is Maryland’s final non-conference matchup of the season – they’ve won 17 straight non-conference games, the longest active streak in the FBS. 

The Tigers’ offensive attack is predicated on a few players. Their quarterback, freshman Andrew Indorf, has gotten off to a strong start. Through two games, he’s 32 for 49 with 373 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. 

Nearly a third of Indorf’s yards and completions have come on passes to wide receiver John Dunmore. The Oregon State transfer has 11 receptions for 128 yards, and he’s accounted for half of Indorf’s passing touchdowns with two. 

The other aspect of the Tigers’ offense, their run game, is dominated by Kemarrion Battles, who has 30 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown on the season. 

Towson has found success at that end of the field so far this season, totalling 54 points through its first two games, but the Terps have been equally as effective. Maryland has posted 59 points, including a productive 39-point outing against Florida Atlantic.

True freshman quarterback Malik Washington, the leader of the Terps offense, is off to a historic start. He has 512 passing yards and five touchdowns through two games, leading all FBS true freshmen. 

Three of those touchdowns came in Maryland’s season opener against FAU. The last true freshman in a Power Four conference to pass for three touchdowns in their debut was Trevor Lawrence in 2018. 

Washington has found ways to get a plethora of pass-catchers involved. 11 different players have recorded a reception and six have four or more, with wide receiver Shaleak Knotts and tight end Dorian Fleming leading the pack. Both have over 100 total yards and two touchdowns on the season. Fleming has been used all over the field, while Knotts has been Maryland’s main deep threat – he’s one of two Big Ten players with multiple receiving touchdowns of at least 25 yards. 

Maryland’s rebuilt offensive line, one of the team’s biggest issues last year, has been a strength. They haven’t allowed a sack, something that never happened over a two-game stretch last season.

However, despite strong blocking up front, the run game hasn’t carried over. The Terps’ 99 rushing yards per game rank dead last in the Big Ten. Maryland is the only Big Ten team to average fewer than 120 rushing yards a game.

Morgan State ran for over 200 yards against Towson, so Maryland could potentially exploit the Tigers’ run defense. Adding that other dimension to the Terps’ offense will be imperative to finding success against Big Ten opponents. 

“For the most part, it’s just a matter of our backs. They’re going to have one guy that they have to make miss and I saw us start to do that in the second half,” Locksley said. “It’s going to be important for us to give the compliment of being able to run the ball efficiently when we need to.”