Maryland football looks to end conference skid against resurgent UCLA

Maryland and UCLA are two college football teams trending in different directions. 

After winning the first four games of the season, the Terps have dropped consecutive contests – in both of which they had a lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

The Bruins, who lost their first four outings, have won two straight. UCLA has played much better football following the firing of its coach after week three, especially on the offensive end. They’ve scored 80 points over their last two games, with 42 coming in an upset victory over Penn State, ranked No. 7 at the time. 

Maryland (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) will have an opportunity to stop its recent slide on Saturday night, taking on the Bruins (2-4, 2-1 Big Ten) in Pasadena for their second road conference game of the season. 

“Lot of reasons for frustration for us the last couple of weeks of not being able to finish and get it done, but I also say that it’s also a lot of optimism in our program because of how we’ve played this first half of the season,” coach Michael Locksley said. 

To get back on the right side of things, Maryland will need to fix its problems closing out games. The Terps have led in every game this season, but have been outscored 31-0 in the fourth quarter of their last two games. 

 “What we got to do now is figure out how to finish in the fourth quarter,” Locksley said on Tuesday. “For the last two games, it’s my job to figure that out. And I think we’ve gotten it, gotten to the gist of it.”

Freshman quarterback Malik Washington continues to pace Maryland’s offense. He’s topped 200 passing yards in every game this season, one of four power conference freshmen to accomplish the feat since 2000. 

Washington’s 1,506 passing yards and 10 passing touchdowns are both top-ten marks in the Big Ten. He’s limited his mistakes, too, only taking two sacks on the year and throwing two interceptions. 

The Terps’ run game, which has statistically been the worst in the conference, showed some signs of life last week against Nebraska. Maryland ran for 130 total yards – their highest mark in conference play – with Nolan Ray leading the group, totaling 62 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. 

UCLA has one of the more effective and versatile rushing attacks in the conference. Three Bruins have eclipsed 200 rushing yards on the season, with sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s 335 leading the team. 

The highly touted transfer quarterback has found his rhythm after a rough first few weeks. In his last three games, Iamaleava has operated UCLA’s offense seamlessly, with six touchdowns to no interceptions and a 69.3 completion percentage. 

Opponents have averaged 369.5 yards per game against the Bruins. They’ve been solid against the pass, but opposing teams have gashed their run defense to the tune of almost 200 yards per game – the worst mark in the conference. Continuing to develop their run game will be crucial for the Terps as they look for their second Big Ten win of the season. 

“We’re facing a team in UCLA that has been given life,” Locksley said. “You can tell they’re playing very fearless. They’re playing as if they have nothing to lose. And you know when you watch them on tape, they’re playing together. So I’m really excited about us to have a chance to go out west, get this thing back on the right side of things.”