Welcome to The Diamondback Sports Digest. Every week, we send you a rundown of the latest Maryland athletics news.
Like so many of us, Maryland football has a procrastination problem. But on Saturday, the Terps flipped that trend and sprinted out to lead Michigan State 21-3 in the first half.
The Terps sputtered a bit, but secured their fourth win of the season. In this week’s newsletter, we’ll cover that Big Ten opener, a commit’s journey to Maryland men’s lacrosse, key takeaways from the full Maryland men’s and women’s basketball schedules and more.
A rare strong start lifts Maryland football to 4-0
The Terps found themselves trailing 14-0 early in each of their last two games. But they dominated from the start on Saturday. Maryland scored the game’s first three touchdowns and added another late to put the finishing touches on a 31-9 victory against Michigan State.
Its defense dominated.
The Terps recorded three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a turnover on downs and a blocked field goal while limiting the Spartans to just nine points. Football reporter Taylor Lyons has more on Maryland’s win in its Big Ten opener.
Taylor also covered the changes the Terps made in practice this week to stop their slow starts. Football reporter Brandon Schwartzberg has more on how the Terps may have started to reverse those early struggles.
One of those early scores on Saturday came from transfer wide receiver Tyrese Chambers — his first touchdown for the Terps. Last week, Taylor covered Chambers’ long road to Maryland, and what it means for the receiver to come home.
Maryland men’s lacrosse commit will join a program he idolized
Maryland men’s lacrosse commit Aidan Seibel has long dreamed of playing for coach John Tillman and Terps.
Seibel either watched on TV or made the trip to College Park to take in Maryland games growing up. He looks up to former Terps goalie Kyle Bernlohr and wears No. 35 because of him.
So when the opportunity to attend Maryland arose, Seibel took it. He considered other schools, but committed to Maryland on Sept. 2, the day after the official recruitment period opened. That makes him the Terps’ first signee of the 2025 class.
“I’m fired up to take on a leadership role. I’m so excited to see who else comes with me to Maryland,” Seibel said. “I think our Maryland ’25 class can be so good to the point where we could probably win a good two or three national championships.”
Seibel has already begun recruiting others. The goalkeeper’s high school and club lacrosse teammate, four-star midfielder Eli Schaller, also committed to the Terps on Friday. Recruiting reporter Harrison Rich has more on Seibel’s lacrosse journey and decision to join Maryland.
Takeaways from the Maryland men’s and women’s basketball schedules
College basketball season will be here before we know it, and Maryland men’s and women’s basketball’s full schedules were released last week. Here’s what you need to know:
- Matchups between Maryland women’s basketball and fellow Big Ten title contenders come in quick succession. The Terps host back-to-back games against Indiana and Iowa on Jan. 31 and Feb. 3. Two of their last three games of the regular season are matchups at Ohio State and Indiana.
- Two of Maryland men’s basketball’s biggest home games of the season — against Purdue on Jan. 2 and Michigan State on Jan. 21 — will be played with most students away during winter break.
- Maryland women’s basketball boasts the tougher nonconference slate with exciting away games at South Carolina on Nov. 12 and UConn on Nov. 16. Maryland men’s basketball’s only confirmed nonconference games against power-conference opponents are at Villanova on Nov. 17 and UCLA on Dec. 22.
For more on each team’s schedule, check out women’s basketball reporter Sam Jane’s takeaways and my breakdown of the Maryland men’s basketball slate.
Best Bits
- Maryland men’s soccer captain Alex Nitzl spent the first few games of his senior season sidelined with an injury. That allowed him to take on a new role: leading from the bench.
- Maryland volleyball showcased its new, diversified attack in nonconference play but didn’t prevail in its Big Ten opener, falling to No. 19 Purdue in four sets on Friday.
- Maryland women’s lacrosse has earned commitments from eight players in the class of 2025 in the last two weeks. One five-star and four four-star recruits headline that group.
- Maryland women’s soccer’s goal is to make Ludwig Field a fortress this season. The Terps remained unbeaten at home on Thursday after a 0-0 draw with Purdue but suffered their first defeat at Ludwig Field on Sunday after conceding in the 90th minute in a 1-0 loss to Ohio State.
Stat of the week
Maryland football’s win against Michigan State was its first in East Lansing since 1950.
Game to watch
No. 8 Maryland field hockey opens Big Ten play against No. 7 Rutgers Thursday in Piscataway. The Terps have lost just one game to the Scarlet Knights since the turn of the century.
