Michael Locksley tried not to sound discouraged after Maryland football suffered another disappointing home loss Saturday. The coach insisted his team’s sloppy mistakes were correctable and part of the season’s “growing pains.”

The Terps were heavily favored against Michigan State and lost, 27-24. Defeats when favored at home have occurred multiple times under Locksley.

“This is one we should have won, and we got to find a way to win it, and it starts with us as a staff,” Locksley said.

Maryland has lost a conference game to a road underdog in three consecutive years — Michigan State in 2024, Illinois in 2023 and Purdue in 2022. The Terps also lost as a significant favorite to Rutgers at home in 2020.

Penalties, turnovers and an inefficient running game were issues in those losses. Maryland was flagged nine times against Purdue two years ago and received 12 penalties in the 2020 loss to Rutgers.

Some penalties have had a direct swing on the game. The most notable recent infraction was an offside penalty on a Michigan State field goal that allowed the Spartans to make a second try.

This pattern, which includes penalties at critical junctures of the game, has been steady under Locksley.

[Sloppiness led to Maryland football’s surprising loss against Michigan State]

Locksley said the Terps can correct the penalties. But the problem lingers. Maryland continues to be one of the most penalized Big Ten teams under Locksley. The Terps have already committed 14 penalties this season.

Untimely turnovers have also plagued the Terps. Maryland forced more takeaways than Michigan State on Saturday, but an interception and missed field goal — acting as a wasted possession — in the fourth quarter proved costly.

Maryland has struggled with turnovers in losses. It committed about four turnovers on average in losing games in 2019 and 2021.

“It’s never what opponents do to us,” senior linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II said. “It’s what we do to ourselves.”

Locksley often references controlling the football on offense. Avoiding turnovers and a strong running game are key elements of that strategy. But the Terps also struggle in the latter.

Maryland has rushed for about 81 yards per game in its conference losses since 2021. It managed 86 yards Saturday, consistently shuttered by the Spartans’ run defense.

The lack of a viable rushing attack forces the Terps to rely more on their quarterback, leading to large amounts of turnovers.

[Costly errors doom Maryland football in 27-24 loss to Michigan State]

In close contests, those mistakes have proven costly. Maryland is 6-9 in one-score conference games under Locksley.

Running back Roman Hemby said the best team doesn’t always win. The redshirt junior is correct.

Northern Illinois, a 28-point road underdog, beat No. 5 Notre Dame on the same day the Terps fell to Michigan State. Upsets consistently happen in college football.

But Maryland has failed to notch a defining upset win under Locksley. The program has also consistently lost home games it should have won.

Locksley declared in July 2023 that the Terps were ready to compete for conference championships. It became clear last season that statement was premature.

For Maryland to take the next step and realistically compete for a Big Ten championship, the issues nagging the Terps in conference losses must change. It’s Locksley’s sixth season at the helm in College Park, though, and the problems persist.

“At some point, you gotta go take the victory,” Locksley said.