Welcome to The Diamondback Sports Digest. Every week, we send you a rundown of the latest Maryland athletics news.

Maryland football downed Villanova, 38-20, in its final nonconference tilt of the regular season. Billy Edwards Jr. and Tai Felton broke records, but a test comes next week against undefeated Indiana.

In this week’s newsletter, we’ll dive deeper into coach Michael Locksley’s group, Maryland basketball’s schedule releases, the close-knit twin bond on the women’s soccer squad and more.

Maryland football rumbles through Villanova

Roman Hemby stiff arms a defender during Maryland football’s 38-20 win over Villanova on Sept. 21, 2024. (Lincoln Polan/The Diamondback)

The Terps closed out their nonconference slate with a 3-0 record this year in their 15th consecutive win over a non-Big Ten opponent. Maryland is 17-1 under Locksley in nonconference games.

Edwards finished Saturday 28-for-32 — 87.5 percent — in the air with two touchdowns and one interception. He broke Taulia Tagovailoa’s 87.1 percent program record.

The redshirt junior’s confidence is sky-high four weeks into his first season as a starter. He has the full trust of the coaching staff and possesses the mindset of a coach, Locksley said.

Felton continued his dominant start, corralling 14 catches for 157 yards and eclipsing the 100-yard mark in four straight games. The senior joined Jermaine Lewis as the only other Terp to reach that mark.

The Terps now enter the thick of their season. They’ll travel to Bloomington, Indiana, for a Saturday clash with the Hoosiers in a strong test of the team’s talent.

Maryland men’s, women’s basketball conference schedules revealed

Kevin Willard talks to a sideline reporter during Maryland men’s basketball’s 87-56 loss to Wisconsin on March 14, 2024. (Jordan Budney/The Diamondback)

The start of basketball season gets closer by the day. Maryland basketball released Big Ten schedules for coaches Kevin Willard and Brenda Frese on Thursday.

The men’s team will play 20 conference games while the women’s squad will play 18. Both programs face Oregon and Washington in their first West Coast trip and welcome USC and UCLA — the other two Big Ten newcomers — to Xfinity Center.

Frese’s team opens conference play at Purdue on Dec. 7, its first road opener in three years. Willard’s club welcomes Ohio State on Dec. 4 for its Big Ten opener before traveling to West Lafayette to face the Boilermakers on Dec. 8.

Sports editor and men’s basketball reporter Eli Cohen and women’s basketball reporter Ben Geffner broke down the men’s and women’s schedules.

Maryland women’s soccer’s vibrant twins

Peyton and Drew Bernard on the field during Maryland women’s soccer’s 4-0 win against VCU on Sept. 8, 2024. (Neelay Sachdeva/The Diamondback)

The Bernard family is well-represented in coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer’s program.

Twins Drew and Peyton Bernard, second-year players from Rockville, have as strong a sibling bond as you’ll find. They share the same classes, Starbucks order, TV show preferences and apartment — and perhaps most impressively, rarely get sick of each other.

“I trust her more than anybody else in the world,” Peyton Bernard said.

Peyton Bernard was a starter her freshman year while Drew Bernard recovered from a torn ACL and meniscus. Maryland’s clash with VCU on Sept. 8 was a monumental game for both sisters — Drew made her collegiate debut and Peyton scored her first goal as a Terp.

Women’s soccer reporter Holliday Woodard spoke with the Bernard twins about that emotional day and their relationship off the field.

Best bits:

  • No. 1 2026 women’s lacrosse recruit Cayden Reese will play for her mother and the team she grew up with.
  • Explosive plays are a large part of Maryland’s offense under Locksley. He credits the big gains to big-time players.
  • Maryland men’s soccer struggled out of the gate but is rolling with wins over then-No. 8 Wisconsin and Indiana.
  • Maryland volleyball beat UCF, 3-2, on Saturday for its eighth straight win.
  • Maryland field hockey earned a ranked win over Rutgers in its Big Ten opener on Friday to improve to 5-2 in the young season.

Stat of the week

Edwards and Felton lead the Big Ten in passing and receiving yards respectively with 1,155 and 604. Washington’s Giles Jackson is 262 yards behind Felton in second place.

Quote of the week

“The system creates these opportunities, Tai has taken advantage of these opportunities. If the people have spoken, let the marketing begin,” Locksley said about Felton’s name being floated in the Heisman Trophy conversation.