Welcome to The Diamondback Sports Digest. Every week, we send you a rundown of the latest Maryland athletics news.
A week after Maryland football appeared to have saved its season, it turned in one of its poorest performances of the year. Even some of the Terps’ best teams lost in a tough week for Maryland athletics.
In this week’s newsletter, we’ll dive into football’s brutal defeat at Minnesota, losses from a pair of top-10 Terps teams and more.
Maryland football decimated
The Terps (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) entered Minnesota at the highest point of their season — fresh off a win over USC and a field storm. But there couldn’t be less in common between that match and Maryland’s abhorrent 48-23 loss on Saturday.
Maryland trailed by 38 points in the fourth quarter before two late touchdowns made the score feel closer than the game was. The Terps, who coach Michael Locksley has advertised as a defensive-led team, looked like anything but.
Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer notched season-highs in passing yards and touchdowns before the third quarter ended, and his receivers created separation with ease against a struggling Maryland secondary.
The Terps have a bye week and then travel to No. 1 Oregon. Their streak of three straight winning seasons with bowl game victories is in jeopardy.
Men’s soccer loses first Big Ten game
No. 2 Maryland men’s soccer hadn’t lost or been held scoreless in two months before its match at Michigan on Friday. The Terps (8-2-5, 5-1-2 Big Ten) fell to the Wolverines, 2-0.
The loss came after Maryland’s draw with then-No. 19 UCLA, a game where midfielder Leon Koehl suffered an injury at the end of the first half. That forced coach Sasho Cirovski to make a formation change — killing the lineup that sparked their recent success.
Maryland is now third in the Big Ten standings, though it’s played one less game than the top team. The Terps trail first-place Indiana by three points.
Field hockey splits weekend contests
No. 6 Maryland field hockey (11-5, 5-2 Big Ten) suffered an upset loss at No. 13 Princeton on Friday before bouncing back against Richmond on Sunday.
Arguably the biggest difference between those two games was the Terps’ number of chances — they attempted 20 on Sunday after tying their season-low of four on Friday.
The defeat against the Tigers was Maryland’s first against a team ranked outside the top five in the country. They have one regular season contest remaining before the Big Ten tournament, where they’d claim the No. 2 seed with a win.
Best Bits
- Maryland volleyball traveled overseas to recruit freshman Duru Gökçen. Now in College Park, the Turkish freshman has found a second home.
- After growing up watching her brother play for the Terps, Maryland women’s basketball freshman Ava McKennie now does the same.
- The Diamondback’s men’s basketball reporters polled Terps assistant coaches at the team’s media day.
- Maryland football takes an analytical approach to its strength and conditioning program.
- Maryland volleyball dropped its fifth-straight game with a defeat at Washington.
Stat of the week
Maryland football has allowed 40 points in at least one game every season since 2010.
Quote of the week
“He’s just one of those once-in-a-blue-moon talents,” Maryland men’s basketball assistant coach Greg Manning Jr. said of freshman Derik Queen. “Derik’s a special player. He’s going to change this team.”
