For three quarters, Maryland looked like the Big Ten’s best-kept secret — a defense tighter than TSA and a freshman quarterback who made pressure look like a suggestion. Then, in the span of 15 minutes, Washington ripped up the script, stormed back from 20-0 down to win 24-20 in front of a sellout crowd of 46,185 at SECU Stadium.
It wasn’t just a comeback. It was a full-on personality shift — the kind of fourth quarter that makes defensive coordinators question life choices and fans stare blankly at the scoreboard wondering how it all went sideways so fast.
Washington’s 21-point blitz in the final frame flipped Maryland’s undefeated season upside down and gave the Huskies their biggest comeback win in five years — and their largest road rally since 1993.
For most of the afternoon, Maryland looked like the bully on the block. Their defense opened the day by snatching freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr.’s first pass like a snack — Jalen Husky’s interception set up a quick Sean O’Haire field goal to make it 3-0.
Then came the body blows. Malik Washington — Maryland’s unflappable freshman QB — led a 16-play, 71-yard drive that chewed up more than eight minutes of game time and ended with a quarterback keeper to make it 10-0. It was the kind of drive that makes analytics nerds purr: five third-down conversions, zero panic, total control.
By halftime, Maryland had outgained Washington 220–100, forced two turnovers, and hadn’t allowed a single point in the first half for the fourth straight game. The Terps walked into the locker room up 13-0, having allowed just 10 first-half points all season — their stingiest stretch since 1996.
When Washington hit AJ Szymanski for a two-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, Maryland was up 20-0. SECU Stadium was buzzing. Washington’s defense was gassed. It felt over.
But that’s the thing about college football — momentum’s not a friend, it’s a wild animal. And once it flipped, it flipped hard.
For three quarters, Demond Williams Jr. looked like a freshman trying to solve Maryland’s defensive Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. Then something changed.
A 16-play, grind-it-out field goal drive put Washington on the board, 20-3. It felt like a small dent. But the Huskies defense, dormant all afternoon, suddenly came alive. Two straight three-and-outs later, and Williams Jr. had the ball with confidence he hadn’t shown since warmups.
What followed was a fireworks display.
First, Williams Jr. hit Denzel Boston for a 3-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to cut it to 20-10. A few plays later, he dropped a 34-yard dime to Dezmen Roebuck that sliced the deficit to three in just over a minute.
You could feel the panic creeping into Maryland’s sideline. The clock slowed. The offensive rhythm evaporated. The defense — perfect for three quarters — started missing tackles it hadn’t missed all year.
Then came the dagger.
Jonah Coleman had been bottled up all game. Fifty-five yards on 17 carries isn’t going on any highlight reels. But with 3:21 left, he found redemption — and daylight — from a yard out to cap Washington’s 80-yard game-winning drive.
Twenty-four unanswered points. From dead to dominant in a quarter.
Maryland had one last gasp, but the Huskies defense, smelling blood, slammed the door shut. A fourth-down stop iced it, and the purple-and-gold sideline erupted.
This wasn’t just a comeback. It was a program statement.
Maryland’s Malik Washington has been one of the best stories in college football — a true freshman playing like a fifth-year vet. He didn’t fall apart on Saturday, but he finally looked mortal.
Washington went 30-for-45 for 219 yards and a touchdown. The numbers are solid, but the context hurts: two turnovers, zero second-half rhythm, and a sputtering offense that couldn’t buy a first down when it mattered most.
Still, the kid’s stats remain absurd. Through five games, he’s thrown for 1,257 yards and nine touchdowns — the most passing yards by a Power Five true freshman since 2019. But Saturday proved something even more valuable: in the Big Ten, numbers don’t mean anything if you can’t close.
Every comeback needs its spark, and for Washington, it came not from a single play but from a vibe shift.
In the final seconds of the third quarter, the Huskies’ sideline — flat all day — suddenly roared after a third-down sack. That defensive stop triggered something. The Huskies went from trying to survive to trying to steal it.
When Williams Jr. found Roebuck streaking down the sideline for that 34-yard touchdown, it felt less like a lucky break and more like fate catching up. Maryland’s defense, which had spent nearly 24 minutes of game time on the field in the first half, finally ran out of gas.
The Terrapins’ methodical, time-sucking drives that once felt surgical now looked sluggish. Washington flipped the tempo, and Maryland never matched it.
For Washington, this wasn’t just a road win — it was a Big Ten validation moment. The Huskies proved they can handle physical, grind-it-out games and still find a way to unleash their West Coast chaos when it counts.
Demond Williams Jr. showed grit after a rough start, finishing with two touchdowns and no interceptions after halftime. The Huskies’ defense — shredded early — locked in when it mattered, forcing Maryland to punt on three straight drives in crunch time.
For Maryland, it’s a gut punch. They were one quarter away from being 5-0 with legitimate national buzz. Instead, they leave their own stadium wondering how they let 45 minutes of dominance vanish in 15.
If the first three quarters were a clinic, the fourth was a fever dream. Maryland’s defense looked like it had seen a ghost — and maybe it had, because Washington’s comeback had that supernatural vibe.
“Sometimes you just have to keep swinging,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said postgame. “We didn’t blink.”
They didn’t.
The Huskies fly home at 4-1, riding their biggest comeback in decades and a shot of belief that could define their Big Ten season. Maryland, meanwhile, has to sit with this one — the kind of loss that lingers like a bad echo.
Next week, Washington gets Rutgers at home for Homecoming. The Terps? They get a week to remember what it feels like to close.
Final: Washington 24, Maryland 20.
A Big Ten classic. A fourth quarter for the ages. And proof that in college football, it’s never over until it’s really over.
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