Maryland coach Locksley gets a win amid losing streak

Michael Locksley got a win — even if Maryland football didn’t.

The beleaguered seven-year coach was ensured that he would helm the Terps for an eighth season after athletic director Jim Smith penned a letter released Sunday afternoon informing fans that Locksley would return in 2026.

“To continue building on this foundation, Coach Locksley needs — and deserves — the full support of our department, our university, and all of Terp Nation,” Smith wrote. “We are fully committed to giving him and our student-athletes the resources and investments necessary to succeed. I have worked closely with Coach Locksley to rapidly strengthen our NIL support for 2026 and beyond, with a clear and focused effort on roster retention, recruiting, and being highly competitive in the transfer portal.”

Smith’s announcement comes in the wake of Maryland (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) suffering its sixth consecutive loss in a 24-6 setback at Illinois on Saturday. After opening the season with four straight victories, the team lost by a combined 10 points to Washington, Nebraska and UCLA and then got thumped by double figures by No. 2 Indiana, Rutgers and the Fighting Illini.

Questions on whether the university would dismiss Locksley and pay him an almost $13.5 million buyout have increased with each loss. But Smith’s decision will likely quell such speculation for the time being.

Locksley did not address his job security after Saturday’s game, but insisted that every person associated with the program would battle to end the skid against No. 18 Michigan (8-2, 6-1) on Saturday and perhaps become eligible for what would be the team’s fourth bowl in five years.

“We’ll keep pouring everything we have into this team,” he said. “There’s no quit in this team. There’s still a lot of fight. We’re still playing for a lot. We have two opportunities left. As I just told our team, we’re in what we consider playoff football now. If we don’t win, we don’t extend it. So we all understand that, and we’ll show up Monday. I know this team will keep fighting. They have all year long put themselves in position, and we’ll keep coaching them up.”

Here are three more developments from Saturday’s game.

Touchdowns have been as elusive as wins

No team in the Big Ten has fared worse in the red zone than the Terps this season, and that issue reared its ugly head again Saturday.

The offense went 0-for-2 inside Illinois’ 20-yard line. The unit settled for a 29-yard field goal by redshirt freshman kicker Sean O’Haire on its opening series and then came up empty-handed on fourth-and-goal at the 3 late in the third quarter when Washington failed to connect with redshirt sophomore tight end Dorian Fleming.