White beats Red in Maryland spring game shootout

COLLEGE PARK — A spring game shootout broke out underneath on an overcast Saturday afternoon at SECU Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Malik Washington paced his Red team with 168 yards passing and two touchdowns, but White QB Khristian Martin answered with 269 yards and four TDs to lead the White team over Red 31-28 in Maryland’s spring football practice finale.

Martin was 16-of-23 and earned the Red-White Game most valuable player award for his efforts. He teamed with receiver Mekhai White, a fellow Virginia native, for a pair of touchdown passes to put the White team up 14-0 after the first quarter.

“The guys around me just doing their job, and it allows me as a quarterback to settle in,” Martin said. “The offensive line, doing their part, [receivers] being in the right spot, catching the ball, and that just makes my job easy.”

Washington, the highly touted four-star freshman from Archbishop Spaulding, entered for Red to begin the second quarter and promptly led his side on a scoring drive, punctuated by a 2-yard touchdown pass to Octavian Smith Jr. 

“The work that we all put in all offseason allowed us to come out here and put the product on the field,” Washington said. “And I trusted everybody, because we’ve all been working so hard since we since we’ve been here in January. It’s been amazing to see.”

Washington finished 12-of-18, one of four quarterbacks that saw action along with Red teammate Justyn Martin, who passed for 69 yards and a TD, and Roman Jensen for White.

“We’re like brothers … I’m blessed to be with this group of guys and the competitive nature,” Martin said, “but also, we’re there for each other. We’re helping each other grow, learning all together.”

Washington showed his versatility on the final drive of the first half, using his legs to pick up a first down before finding receiver Ryan Manning in stride on the far sideline at the 1-yard line after a rainbow throw from the block M at midfield.

DeJuan Williams — like Manning, a Saint Frances Academy product — punctuated the drive with a touchdown two plays later to trim White’s lead to 17-14 at halftime.

Washington reentered in the fourth, leading two touchdown drives to put Red in front 28-24. But Martin answered with one of his own, featuring a 58 yard pitch-and-catch touchdown to Jahmari Powell-Wonson to put White back in front by the final margin. 

Washington was leading a potential game-winning drive in the final minute, but was sacked on a play that would have been a touchdown, and a game-tying field goal on the next play was missed wide left.

Red featured Maryland’s first-team offense — or what’s left of it. Smith is one of only three returning offensive starters on a unit that in the fall will look drastically different from Maryland’s 2024 group.

“Being an older guy in the room now, I just got to find a way to … keep leading, lead by example,” Smith said. “Be someone who these guys can look up to.”

Redshirt freshman DD Holmes added three sacks in the first half and five total tackles for Red, earning the Ray Krouse most valuable lineman award.

Played annually as part of the university’s Maryland Day festivities, the Red-White Game caps the Terrapins’ spring practice sessions. Fall camp begins in late July, and Maryland begins its 2025 season on Aug. 30 at home against Florida Atlantic.