Kuzdzal scores three touchdowns as No. 18 Michigan sends Maryland to seventh-straight loss

COLLEGE PARK — In a battle between two future college football star quarterbacks in the making in Maryland’s Malik Washington and Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, it was running back Bryson Kuzdzal who shone brightest, scoring three rushing touchdowns as the No. 18 Wolverines routed the Terrapins, 45-20, on Saturday.

“We just weren’t good enough today. It starts with me as the leader,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said.

Kuzdzal scored on runs of 2 yards, 19 yards and 1 yard and tallied 100 total on 20 carries for the Wolverines (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten), who will finish their regular season next week against Ohio State with a chance at a College Football Playoff berth still on the line.

“We didn’t set the edge of the defense very well … the ball came off the edge of the table, which typically means that we’ve got to get the force players down tighter. They’ve got to do a better job of forcing the ball back to where the help was. And today, I didn’t see a lot of the ball being forced back inside,” Locksley said.

Underwood acquitted himself well, throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-23 attempts, making some flashy passes in the process and typically finding open receivers in Maryland’s soft zone coverage.

“This game is on us as a defense,” Terrapins defensive back Jalen Huskey said. “I think no matter where they put the ball, we have to go out there and perform and do our job. There was multiple times we could have held them to three points, and they scored a touchdown. So definitely wasn’t the best performance today.”

Washington led Maryland’s first touchdown drive in six quarters, but was sacked three times — doubling his season total — including one by former Terrapin and Baltimore native Jaishawn Barham. Washington finished 19-of-39 for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“Just finding ways to watch the tape, get better at it, and be able to take the losses and turn them into lessons … I think [I] kind of got spoiled with being able to stand up right for so long [all season],” Washington said.

The Terrapins (4-7, 1-7) have lost seven straight games since their last win, at Wisconsin on Sept. 20, and are 2-15 in their last two seasons in conference play. As a result, they will miss playing in a postseason bowl game for the second straight season. Maryland athletic director Jim Smith announced Nov. 16 that Locksley would return in 2026 for his eighth season. 

“I can tell you that we obviously have some talented, inexperienced players that just have to get back on the on the horse and learn how to win. Learned that sometimes there’s a little bit more detail, and what we do and how we do it is the difference,” Locksley said.

Maryland marched down the field with efficiency and an opened-up playbook on the game’s first drive. After a 20-yard DeJuan Williams run on the first play, Washington hit receiver Shaleak Knotts to get the Terrapins deep into Michigan territory before capping it off with a 1-yard throw to tight end Dorian Fleming for the TD. 

Accentuating how hard it’s been to run the ball, Maryland’s 37 yards rushing on its opening drive equaled the total it had in its previous home game on Nov. 1 against Indiana.

“We had our openers list, stuff that we felt good about going into the week after game prepping,” Washington said. “We came out there, ran our openers, these things that we’ve seen. Favorable looks. We’re able to get the ball down the field, guys making plays.”

Feeling themselves a bit, the Terrapins tried an onside kick, but were unsuccessful. With a short field, the Wolverines answered quickly.

Marsh, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, continued his roll by catching a corner fade from Underwood on third down for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 midway through the first quarter.

Michigan added touchdowns on its next two drives, Kuzdzal’s first from 2 yards out and a 22-yard catch-and-run from Underwood to Donaven McCulley

McCulley’s score came on the heels of Washington’s eighth interception and fifth in the last four games, this one at his own 23.

“I don’t think they did anything that we didn’t see during film during the week. I think they did a good job of — they mixed up some stuff on third and short,” Huskey said of the Wolverines, who were 12-of-14 on third down.

Missed chances in the first half that slipped through the Terrapins’ fingers — literally — cost them a chance at game-changing momentum. 

On Michigan’s second drive, defensive back Lavain Scruggs nearly had Underwood for his fifth interception of the season, and 20 yards of wide-open space between him and the end zone, but bobbled and dropped the opportunity.

And on a mid-second quarter drive, Washington’s 20-yard pass for receiver Jalil Farooq underneath the goalpost went through his hands, forcing Maryland to settle for a Sean O’Haire field goal and a 21-10 deficit at halftime.

“I gotta figure out how to get Jalil to make that play. I gotta figure out how to get Lavain to make that play. But I think if you bring those guys up here, they’ll stand in front of you just like I’m owning it and taking accountability,” Locksley said. “They’ll stand right in front of you and tell you that they’re capable of making it, and they need to. So not a lot needs to be said. It needs to be done.”

Kuzdzal scored his second and third TDs on each of Michigan’s first two drives after halftime, giving the Wolverines a 35-13 advantage. 

Maryland’s best chance to stay in the game was on its first drive of the third quarter, but on third down inside the Michigan 10, Washington was sacked for only the fifth time all season by 320-pound lineman Tre Williams. O’Haire finished the drive with another field goal.

Jasper Parker for Michigan and Jalil Farroq for Maryland added fourth-quarter touchdowns to contribute to the final score.

Maryland finishes its season next Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit against Michigan State.

“I know this team will keep fighting. As long as there’s time left, we’ll keep fighting, keep showing up and working,” Locksley said. “We have one more opportunity next week in Detroit to send our seniors out with a win.”