Maryland’s cross-country trip to UCLA requires adjustments, logistical quirks

For years, the conversation about road games in college football typically never strayed beyond how potentially intimidating the atmosphere may be for visitors.

Heading out for a trip in today’s era, however, requires more checklists than an extended family vacation.

“To me,” said Maryland coach Mike Locksley, “it’s just getting as much of the work done on the front end.”

The Terrapins (4-2, 2-2 Big Ten) will play UCLA (2-4, 2-1) in their first-ever game in the hallowed Rose Bowl on Saturday (7 p.m., FS1), and the cross-country journey requires a lot of adaptation for a team ingrained in routine.

“We were lucky enough that it’s a 4:00 [Pacific] kick, which is no different than a night game for us,” Locksley said. “So it’s just a matter of our guys making sure we get enough rest, recovery on the front end to be able to play.”

A tractor-trailer full of gear and everything else Maryland needs to properly take the field left College Park on Monday for Pasadena. Locksley and his team departed early Thursday to adjust to the three-hour time difference.

“We’re leaving … so that we are there in time with the sun out to go practice. Supposedly, when you practice in sunlight, it helps you acclimate and get the acclimation in part,” Locksley said. “And then we’ll be able to do the things we need to do Friday, like we would at home.”

Fall break on the Maryland campus this week also played a part, allowing Locksley to schedule earlier practices without interfering with class schedules.

“Coach did a great job of getting us in early [to practice] so I can get to bed early and kind of catch up on some extra sleep,” said quarterback Malik Washington, “so that when we get over there and the time change happens, we’ve kind of got some sleep already banked.”

The accelerated timeline — Locksley called it a “short week,” though not one in actuality — meant Washington took care of duties such as packing and getting tickets lined up for family and friends a few days ahead of his normal schedule.

“[Just] making sure I don’t have to worry about anything,” Washington said. “As soon as we’re about to travel, I can kind of sit back and relax and be ready to go on the plane.”

The Big Ten is the main culprit in this shift, with each of its Eastern and Central time zone teams required to make one annual trip westward to play one of the league’s four former Pac-12 schools.

“Just making sure we get our rest on the front end and fueling our bodies the right way,” said running back Nolan Ray. “It’s kind of hard to manage a big jump like that.”

Recently fired Penn State coach James Franklin cited travel as one of the reasons his then-No. 7 Nittany Lions were upset at UCLA Oct. 4. Even Nebraska, which made a much shorter trip last week to Maryland, arrived two days before the game to try to mitigate any perceived issues.

The Terrapins’ first such sojourn was last season, a Pacific Northwest visit to Oregon in November. Maryland hung around in the first quarter before the Ducks pulled away for a 39-18 win.

“I thought a year ago, we played Oregon pretty well,” Locksley said. “I thought with the travel that we had, I think we’ve done things the right way from that standpoint, but it’s still [only] the second time we’ve done it.”