Nameless and faceless: Maryland tries to change Big Ten perception at Wisconsin

Talk of “nameless” and “faceless” opponents permeated the language of Maryland players and coaches Tuesday, but reality can’t be ignored: the Big Ten season is here, and with it a chance for the Terrapins to change a decade-long perception around their program.

The first name on the conference schedule is Wisconsin, a program Maryland is winless against in four tries. Three of those losses have come in the Badgers’ intimidating environment of Camp Randall Stadium, site of Saturday’s tilt, where the Terrapins haven’t scored more than 13 points.

“We all know winning on the road in the Big Ten is hard. It’s tough to do week in and week out. Wisconsin is a great home environment. They got a great place to go play a football game. It’s what when you come to play it here at Maryland, it’s the type of environment you you like and want to go compete in,” said Maryland coach Mike Locksley.

Locksley called the matchup “a great measuring stick” for his program, which traditionally has fallen quantifiably short in these types of games. Maryland is 15-35 in Big Ten play since Locksley returned to College Park in 2019. The Terrapins’ overall winning percentage in conference games dating to becoming a Big Ten member in 2014 is just .301, including a 1-8 record last season.

“I’m excited for what this game creates for us as we enter the Big Ten season,” Locksley said. “An opportunity for us to learn who we are together on the road for the first time, opportunity to face adversity in a tough environment … this is be a great barometer for what kind of team we have and what type of team we can be.”

One of Wisconsin’s faces will be intimately familiar. Quarterback Billy Edwards earned MVP honors in the 2023 Music City Bowl and started the 2024 season for Maryland before transferring to the Badgers in the offseason.

“Billy was a good football player during his time here. This is the new football. This is the landscape we’re in. We’re not preparing any different because Billy’s on that sideline,” Locksley said.

Edwards started but left with an injury in the first half of Wisconsin’s season opener after completing just six passes for 68 yards and was replaced by sophomore quarterback Danny O’Neil. Badgers coach Luke Fickell said on Monday that Edwards’ status is unknown for Saturday, but that the Fairfax County native has been practicing and went through warmups before Wisconsin’s Week 3 loss to Alabama.

“We’re going to prepare as if Billy’s going to play. They’ve also shown they have a capable guy that has come in and won some games for them also. So you know, it’s not our job to figure that piece out. We just got to prepare our team for their offense. It’s not about Billy.”

Perhaps what Maryland doesn’t know won’t hurt it. Terrapins freshman quarterback Malik Washington admitted he hasn’t ever played in such a loud environment — Maryland will pump crowd noise into its practices this week to mimic the 76,000-strong Badger faithful — but insists it won’t be any different.

“It’s something that, you know, we’ll pay attention to, but it’s not like a huge thing,” Washington said, “just because you can’t focus too much on one thing and start to forget the other things that matter in the scheme of the game.”

Washington has shown a talent and maturity level unlike any quarterback in recent Maryland memory, let alone one who’s only 19 years old. Saturday will be the biggest test of his young career, with more coming in rapid succession.

“For me, I just kind of like to minimize the moment,” Washington said. “So no matter what the situation is or what stage you’re playing on, at the end of the day, it’s first and 10, and we’ve done it 1000 times, we’ll do it 1,000 more. Whether I’m just throwing a slant, I’ve done it so many times in my life to where that no matter what that stage is, the moment, it’s not bigger than me.”