EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Maryland is benefiting from an up-tempo offense in 2026.

The Terps scored 62 points in their season-opening win over Hampton and added a 38-14 victory over Connecticut on Saturday in front of 34,494 fans at Pratt and Whitney Stadium.

After the Huskies took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, the Terrapins (2-0) scored on six of their next eight drives, with five touchdowns and a field goal.

Maryland sophomore QB Malik Washington completed 34 of 41 passes for 347 yards with two touchdowns, and Harry Dalton III ran for 48 yards with two touchdowns.

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“I am proud of this team. I told them this would be an audit for us,” Maryland coach Michael Locksley said. “I thought we did a good job of taking care of business. Malik was really efficient today.”

Washington, who completed 18 passes in a row at one point, completed passes to eight receivers. Chris Durr Jr. pulled in a career-high 10 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown. Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding caught eight passes for a game-high 130 yards and a touchdown.

“We’re always going to be a multitempo offense,” Lockley said. “With us and a guy like Malik, getting him in the rhythm is really important. It is more flow than tempo.

“There will be times we want to play fast and keep people off the field in certain situations. But I think our goal is to get 80 plays, and the only way you can get 80 plays in today’s game is you have to go with some tempo,” he said. “When you have as many playmakers as we have on offense and the diversity of how we spread the ball around, you won’t get enough plays if you play slow.”

The Terps ran 78 plays Saturday.

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UConn (1-1) was led by QB Kalieb Osborne, who completed 10 of 21 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Osborne was UConn’s leading rusher with 30 yards on 13 carries. Maryland gave up just 67 yards on 31 carries.

Maryland scored 17 unanswered points after the Huskies took a 7-0 lead on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Osborne to JD Willoughby with 4:39 left in the first quarter.

The Terps responded immediately. On a third-and-eight play, Washington found Abdul-Rahim Gladding in the flat and he ran for a 60-yard touchdown.

Maryland took a 14-7 lead on a 4-yard run from Iverson Howard with 7:51 left in the second quarter. The Terps marched 92 yards on nine plays in 5:09, aided by two pass-interference calls against the Huskies.

Maryland used another long march to add a 19-yard field goal from Sean O’Haire with four seconds left in the first half to take a 17-7 halftime lead.

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The Terps went 91 yards in 15 plays with Washington completing five of seven passes on the drive and Howard rushing for 31 yards on seven carries, including 10 yards on a key fourth-and-one play from the UConn 46.

Washington completed 18 of 24 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

Streaks

Maryland has won 20 straight nonconference games. It is the longest streak in the FBS.

The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak at Pratt and Whitney Stadium for the Huskies, dating to a loss to Wake Forest in October 2024.

Up next

UConn: at Southern Mississippi next Saturday.

Maryland: vs. Virginia Tech next Saturday.