Maryland's Locksley on Rutgers: Every game is a must-win as Terps try to end skid

Mike Locksley won't call Saturday's homecoming game against Rutgers a must-win for Maryland. To him, they all are.

At his weekly press conference Tuesday, the Terrapins coach was asked whether the Scarlet Knights' visit to College Park carries extra weight. "They're all must-win, man," Locksley said, according to On3's Terrapin Insider. He added that every game and every decision is a must-win for a coach in the current landscape, and that he has treated Rutgers as Maryland's most important game of the year.

The question comes at a hard time for Locksley. Maryland is 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Big Ten, and has lost four in a row. The latest was a lopsided defeat at top-five Ohio State in Columbus last weekend. On3 reports that calls for a coaching change are getting louder, and that a late winning streak might not be enough to save Locksley's job, either during the season or after it.

Locksley told reporters he understands why fans are frustrated and said he and his players feel the same way. He said he still believes in his team and has seen a shift over the last two weeks. In his view, Maryland's practice work has been where it needs to be, but the team has not carried it into Saturdays. He took responsibility for that and said the staff will try to do more with less by focusing on what the players can execute in games.

The longer view is worse. Maryland won bowl games in three straight seasons from 2021 to 2023, then went 4-8 in both 2024 and 2025. Per On3, the Terps have lost 11 straight Big Ten games and 19 of their last 21 in league play, and have not beaten a power-conference opponent since September 2025. A bowl trip, the program's first since 2023, would take a run of wins starting now.

Rutgers looks like a chance to get one. The Scarlet Knights come in at 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the conference, so the bottom of the Big Ten table is at stake when the teams meet at 12:30 p.m. EDT Saturday on BTN.

The market leans toward the home team. Maryland is favored at -182 on Novig, one of the venues pricing the game, and FanDuel has the Terps at -184. The spread is Maryland -4.5 with a total of 57.5. Full prices are on our Rutgers at Maryland odds page.

The Terrapins have a bye after Saturday, then host Illinois on Halloween. On3 notes that the back half of Maryland's schedule looks easier than the front half. That gives Locksley a window, but he needs a win against Rutgers first to make use of it.