2028 Week Five Preview: #21 Washington Huskies (3-1) @ Maryland Terrapins (3-0)
Marcus Washington // Terpsville • Published: September 22nd, 2028
The Maryland Terrapins come off their bye week and jump right back into the fire as they prepare to host the 21st-ranked Washington Huskies, without star running back Zymear Smith. The Huskies are reeling after dropping their first game of the season against the UCLA Bruins at Husky Stadium last week and will be looking to rebound, or risk falling completely out of the AP Rankings.
It's the age-old question for the Terrapins: coming off a dramatic victory over the then 5th-ranked Michigan Wolverines, would you have preferred to keep the train rolling, or do you embrace the rest after such a high-stakes clash? It's a question Coach Armando Leon will answer, among others, in our latest "Inside the Shell" segment following the preview graphic.
•••
Maryland Terrapins (3-0) | Description | #21 Washington Huskies (3-1) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81 Overall // 81 Offense // 81 Defense | Team Rating | 96 Overall // 96 Offense // 96 Defense Armando Leon (3-0) | Head Coach | Jedd Fisch (37-19) Spread | Offensive Scheme | Multiple 3-3-5 | Defensive Scheme | 4-2-5
Maryland Terrapins | Description | Washington Huskies --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28-13 | Combined Record | 29-11 Towson (FCS) W 63-17 | Week One | UNLV (2-3) W 27-24 Virginia Tech (2-2) W 37-14 | Week Two | FCS W 52-10 @ Michigan (2-1) W 28-20 | Week Three | @ Washington State (2-2) W 31-20 BYE | Week Four | UCLA (2-1) L 48-18
Maryland Terrapins Washington Huskies --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HB Zymear Smith (89) Broken Fibula (27 Weeks) | Injuries | WR Audric Harris (85) Broken Wrist (3 Weeks) N/A | Injuries | T Soma Tuitele (79) Torn Tricep (4 Weeks)
Oregon State Beavers Washington Huskies --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SR Malik Washington (87) | QB | SO(RS) Brian Pennel (87) SR Zymear Smith (89) | HB | SO(RS) Tim Hufanga (84) SR(RS) Emanuel Ross (87) | WR | SO(RS) Paul Mesko (92) SR(RS) Za'Ron Collins (82) | WR | JR(RS) Paxton Kettering (84) JR DE Garrison Dobbs (87) | DEF | SR CB Dylan Robinson (88) SR(RS) SS La'Khi Roland (87) | DEF | JR LB Tye Buck (86) JR(RS) DT Caleb Williams (80) | DEF | SR(RS) FS Rashawn Clark (85) SR(RS) CB Brandon Lee (83) | DEF | SO(RS) CB Manuel Mancz (85)
Big Ten Week Five Schedule
► Show Spoiler
► Show Spoiler
•••
Inside the Shell
MW: "We're going to get right into it, Coach. Some would argue a bye week after such a galvanizing upset of the Michigan Wolverines is counterproductive, killing the momentum the team could have potentially gained with the win. Others argue that after the physical game, coming off a short week, it was a necessary evil to keep the team healthy. What side are you taking in the age-old debate?"
AL: "I think both can be true, Marcus. We needed the rest; we had a multitude of injuries during the Michigan game outside of Zymear. But at the same time, we were rolling and you hate to lose that momentum. Lucky for us, we've got another big game and if we can keep focus, execute, and take care of business then we'll have the momentum right back."
MW: "On the subject of Zymear, how is the offense going to adjust with him out for the remainder of the season? Is Malik going to carry more of a burden to produce offensively, or are you going to depend on Iverson Howard and Paul Colon to step in and fill the void?"
AL: "Next man up, Marcus. Our goal is to always establish the run and use that to open up everything else. Iverson is more than ready to step up and fill those shoes, Paul too, and so long as they can keep a steady presence in the backfield, we'll be more than fine offensively. Losing a dynamic athlete like Zymear hurts, but the depth we have and the creativity in our scheme should allow us to weather the storm."
MW: "Last question, defensively the unit is still struggling to get sacks, but is still impacting the game in a variety of ways and has yet to give up more than 20 points. Is there an emphasis to turn those 10 QB hits against Michigan into more sacks, or is the team overall content with the results?"
AL: "We've been getting at least 10 QB hits a game, despite only tallying six sacks this season, but defensively we're still playing at a high level. You'd like to see more sack numbers, but the amount of pressure we're generating is still affecting the offensive game plan and forcing errant throws, which we're turning into points. As long as that result continues, we're fine with however it comes."
•••
This matchup is going to show us how disciplined the Terrapins are this season. They're coming off a bye week, without their second-best player offensively, and are hosting a Huskies team that is out to prove they aren't frauds. I think at some point for the defense to keep up the quality of play they've achieved thus far, they're going to have to start generating some sacks.
Teams are still trying to throw it deep on the Terrapins, but I think as the season wears on you'll start to see the adjustments to quicker, short passes to try and negate the big-play ability of the secondary. Jedd Fisch's Washington teams are typically disciplined offensively, with a strategic mix of deep and intermediate passing, and you have to wonder if they'll be the team that cracks the code on Leon's defense.
I think if the team struggles to replace Zymear Smith, especially with the Huskies knowing Howard is going to be the bell-cow back, and continues to struggle turning pressure into sacks then this could be the first loss in the Leon era. It'll hinge on the trenches, on both sides, but with an extra week to prepare I think the Terps do enough to pull it out.
Maryland 24, Washington 20.
