As the Terps have racked up setback after setback to the point of dropping their last five games, calls for a new coach among fans have intensified. In spite of that growing sentiment, athletic director Jim Smith has held firm that Locksley will continue in his role to lead the program — at least for the rest of 2025.

As Maryland (4-5, 1-5 Big Ten) prepares to visit Illinois (6-3, 3-3) with the hope of capturing its first victory since Sept. 20 when the team handled Wisconsin, 27-10, the spotlight has shifted to the players who might themselves in the awkward position of defending their coach to fans, boosters or anyone else with critical views.

During Tuesday’s media availability at SECU Stadium, two players said they are playing for everyone, which would presumably include Locksley.

“I think we’re playing for everybody in the building,” said freshman quarterback Malik Washington, a Glen Burnie native and Spalding graduate. “Nobody likes to feel this type of way after losing five straight. You’re playing for the senior guys. This is their last chance, their last opportunity. Some of them have playing football in total, and some in a Maryland uniform. So I think each week, we’ve always been playing for each other.”

Added redshirt junior safety Lavain Scruggs, a Baltimore resident and Spalding graduate: “As a team, we are always playing for one another. Whatever’s going on outside, [the] media, we’re not really worried about that. We’re worried about doing our job, playing against Illinois this weekend. So whatever’s going on, we’re not actually worried about it.”

The lack of concern might be considered admirable in light of the scrutiny that has fallen on Locksley. The five-game skid is tied for the second-longest during his tenure, and the Terps are underdogs against the Fighting Illini.

Saturday’s 35-20 setback at Rutgers assured that Maryland will not finish the season with a winning record in the Big Ten – an accomplishment that has eluded Locksley during his seven-year tenure. The program slipped to 5-18 in November under the former Towson safety.

Despite the lack of success, the players stand by Locksley. Last week, senior safety Jalen Huskey and redshirt senior left guard Isaiah Wright said they would continue to contend for their coach, and Washington and Scruggs did not contradict their teammates’ stances.

For his part, Locksley seemed to chafe at the necessity of the players’ public comments in support of him.

“I don’t like that,” he said. “I’m a big boy. I’ve been a big boy a long time. I’ve done a lot harder things in my life than deal with a five-game losing streak and have to answer questions about what I’ve done. … When you hear those things, it’s encouraging because that means I’ve had a positive impact on the lives of those two guys. That’s doing good work. I’m here to do good work.”

Locksley’s attempt to downplay the players’ defense did not surprise Washington, who implied the coach did not want to add to their already loaded plates.

“I understand why he’s saying it because like I just said, we really just want to focus on being able to play for the person next to you and your brothers that you’ve grinded with this whole offseason to try to make it to this point,” he said.

As troubling as the Terps’ plunge has been, the atmosphere within the program remains the same. Washington said players were cheering each other during Monday’s weightlifting session, and Locksley said he has appreciated their workmanlike approach.

“It’s a little crazy, but the vibes have not changed at all,” Scruggs said. “We’re still the same team because since camp and since all these guys came in, we built this brotherhood, and this brotherhood is very, very strong. And I’ll say the locker room is amazing. The guys want to win. The guys are hungry. We’ve got to get a lot of guys healthy. So the locker is still amazing.”

And for all of the consternation surrounding the program, Maryland could still become eligible for what would be its fourth bowl in the last five years by earning two victories in its last three games against Illinois on Saturday, No. 18 Michigan (7-2, 5-1) on Nov. 22 and Michigan State (3-6, 0-6) on Nov. 29. The odds seem to be stacked against the team, but stranger things have happened before.

Regardless, Locksley said Saturday’s game is the first chance to right the ship.

“It’s to take advantage of the next opportunity,” he said when asked if becoming bowl eligible can inspire the team. “And obviously, the things that we can control is the ability to extend our season, which is something that you would want. Those practices, as I’ve said, are invaluable. And so, priority No. 1 is to get back on the right side of the ledger this week, and then the priority No. 2 is, how do we build on that?”

READER POLL: Should Maryland keep football coach Michael Locksley beyond this season?

Chatter outside of the Jones-Hill House where the Terps practice will not deter them, Washington said.

“We understand that it’s really just the people in the building that matter, the coaches and the faculty and staff that have helped us up to this point and the players that you’ve been working with all offseason to try to get here,” he said. “And now it’s, continue to work for those same people that have worked with you this whole time.”

Could Locksley’s job security serve as another motivation? Not specifically, according to Scruggs.

“We’re motivated every game,” he said. “We’re 0-5 right now. So we’re hungry for this next win. We want to win, we want to win. So that’s what it is.”

That might be the one thing Locksley found himself in alignment with his players.

“We don’t do external motivations in this program,” he said. “It’s a bond. They know I’m going to coach them up until the day I’m not allowed to, and they’re going to play hard for me until they are done playing for me. Those are the types of bonds I’m make in this business, and again, I’ve done the good work throughout 37 years of it.”

Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun. 

The fashion choices contradicted what unfolded on the court inside Xfinity Center. The Terps used a 29-10 opening and then withstood a testy lull just before halftime before sprinting to a 84-64 victory before an announced 10,461.

With the win, Maryland (2-1) bounced back from Friday’s 70-60 loss to Georgetown during which the visiting Hoyas led wire-to-wire. So Tuesday’s outcome was a welcome sight for the players and coaches.

In addition to the 29-10 run at the beginning of the first half, the team used a 15-2 burst to open the second to gain some distance from the Braves. Coach Buzz Williams was pleased with those developments even as he watched the Terps let Alcorn State remain competitive.

“I think we probably played 25 minutes the way we want to play,” he said. “I thought the first 10 minutes, a lot of what we want to accomplish was happening on both ends of the floor. Then it really drastically changed from an execution standpoint, a stamina standpoint. And then in the second half, I thought a lot of what happened in the first 10 minutes was very similar — without having watched it — to the first 10 minutes of the first half. Then the air almost went out of the balloon again.”

Senior power forward Pharrel Payne continued his strong start for the Terps, amassing a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds. The Texas A&M transfer entered the game tied for the team lead in points per game at 19 and leading in rebounds per game at 8.5 and is the only player to score at least 10 points in each of his first three games.

Redshirt freshman shooting guard Andre Mills contributed 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior small forward Elijah Saunders finished with 12 points, two rebounds and two assists, and freshman shooting guard Darius Adams compiled 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.

The offense converted 50% of its field goals (28 of 56), outscored the Braves 34-24 in the paint, and scored 14 second-chance points off of 14 offensive rebounds. Mills noted that the team racked up 14 assists.

“I wouldn’t say there was more of a change tonight,” he said, comparing the games from Tuesday and Friday. “We just shared the ball a little more. We are starting to care about the little things. Every single day, we kind of harp on the little things.”

Payne had been tied for the scoring lead with redshirt junior point guard Myles Rice, who dropped 19 points in his debut for Maryland against Georgetown. But the Indiana transfer returned to a walking boot on his left leg and sat out Tuesday’s game.

The Terps did not appear to miss Rice at the outset. They scored six of the game’s first eight points before the Braves (0-4) tied the score at 7-7 almost three minutes into the game.

Maryland answered by scoring 13 consecutive points in a 5:55 stretch to assume a 20-7 advantage. When junior point guard Jameel Morris sank a layup with 10:26 left in the stanza, that snapped a 6:59 drought during which Alcorn State missed eight straight shots.

The Terps took off on a 9-1 burst to enjoy a 29-10 advantage with 8:28 remaining. That cushion seemed to put the game out of reach.

Maryland vs. Alcorn State in men’s basketball | PHOTOS

Except someone forgot to inform the Braves. Rather than curl up, they reasserted themselves by scoring 10 unanswered points in just over four minutes. On the flip side, Maryland went 5:46 without scoring until Payne drained a pair of free throws with just under three minutes until halftime.

After Payne converted two more free throws at the 2:13 mark to give the Terps a 33-22 lead, they did not score again until halftime. That opened the door for Alcorn State to score the final five points of the half and trail by just 33-27 at intermission.

Fortunately for Maryland, halftime was a timely moment to reset. The team rediscovered its offense and opened the second half with a 15-2 spurt, which proved too much for the Braves to overcome.

Morris came off the bench to pace Alcorn State with 22 points, three assists and two steals, and senior shooting guard Travis Roberts and junior shooting guard Shane Lancaster added 14 and 10 points, respectively. But the Braves suffered their third loss of 20 points or more while absorbing an 0-4 start for the second year in a row.

“We still turned the ball over way too many times,” he said. “We have to really improve in that area. And they did a phenomenal job of rebounding the basketball. It’s one of the things my team has to understand. Coming into these environments and playing teams of this magnitude with this size and this length, you have to put a body on somebody, and I don’t think we did a great job of that this evening.”

Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun. 

Not surprisingly, Ohio State stayed at the top of the rankings, and there was a healthy debate about whether last weekend’s action warranted keeping Indiana at No. 2, one spot ahead of Texas A&M.

But while those top three remained the same in the Week 2 rankings released Tuesday, it was a game back in August that led the College Football Playoff selection committee to its biggest shakeup.

The committee vaulted Miami to No. 15, one spot ahead of Georgia Tech, to hand the ‘Canes the Atlantic Coast Conference’s only spot in this week’s projected bracket.

That decision came not so much on the strength of last weekend’s action, — when Miami easily handled Syracuse and Georgia Tech was idle — but rather, thanks to Miami’s season-opening win against Notre Dame.

“Certainly, the win versus Notre Dame was a key factor for placing Miami ahead of Georgia Tech,” committee chair Mack Rhoades explained. “In general, with the ACC, I think their lack of nonconference signature wins other than Miami over Notre Dame” hurts the conference.

Following the trio of undefeateds — Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M — were Alabama and Georgia, who rounded out the same top five as in last week’s season-opening rankings.

Texas Tech jumped two spots to No. 6 on the strength of its win over BYU, moving one notch ahead of Mississippi, which dropped to 7 despite a romp over Citadel in a nonconference game.

At No. 8 was Oregon, followed by Notre Dame and Texas.

No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 12 BYU would be the first two teams out in this week’s bracket due to the automatic spots handed to the ACC (Miami) and the highest-ranked league leader out of the Group of 5 conferences, which is now an honor that belongs to South Florida, ranked at No. 24.

“They’ve always been part of (the conversation),” Rhoades said of the Bulls. “South Florida is the most consistent of the Group of 5, to date.”

The final bracket comes out Dec. 7, with the 12-team playoff beginning Dec. 19 and closing a month later with the title game.

Indiana-A&M and Texas Tech-Ole Miss are two toughest calls

Rhoades said the decision to keep Indiana at No. 2 over Texas A&M provoked the committee’s second-longest conversation.

The Hoosiers needed last-second heroics to win at Penn State, while the Aggies got a romp on the road at Missouri.

“Certainly, discussion about those two games, but also discussion about body of work,” Rhoades said. “There was conversation about Missouri. Missouri is a really good team but not the team they’ve been,” due to injuries at quarterback.

The longest conversation involved moving Texas Tech a spot past Ole Miss.

“Texas Tech’s win this last weekend — really convincing,” Rhoades said.

Conference watch

ACC: Of the five teams in the conference ranked 15-22, maybe No. 22 Pitt is the team to watch. The Panthers have a 7-2 record with games against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami the next three weeks. Winning any two of those might give them a chance at somehow getting into the bracket.

Big Ten: Outside of the top three, there are no sure things. No. 18 Michigan would work its way into the conversation with a win over you-know-who at the end of the month, and No. 17 USC has a season-making game at Oregon on Nov. 22.

Big 12: There’s Texas Tech. And then there’s BYU (8-1). And then there’s No. 13 Utah (7-2), the team the Cougars beat last month and seem destined to stay ahead of if they finish with one loss and the Utes finish with two. Only two — and perhaps only one — will make it.

SEC: No wonder the conference wants to do away with automatic qualifiers. A&M, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi feel like locks. Texas, Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt all control their own destiny. (Especially OU, which is at Alabama this week.)

Group of 5: With early wins over Boise State and Florida, South Florida looked like a good bet to earn that fifth conference-champion slot earlier in the season, and reclaimed the position after Memphis lost to Tulane last week.

The projected first-round matchups

No. 12 South Florida at No. 5 Georgia: How many teams have won at the Swamp and between the hedges in the same year … or ever?

No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Texas Tech: ‘Canes won last meeting 45-10 in 1990, and closed that season with a 46-3 drubbing of Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

No. 10 Texas at No. 7 Ole Miss: They haven’t played since UT joined the SEC last year.

No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oregon: Unfinished business from their 13-13 tie in 1982, Gerry Faust’s second season with the Irish.

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina coach Bill Belichick shrugged off questions about NFL coaching vacancies on Tuesday.

“I mean, I’ve been asked about it from time to time,” Belichick said during his weekly news conference. “Look, I’ve been down this road before. I’m focused on Wake Forest. That’s it. And that’s my commitment to this team. And next week it’ll be to our next opponent and so forth. But I’m here to do the best I can for this team.”

Belichick led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles and is currently in his first season as a college coach. Two NFL jobs are currently open — the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants, who fired Brian Daboll on Monday.

The 73-year-old Belichick was also part of two Super Bowl titles with the Giants as defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells.

Belichick has led the Tar Heels to two straight wins. UNC must win two of its last three games against instate Atlantic Coast Conference foes to become bowl eligible. That starts with Saturday’s trip to face the Demon Deacons.

He was asked Tuesday about handling speculation and his message to players and recruits when it does.

“Yeah, getting ready for Wake Forest,” Belichick said. “That’s all I’ve got this week.”

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After starting the season with seven straight wins, Navy (7-2, 5-1 American Conference) has hit a speed bump with back-to-back defeats at the hands of North Texas, 31-17, and Notre Dame, 49-10. Saturday’s game and a Thanksgiving night matchup at Memphis will determine if Navy remains in contention for a berth in the American Conference championship.

Navy is one of five teams in the American with one conference loss and coach Brian Newberry acknowledged on Monday that a second setback would likely be fatal. Newberry did not hesitate when asked if Saturday is a must-win situation for the Midshipmen.

“You kind of have to look at it that way. You certainly wouldn’t think that a team with two losses is going to get into the championship game,” Newberry said. “We’re still playing meaningful games in November, which is important for our program.”

Newberry sounded confident that starting quarterback Blake Horvath would be able to play against South Florida after sitting out the Notre Dame game with an upper body injury sustained late in the loss to North Texas.

“I feel good about Blake. I think he’s made improvement every day and is starting to feel better and better,” Newberry said Monday. “We’ll get him out there to do some work today. I’m optimistic.”

Obviously, everyone associated with the American believes its champion deserves the automatic berth in the College Football Playoff that is accorded the Group of Five conferences.

There were no Group of Five schools included in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, while the latest Associated Press poll has James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference at No. 24, one spot ahead of USF.

South Florida, whose lone conference loss came against Memphis, can make a strong statement to the College Football Playoff committee by beating Navy on its home field. A win would also put USF in a strong position to reach the conference championship as its final two games are against teams at the bottom of the standings in Alabama-Birmingham and Rice.

Snipe Eli Heidenreich rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown, while Horvath accounted for 114 yards of total offense and two touchdowns as Navy went down to Tampa last season and beat USF, 28-7. Outside linebacker Luke Pirris recorded nine tackles to spearhead a strong defensive effort for the Midshipmen, who limited the Bulls to 60 rushing yards.

It is unlikely the Midshipmen will hold the Bulls to one touchdown again based on the season-long statistics for each team.

South Florida is averaging 42 points and 485.2 total yards, ranking fifth and seventh nationally in those two categories. Meanwhile, Navy is giving up 26.8 points and 393.6 total yards per game, ranking 87th and 94th in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

USF is led by quarterback Byrum Brown, the early favorite to earn the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year honor. Brown is truly a two-way threat as he leads the Bulls in rushing with 705 yards and nine touchdowns, while passing for 2,203 yards and 19 scores.

It should be noted that Brown did not play against Navy last season as he suffered a season-ending leg injury in the fifth game. Bryce Archie was the starting quarterback for USF in last year’s meeting and completed just 26 of 43 passes with two interceptions.

Brown, who owned 13 school records coming into this season, is much more of a dangerous threat. Newberry said the Bulls have made a conscious effort to incorporate their dynamic quarterback into the rushing attack.

“[Brown] is playing at an extremely high level and I think he is perfectly suited to run their offense. I think the biggest difference between now and a year ago has been his ability to run the football, either on designed runs or with being able to improvise when the play breaks down,” Newberry said. “Just a really, really good athlete and a competitor — a big, strong runner who is not the type of quarterback that’s going to slide. He’ll try to run you over and get the hard yards.”

While Brown is the focal point of the ground game, USF has a capable tailback in Nykahi Davenport, who has rushed for 397 yards and five touchdowns. Wide receiver Keshaun Singleton is the top target in the pass game with 33 catches for 573 yards and five scores.

“Offensively, they spread you out and force you to defend the entire field and make plays in space. When a team is able to spread you out and have the element of the quarterback run it’s problematic,” Newberry said. “Then you add the element of tempo and going really, really fast. There is a lot of really good talent around Brown and they do spread the ball around.”

South Florida is improved on defense in its second season under coordinator Todd Orlando, who has held that same position at seven other schools including Texas and USC. Linebackers Mac Harris (75 tackles) and Jhalyn Shuler (69) anchor a unit that ranks seventh nationally with 19 caused turnovers and ninth with 9.2 tackles for loss per game.

Orlando has faced Navy and its unique offense previously while defensive coordinator at Connecticut and Houston. Offensive coordinator Drew Cronic thought USF defended Navy very well last season.

“I think they have improved a ton defensively. It’s the second year in Todd Orlando’s system and I think he does a really, really good job,” Newberry said. “They are really opportunistic and disruptive on defense. It’s just a really well-rounded football team. The explosiveness on offense combined with the chaos on defense is a winning formula.”

Navy will honor its 28 seniors during a pregame ceremony, a class that includes such multi-year standouts as Horvath, Heidenreich, fullback Alex Tecza, snipe Brandon Chatman, guard Ben Purvis, nose guard Landon Robinson and outside linebacker Luke Pirris.

It is a class that turned around a program that had suffered four straight losing seasons. These seniors will finish with consecutive winning campaigns capped by bowl berths. Navy has compiled a 26-20 record during their careers and is in position to capture the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the second straight season.

“We’ve got a tremendous senior class. This is a special group, special young man, some really talented players in this class,” Newberry said. “We talked this morning in the staff meeting about how important this week is for those guys; These are guys that deserve to go out on a positive note in their last game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. I certainly feel a responsibility to make sure that happens.”

Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at bwagner@capgaznews.com, 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.

Omar Cooper Jr.’s game-winning toe-tap touchdown at Penn State will forever be etched as one of the most iconic images in Indiana football history.

It was so acrobatic, so unexpected that even usually unflappable coach Curt Cignetti acknowledged he nearly teared up during his postgame interviews.

Now, though, after finally winning on the road against the most prominent college football program in Cignetti’s home state, No. 2 Indiana faces a potentially more daunting challenge this week — turning the page so it can focus on struggling Wisconsin.

“I did get a little choked up there at the end just because I was so proud of our guys. Our backs were against the wall there, and boy, it wasn’t looking very good,” Cignetti said Monday. “You think about my journey, 10, 15 years ago, did I ever think I’d lead a team into that stadium? No. Lead a team into that stadium victorious? No. But it mainly centered around how our guys responded and the challenge they overcame to get it done.”

The play has been replayed dozens of times since Cooper’s touchdown in the final minute at Beaver Stadium gave Indiana a 27-24 victory, and the Football Writers Association of America dubbed the catch as its “crunch time” play of the week.

“To be able to catch the ball, look down and then get your feet in position, great job by (director of athletic performance) Derek Owings developing (Cooper’s) corps to allow him to do that in the air and Coop working like he has the whole offseason, and in the fall,” Cignetti said.

Previous Hoosiers coaches often thought their players were challenged by the effort to handle success.

But Cignetti helped change that perception last year when Indiana did the unthinkable by emerging as a national powerhouse.

The Hoosiers kept winning after capturing their Big Ten Conference opener for their first win at the Rose Bowl. They navigated a rare victory over Michigan to improve to 10-0. And with the program’s first College Football Playoff berth at stake, they made a statement by handing Purdue its worst loss in school history, 66-0.

They also stumbled twice — losing at eventual national champion Ohio State to knock them out of the conference title chase and a season-ending playoff loss at eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.

But it was those two losses that provided extra motivation to surpass last season’s feats.

“I think we’re on a little bit of a mission here, and that’s really been the focus,” Cignetti said. “I think that’s how the kids are thinking, too.”

It has showed.

When then-No. 8 Illinois visited Memorial Stadium in September, the Hoosiers responded with a 63-10 rout. When it looked like they might go down at Iowa, quarterback Fernando Mendoza found Elijah Sarratt for a tiebreaking touchdown in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. And when most people wrote off their chances at then-No. 3 Oregon in September, especially after Mendoza threw a pick-6 to tie the game, Indiana answered by scoring the final 10 points to snap what had been the nation’s longest active winning home and regular-season winning streaks.

Saturday trumped all three.

“This, by far, is the best moment of my career, and to be able to share it with such amazing brothers, like at Cal, an amazing brotherhood there — I still have a lot of friends there — but to share it with what we’ve all been through, the Iowa game, the Oregon game to the Penn State game,” quarterback Fernando Mendoza said after Saturday’s win. “Those are all games you have circled, especially being on the road.”

Aside from being the final regular-season home game, this weekend’s game against the quarterback-depleted Badgers (3-6, 1-5) probably has not been circled. Wisconsin won its first Big Ten game last weekend, when it upset then-No. 23 Washington at home.

On paper, it looks like a mismatch between the nation’s highest scoring team (44.5 points per game) and the third lowest (12.6).

But Mendoza and his teammates don’t have to be reminded about the high stakes they’ll be facing — a chance to play in the Big Ten title game, a second straight playoff berth and maybe even a home game in the postseason. So if they’re not ready to play the Badgers, last week’s big play and big win will certainly lose some luster.

“I think we need to understand we’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” Cignetti said. “We’re not sneaking up on anyone anymore. We got Iowa’s best shot at Iowa. We got Penn State’s best shot at Penn State. Oregon was obviously a big game on the road, and we’ll get Wisconsin’s best shot. So we’ve got to have a good week of preparation.”

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SEATTLE (AP) — When the Big Ten added former Pac-12 schools Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Southern California to the conference last fall, there was a belief those programs would struggle to adjust their styles of play.

For years, Pac-12 schools that preferred aerial attacks and Big Ten teams that opt to run the ball clashed in Rose Bowl matchups.

The Pac-12 style meant more plays were being run in their conference play — something Washington coach Jedd Fisch said he’s noted.

Fisch, who previously coached in the Pac-12 at Arizona and as a UCLA assistant, said he expected to run 76 plays per game in that conference.

Last year, the Huskies averaged 64.7 plays per game.

“The Big Ten,” Fisch said in October, “is certainly a different league when it comes to the amount of plays being run.”

The former Pac-12 schools finished toward the middle and bottom of the conference in rushing yards per game last season. This year, however, the Big Ten’s bellwether programs have not demonstrated themselves to have superior rushing attacks.

Oregon leads the conference in both average yards per rush (6.4) and rushing yards per game (239.7). USC is fourth in rushing yards per game (200.2) while Washington and UCLA are at seventh and eighth in the conference, respectively.

Huskies running back Jonah Coleman, who was recently named one of six finalists for the Hornung Award, leads the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns (13) and is tied for third in the nation behind Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy (16) and Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (14).

“Jonah’s a great short-yardage runner,” Fisch said. “So when you have short-yard opportunities and you have a chance for Jonah, that usually works out well.”

Seven of the Big Ten’s top 20 total rushers are from former Pac-12 schools, including USC’s dynamic duo of Waymond Jordan and King Miller, as well as Oregon’s Noah Whittington and Jordon Davison. Players from the traditional Big Ten schools make up the top eight total rushers, but those from former Pac-12 schools are making strides.

In terms of total rushing attempts, Oregon ranks fifth in the conference with 37.7 per game. Washington and USC slot in at eighth and 11th, respectively, while UCLA is 14th.

The Big Ten’s top rushing quarterback is the Huskies’ Demond Williams Jr., whose versatility has allowed him to have the third-highest completion percentage in the conference behind Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola. UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava has the second-most rushing yards of any Big Ten quarterback.

Williams became the 16th quarterback in FBS history to accumulate at least 400 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a game when the Huskies beat Rutgers 38-19 on Oct. 10.

“Demond Williams Jr. is a superstar,” Fisch said after the game.

Such an assessment could be extended for many quarterbacks at former Pac-12 schools. Williams, USC’s Jayden Maiava and Oregon’s Dante Moore comprise three of the Big Ten’s top six quarterbacks in passer rating. Fernando Mendoza, who played at another former Pac-12 school, Cal, before transferring to No. 2 Indiana, has the second-best passer rating (178.6) in the Big Ten, trailing only Sayin (192.6).

“He continues to improve,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said of Mendoza in October. “He continues to prepare like nobody I’ve ever been around. He’s getting better and better.”

Though quarterback play from former Pac-12 teams has been as advertised two years into these four schools’ Big Ten tenures, it’s their ability to run the ball that has come as a bit of a surprise. And with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season, it’s possible that at least one (Oregon) former Pac-12 teams will qualify for this year’s College Football Playoff.

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In a brief interview with The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday, Smith did not answer if Locksley will remain Maryland’s coach into 2026, saying he will coach the team’s final three games this season and “we’ll determine at the end of the year where we are.”

“He’s gonna coach against Illinois, then he’s gonna coach against Michigan, and then he’s gonna coach against Michigan State,” Smith said. “We got a chance to win three games and go to a bowl game. We can’t make a decision right now. That’d be silly.”

After the answer, Smith and athletic department spokesperson Jason Yellin cut off a follow-up question about if Smith would view a five-win season as “progress,” as Locksley opined last week, before Smith said “I know you have an angle” and “every coach is being evaluated every week” and walking away.

Smith’s answer comes three weeks after he voiced support for Locksley in an interview with The Sun. Since that interview, in which Smith said he’s “probably more optimistic than many of our fans,” the Terps are 0-2 with a point differential of minus-60.

Locksley similarly appeared comfortable despite his team’s five-game losing skid during his Tuesday news conference at SECU Stadium. Asked if he feels he’s coaching for his job with three games to play, the coach bluntly said “no.” He added he feels he deserves to remain Maryland’s coach beyond this season and, asked why, said “because I’m the head coach.”

“I really can tell you this team is trending in the right direction,” Locksley said.

Smith was hired in May to replace former athletic director Damon Evans and inherited Locksley and new men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams. Smith has not yet been tasked with hiring or firing any coaches, instead spending the early months of his tenure focused on driving revenue and revamping the football game-day experience. What to do with Locksley will be Smith’s first consequential decision.

Locksley, the state of Maryland’s highest-paid employee, is under contract at just more than $6 million per year through the 2028 season. His reported buyout — the amount the Terps must pay him to terminate the contract — is just over $13 million if the move is made before Dec. 1. Maryland’s season finale is Nov. 29. The early signing period, the first chance for high school seniors to formally commit to a school before another period in February, is Dec. 3. The transfer portal opens Jan. 2, the last key offseason date Maryland and Smith must consider when weighing to make a move.

As Locksley’s seventh season leading the Terps nears an end, the team is again in danger of missing a bowl game and concluding Big Ten play with just one conference win. Maryland started 4-0 with a win over Wisconsin but has lost five consecutive games, including narrow defeats to Washington, Nebraska and UCLA before a 45-point loss to No. 2 Indiana.

The announced sellout crowd started “fire Locksley” chants in the second quarter of that game, which Locksley said he heard but didn’t concern him. It also hasn’t seeped into the locker room, players said.

“I haven’t seen too much,” freshman quarterback Malik Washington said about growing calls for Locksley’s job. “The fans are going to be fans regardless. When teams aren’t doing well, it’s expected. People are going to feel some type of way about the team they’re supporting.”

The Terps followed their loss to the Hoosiers with another to Rutgers, the second consecutive meeting that ended in a loss by two touchdowns after Maryland won the previous three matchups. Locksley said after the game: “we’re down to playing for pride and opportunities for these guys.” The coach is now 16-41 against Big Ten opponents over his seven seasons.

He’ll have at least three more chances. Smith declined to answer if anything beyond that is guaranteed.

Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.

Brian Kelly is suing LSU, arguing that the university is declining to acknowledge that the recently dismissed coach is owed his full $54 million buyout.

The lawsuit filed in civil district court in Baton Rouge alleges that LSU representatives told Kelly’s attorneys on Monday that the coach was never “formally terminated” the day after LSU’s 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M.

Additionally, the lawsuit says LSU representatives told Kelly’s lawyers for the first time this week that the university intends to fire him for cause — a move that could substantially reduce Kelly’s buyout.

The lawsuit states that Monday marked the first time LSU raised arguments that “grounds for termination for cause existed.”

If LSU officials offered details to Kelly’s lawyers about what those grounds are, they were not mentioned in the lawsuit.

Kelly’s lawyers have asked the East Baton Rouge Parish court for a declaratory judgment that LSU fired Kelly without cause on Oct. 26 and that Kelly is entitled to his full buyout.

LSU athletics spokesman Michael Bonnette said the university had no comment.

The 64-year-old Kelly was hired after the 2021 football season on a 10-year contract worth about $100 million. He went 34-14 with LSU, including three bowl victories. But the Tigers did not reach the College Football Playoff — which last year expanded to a 12-team format — during Kelly’s tenure.

Four days after Kelly had packed up his office at LSU’s football operations building and had been replaced by interim coach Frank Wilson, LSU athletic director Scott Woodard resigned under pressure from Gov. Jeff Landry and his appointees on LSU’s Board of Supervisors.

The day before Woodward resigned, Landry publicly slammed the then-athletic director, saying he would not be permitted to hire LSU’s next football coach. Landry also blamed Woodward for signing Kelly to a contract that became financially burdensome when the coach did not meet expectations.

“LSU has never claimed that Coach Kelly was terminated for cause and, prior to November 10, 2025, never asserted that he engaged in any conduct that would warrant such a termination,” the lawsuit states.

Rather, the lawsuit says, “LSU repeatedly confirmed,” both publicly and to Kelly, “that the termination was due to” the LSU football team’s performance.

Now, LSU representatives are saying that Woodward lacked “the authority” to fire Kelly or have settlement talks with him, Kelly’s lawsuit alleges.

According to Kelly’s contract with LSU, the school could fire him for cause if it had cited “serious misconduct,” including NCAA violations, crimes or immoral behavior. In such cases, however, LSU would have been required to outline in writing any grounds for the termination with cause within a seven-day period.

“LSU did not even attempt to satisfy any of these requirements, nor can they do so retroactively,” the lawsuit stated.

“Coach Kelly never engaged in any such conduct, and LSU never relied on any incident of cause” before firing Kelly, the lawsuit stated.

The lawsuit says Kelly informed LSU that he was open to a settlement, but that it had to “make sense financially.”

LSU initially offered to settle with a lump-sum payment of $25 million, which was raised to $30 million after Kelly rejected the initial offer, the lawsuit states.

Kelly has rejected LSU’s settlement offers so far, “but stated he remained open to any additional offers that LSU would like to make,” the lawsuit said.

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