Huskies Rally From 20 Down to Shock Maryland, 24-20

by: Michael Sanders

COLLEGE PARK — For three quarters, it looked over.
For the final 15 minutes, Washington made it art.

Down 20-0 midway through the third, the Huskies flipped the script behind a lockdown defense and a calm, relentless backfield. Jonah Coleman’s one-yard dive with 3:21 left finished an 80-yard march and capped a 24-20 comeback win that silenced Maryland’s sold-out crowd.

It was Washington’s first Big Ten road win since joining the conference and their biggest rally in over three decades.

From Collapse to Control

Maryland hadn’t trailed all season. After freshman QB Malik Washington hit A.J. Szymanski for a two-yard score to make it 20-0, the Terps were already celebrating.

Then everything flipped.

The Huskies settled for a Grady Gross 36-yard field goal to get on the board, then turned chaos into rhythm. Demond Williams Jr. found Denzel Boston for a short touchdown, then hit Dezmen Roebuck in stride for a 34-yard strike to slice it to 20-17.

Two straight defensive three-and-outs later, the Huskies’ sideline felt inevitable.

Coleman Finishes the Story

With just over four minutes left, Washington’s offense went back to work — 80 yards, balanced, bruising, surgical. Coleman, quiet most of the night, pushed across the go-ahead score and the defense did the rest, shutting down Maryland’s final drive to finish the comeback.

Coleman ended with 55 yards on 17 carries, but his last one mattered most. Williams Jr. totaled two touchdown passes and led three straight scoring drives to flip the game.

Defense Turns the Tide

After being torched early, the Huskies’ defense locked in. Makell Esteen’s second interception of the season came just before halftime, and the front seven bullied Maryland’s offensive line the rest of the way.

It was the program’s largest comeback since 2020 and biggest road comeback since 1993 — a statement that this version of Washington doesn’t fade when the script goes bad.

Final: Washington 24, Maryland 20
Next up: Homecoming Friday vs. Rutgers, 6 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Field.