Calls Mount for Removal of Major College Football Head Coach After Disappointing Loss
By Max Escarpio,
8 hours ago
Before the Week 7 Saturday slate kicked off in the college football world, there were a couple of prime-time matchups under the lights on Friday.
During the Friday slate, the Maryland Terrapins welcomed the Northwestern Wildcats for a Big Ten matchup.
Maryland entered the matchup as 10.5-point favorites , but the Wildcats crumbled up the betting lines and quickly threw them away after they jumped on the Terrapins early in the game.
Northwestern went into the locker room with a 17-7 lead. Heading into the fourth quarter, the score was idle, and then the Wildcats exploded for 20 points in the final 15 minutes.
Following Maryland's upset loss, many fans blamed head coach Mike Locksley. It was another disappointing performance, leading to many people questioning Locksley's future with the program.
Northwestern won the matchup 37-10, handing Maryland its second straight loss.
"Can we just fire Mike Locksley? He's a joke of a HC." said one fan.
"Mike Locksley is 0-11 in his HC career after the bye. Maryland already looks unprepared, out coached, and out schemed. Loss tonight and they finish 3-9 this year. Gotta fire him." said another fan.
"I would simply fire m̵y̵ ̵S̵p̵e̵c̵i̵a̵l̵ ̵T̵e̵a̵m̵s̵ ̵c̵o̵o̵r̵d̵i̵n̵a̵t̵o̵r̵ ̵i̵f̵ ̵I̵ ̵w̵e̵r̵e̵ Mike Locksley," commented one fan.
"yup, time to fire everyone," mentioned one fan.
"A comedy of errors with the AD, HC, DC, OC, QB1, Division 2 O line and DL. It’s all on Locksley. He SUCKS." said another fan.
"Can’t see how Gattis, Locksley survives this season.." said another fan.
Locksley and the Terrapins entered Friday night's matchup following a bye week. Just before the bye, Maryland lost 42-28 to the Indiana Hoosiers. They are now 0-3 in conference play this season.
Many fans have pointed to the Terrapins' inconsistency as the program's biggest issue. The Terrapins started the year with a 3-1 record, but they suffered a narrow 27-24 loss to Michigan State in Week 2.
There were questions surrounding the Terrapins' offense, with first-year starter Billy Edwards Jr. leading the way, but Edwards does not seem to be the main issue. Heading into the matchup against Northwestern, Edwards had posted 11 touchdowns and 1,444 yards, with a 72.3 completion percentage.
Arguably, the biggest issue with the Terrapins has been on the defensive end. Over the past two weeks, competing against the Wildcats and Hoosiers, Maryland has given up a total of 79 points.
While the Terrapins' defense didn't fare well against the Wildcats, much of the issue in Week 7 came from self-inflicted wounds. Maryland gave up one interception while recording three fumbles in the contest.
Issues like these fall into the category of "comedic errors" that fans discussed. While the Terrapins made constant mistakes on the field, fans believe this starts with the coaching staff, and Locksley was the first to get blamed.
Mike Locksley, Maryland Terrapins
Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Locksley was hired in 2019 after spending three seasons at Alabama. He served multiple roles for the Crimson Tide, including offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.
Over six seasons with the Terrapins, Locksley is 32-36 (15-35 Big Ten) and has never finished above fourth place in the division. He has led the Terrapins to three consecutive bowl victories, including last year's dominant win over Auburn in the Music City Bowl.
Despite the success in bowl season, fans are expecting more consistency during the season. In his tenure as Maryland's head coach, Locksley has a 32% win percentage in October, which falls to under 30% in November and December.
Locksley has a lengthy history with the Terrapins program, serving as the running back's coach from 1997-02. After making a couple of stops at Florida, Illinois and New Mexico, Locksley traveled back to Maryland in 2012 as the offensive coordinator.
Maryland will look to rebound next weekend against USC as the Terrapins search for their first conference victory. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on FS1.
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