Winless-streak showdown: can Wisconsin's freshman QB end a five-game skid at Maryland?

Two teams on long losing runs meet in College Park, and the biggest unknown is under center for the visitors. Wisconsin has lost five straight, and its streak carries the context of games on the road and after a loss. Maryland has lost eight straight at home. The teams have not met in the last 400 days, so there is no recent head-to-head to draw on.

Wisconsin changed passers between its last two games. Ryan Hopkins, a freshman, was reported to be making his first start against Rutgers on November 7 and threw 24 passes, replacing Colton Joseph, who had 14 attempts against Iowa on October 31. Hopkins has led the team in attempts in only 1 of its last 3 games. That is a very small sample, and Wisconsin's offense with him at quarterback is barely established.

Maryland's picture is steadier at quarterback. Malik Washington has led the team in pass attempts in 3 of its last 3 games, including 18 attempts against Purdue on November 7. The work around him is concentrated. DeJuan Williams has 42 carries over the last three games, while Iverson Howard has 11. Chris Durr Jr. has 16 receptions over that span, well ahead of Kaleb Webb's 7. Wisconsin's skill work is spread more evenly. Abu Sama III has 30 carries and Bryan Jackson II has 17. Jaylon Domingeaux has 9 receptions and Eugene Hilton Jr. has 8.

The streaks describe what has happened rather than what comes next, and they point in different directions. Maryland has failed to cover four straight at home, so its home slide has been a pricing problem as well as a results problem. Wisconsin has gone under the total in four straight games, which fits an offense that has struggled to sustain scoring, though a new quarterback makes that run harder to project. Neither team arrives with anything to suggest momentum.

Conditions look unlikely to matter. The forecast for the noon ET kickoff is 45°F with a 3 mph northeast wind and partly cloudy skies, which should not interfere with passing or kicking. Neither team has reported an injury, so the rosters described above should be the ones on the field.

The evidence here is thin and mostly directional. Maryland's home losing run and recent failures to cover are the clearest negatives on its side. On Wisconsin's side, the road losing run and the quarterback change are the clearest concerns, and the freshman's sample is too small to read much into. With both teams struggling and few hard numbers separating them, the game has no clean story beyond two cold teams and one uncertain passer.