Maryland football’s Anthony McFarland named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Maryland football’s Anthony McFarland had a performance for the ages on Saturday against Ohio State, and the Big Ten conference named him as its Freshman of the Week on Monday.

McFarland rushed for 298 yards, the second-highest total in Maryland history behind LaMont Jordan’s 306 in 1996. The redshirt freshman reached his total on just 21 carries, averaging 14.2 yards a pop.

McFarland did plenty of damage early, taking his second carry 81 yards for a touchdown and his very next attempt 75 yards to the house again. Less than six minutes into the game, he had 155 yards. He had 175 in the first quarter, the most any FBS player has had in the opening period this season. When the first half was over, he had 231.

It’s the second straight weekend McFarland has broken Maryland’s single-game freshman rushing record. He recorded 210 yards on 29 carries in the Terps’ loss at Indiana. That performance ironically didn’t win him any conference awards, as Nebraska quarterback Blake Martinez captured Freshman of the Week with a 305-yard, four-total-touchdown game against Illinois. This is McFarland’s second Freshman of the Week honor this season, with the first coming after his 112-yard performance against Minnesota in Week 4.

With 508 yards in his last two games, McFarland has shot over 1,000 for the season, currently sitting at 1,022. He’s the first freshman and 10th player overall to reach that milestone.

Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins captured Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, his fifth time earning at least a share of the award this season. Haskins completed 28 of 38 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns against the Terps, while adding 59 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground. He split the honor with Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, who had 321 rushing yards on 33 attempts against Purdue.

Maryland has had eight Big Ten weekly honors this year from six different players, its highest total since joining the conference in 2014. The Terps are still just 5-6, though, and will need a road victory as double-digit underdogs against Penn State to clinch bowl eligibility.