Terps head coach Mike Locksley and his team looking forward to Friday Night Light's game

Spirits are riding high within the Maryland Terrapin football team after they defeated Florida Atlantic 39-7 in their season opener Saturday at SECU Stadium. Head coach Mike Locksley has already expressed how his team is looking forward to week two at home, once again, this time hosting Northern Illinois, who defeated Holy Cross.

Today, when speaking at the afternoon press conference with the media, Locksley talked about this week's contest on Friday night stating;

"We're definitely looking forward to Friday night being back home here in the shell. I know our players are excited to play under the lights here, and we expect it to be a great atmosphere. As we've seen over the years when we've played some of these Friday games, people tend to come out for Friday night."

He continued later, saying, “I think the best thing is that it gives us a chance to amplify the University of Maryland, a place I grew up loving as a kid, coming over watching those mid-80s teams. It amplifies that we're the tenth-ranked academic institution in the country on a national stage that plays in a really tough conference...our location is second to none."

Mike Locksley on Friday night games: “I think the best thing is that it gives us a chance to amplify the University of Maryland, a place I grew up loving as a kid, coming over watching those mid-80s teams. It amplifies that we're the tenth-ranked academic institution in the… pic.twitter.com/9K9baiaSFB
— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) September 2, 2025

Since Locksley joined Maryland, the team has played a few contests on Friday nights over recent years, going 3-2 in "Friday Night Light Contests" since 2018. Highlighted by some impressive victories, in 2020 defeating Minnesota in the homecoming game 45-44 in overtime, the following season heading on the road to defeat Illinois 20-17.

The Terps also look to extend their streak of victories over non-conference opponents to 17 straight games.

Locksley continued to state that his team is young and will still look to improve despite Saturday's dominant showing. They returned to practice on a short week starting Sunday, ready to get to work and make sure that the mistakes made on the field won't show up on tape again.

MORE MARYLAND NEWS

Malik Washington Praises Maryland’s Defense for ‘Holding It Down’ in Debut Win

Maryland's Defense Has Historic Day In Victory Over Florida Atlantic

True Freshman QB Malik Washington Delivers Historic Debut in Terps’ Season-Opening Win