Maryland Fans Ready to Bring Another Electric Atmosphere to SECU Stadium
A sellout crowd will pack SECU Stadium for Saturday’s Hispanic Heritage Game against Virginia Tech.
Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
9/17/2026
The lights, the field, the food, they all matter. But nothing creates SECU Stadium’s electric environment quite like Maryland fans.
The team recognizes it, the opponents recognize it, and the fans recognize it — and create it. As Maryland celebrates Hispanic Heritage Night on Saturday, the Terps are anticipating another elite atmosphere on a national stage in front of a sellout crowd.
“Our student section has been great over the last two or three years,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “They had even more of an impact in game one. To see 10,000 students there was encouraging. They get it. We will definitely need them to be here this weekend.”
The Terps’ first Shell-Out of the year — and fourth in the program’s last six home games — is set for Saturday night as the Virginia Tech Hokies trek into College Park. Building on the momentum the season’s already created, Saturday promises to create another raucous environment as an old rivalry gets renewed.
The locker room is super amped about it. First sellout crowd of the year. We’re ready to feel that atmosphere and feel the fans packing The Shell. It’s very exciting.Daniel Wingate
As the Terps opened the 2026 season against Hampton, they flexed all the new things SECU Stadium has to offer fans including the newly donned “The Shell” student section, the Terp Tank that sits on the concourse, the many new concession options, and so much more as College Park elevates into a premier game day destination.
Over 43,000 fans — including 10,000 students — flocked to Maryland’s season-opening win over Hampton on Sept. 5. The Terps’ second-largest season-opening crowd since 2014 brought the ruckus as Maryland dismantled the Pirates. With a large game on deck this weekend, the SECU Stadium atmosphere is expected to reach another level under the stadium lights of a College Park night.
“The atmosphere for our home opener was incredible, and our students were a huge part of it,” Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Revenue Officer Joe LaBue said. “Their passion and engagement are contagious, and that’s what makes college athletics so special. They don’t just attend the game; they help create the experience for everyone in the stadium. We saw what that can look and feel like in the opener, and now we want to build on it Saturday against Virginia Tech. We need our students there early, loud, and ready to make it another special night at SECU Stadium.”
Nyah Caine was one of the lucky fans who was able to experience the inauguration of the Terp Tank firsthand. What he considers an out-of-body experience was a night of energy that will stick with him — and evidently, all of College Park — for a long time.
I learned the word rowdy because of that game. That was actually my first time being in the student section and it was rowdy. The way the crowd made me feel in the Terp Tank allowed me to exemplify my energy toward them. I call it the dunk heard around the world.Nyah Caine
A seasoned veteran of games at SECU Stadium, UMD senior Jackson Greenbaum has seen his fair share of Maryland football. The crowd he saw on Labor Day weekend against an FCS opponent pumped him up for the rest of the 2026 season.
“It was really impressive,” Greenbaum said. “I’ve gone to a handful of home games, and seeing the entire student section, as well as most of the rest of the stadium, being packed out was really refreshing, especially against a team that wasn’t necessarily a marquee opponent. People are just so excited for a refreshing, talented team that has high expectations.”
A student in the sports management program in the business school, Greenbaum approaches fandom from a logical viewpoint. His words to his fellow student body are enough to lead anyone right where he wants them: the bleachers of The Shell.
As a fan of the football team, there are certain things you can't control. You can't control what's going on on the field, but you can control showing up, coming with friends, telling your family to pull up, bringing as much energy as you can, and sticking around and enjoying everything there is to do at the game. Be a part of it. You're in college, you're paying tuition. You might as well take advantage of the fun things that can be done.Jackson Greenbaum
Greenbaum’s call to action and knowledge of what’s possible largely stems from the other elite environments College Park has to offer. From matches at Ludwig Field to games at XFINITY Center, Terrapin fans know how to create a true home-field advantage.
Quinn Savitt runs The Crew — Maryland soccer’s renowned student section. He knows firsthand the power that a good crowd and a rowdy student section can have on a game. From football wins over USC to countless marquee soccer wins, Savitt’s no stranger to incredible atmospheres.
“It’s clear the difference in performance that the teams have when they have the full support of their fans,” Savitt said. “Our teams always look better than their opponents because our crowd pushes them to the max. When we have full stadiums and big crowds, we pull off something special.”
Superfan Evan Johnson was in attendance as the Terps battled Hampton, and was swept away by the atmosphere from start to finish. A lifelong Maryland fan and a lover of football, his first experience at SECU Stadium in a while was an emotional one.
“Seeing a packed stadium for an opponent like Hampton, seeing the shell packed, loud and into the game, that almost brought a tear to my eye,” Johnson said. “Through my eyes, these fans and these students had every reason not to show up, and they still did. That's how you know something you're doing is working.”
Johnson works with multiple organizations’ game day teams and is always looking for ways to enhance a sporting atmosphere. It also means he can recognize and appreciate energetic settings. What he saw against Hampton, he said, left him optimistic about the future of game day in College Park.
“I think the Terp Tank definitely brought some people out,” Johnson said. “It was nice to see the men’s basketball team there. I think the promise of Malik Washington and the excitement of the season created the perfect storm, and all of that was displayed.”
Under the lights Saturday night, SECU Stadium will have everything a marquee matchup demands. But the heartbeat of the building will come from the thousands of Terps who show up ready to make their voices heard.
