Game 10: Maryland at Illinois Preview

Football
11/11/2025 10:00:00 AM

Maryland (4-5) vs. Illinois (6-3)

COLLEGE PARK, MD. — Maryland (4–5, 1–5 Big Ten) travels to Champaign to face Illinois (6–3, 3–3 Big Ten) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET/ 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on FS1 and the Maryland Sports Radio Network.

Maryland-Illinois Series History

• The Terps are 2-1 all-time against the Illini, including a 20-17 win in their lone game playing in Champaign during the 2021 season.
• In the first matchup between these teams on October 27, 2018, Maryland scored 63 points against the Fighting Illini. That stands as their most points scored in any conference game (Big Ten or ACC) over the last 45 seasons.

Maryland’s 20-17 win in their lone game playing in Champaign during the 2021 season.

Ball Hawks

• Maryland leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with 17 interceptions.
• Maryland’s defense has snagged an interception in seven straight games, which is tied for the second longest streak in the country with Florida.

Maryland leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with 17 interceptions

Defensive Dominance

• Maryland ranks tied for second in the Big Ten and tied for 10th nationally with a +8 turnover margin.
• The Terps have forced 19 turnovers while giving the ball away only 11 times.
• Maryland has not allowed its opponent to score on its first drive of the game this season. The Terps are one of just three teams nationally that have yet to allow a score on an opponent’s opening drive (Nebraska, Texas Tech).
• The Terps have only allowed 14 points in the first quarter of conference games this season.
• Maryland has eight games this season with at least one sack and one defensive interception, tied with Mississippi State for the most in the FBS. The Terps have recorded one of each in seven straight games, tied for their second-longest such streak over the last 30 seasons (12 straight in 2001, seven straight in 2010).
• The Terps have posted 15 shutout quarters this season.
• Maryland’s four defensive touchdowns lead the Big Ten and ranks third nationally.
• Linebacker Daniel Wingate ranks third in the Big Ten and Top 20 nationally by averaging 9.2 tackles per game. He has recorded 10 or more tackles in a game five times this season.

Linebacker Daniel Wingate ranks third in the Big Ten and Top 20 nationally by averaging 9.2 tackles per game. He has recorded 10 or more tackles in a game five times this season.

MALIK Washington’s Historic Season

• Malik Washington’s 2,056 passing yards on the season are second-most by a Power Conference true freshman quarterback through nine career games since 2020 (Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has 2,195 this season).
• Washington has 191 completions on the season, good for third-most by a Power Conference true freshman quarterback through nine career games since 2020 (Mississippi State’s Will Rogers had 239 in 2020 and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has 194 this season).
• His 13 passing touchdowns are tied for the second-most by a Power Conference true freshman quarterback through nine career games since 2020 (15 from Oklahoma’s Caleb Williams in 2021, 13 by Virginia’s Anthony Colandrea in 2023).
• Washington’s seven completions of 40+ yards rank as the sixth-most in the Big Ten. Only one FBS true freshman has more 40-yard completions than Washington (Bear Bachmeier, eight).
• Washington ranks second among FBS true freshmen with 17 total touchdowns (passing, rushing, and receiving) this season, trailing only BYU’s Bear Bachmeier, who leads with 21. Washington is followed by Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Cal, 15), Caleb Hawkins (North Texas, 14), and Mason Heintschel (Pitt, 13).
• Washington is just the third true freshman quarterback from a Power Conference since 2000 to open his career with eight consecutive games of at least 200 passing yards, joining Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Houston’s David Piland.

Malik Washington’s 2,056 passing yards on the season are second-most by a Power Conference true freshman quarterback through nine career games since 2020 (Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has 2,195 this season).

Malik on the ground

• Malik Washington had a career-high 164 rushing yards on just 8 attempts (20.5 yards per rush) against Rutgers.
• It marked the second-most rush yards by a Maryland quarterback in a game and set a school record for rushing yards by a freshman quarterback. Only Perry Hills with 170 in 2015 has more.
• It was the highest rush total by a Power Conference true freshman quarterback since Ole Miss’ John Rhys Plumlee ran for 212 against LSU in 2019.
• It marked the most rush yards by a Big Ten QB in a single game since November 10, 2018 (Illinois’ AJ Bush – 187).
• Washington had a 73-yard rush for a touchdown on the second play of the game. It was the longest rush by a Maryland quarterback since Perry Hills (2015) and the second-longest among Power Conference quarterbacks this season.
• The 73-yard run marked Maryland’s longest offensive play of the season and its longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback since 2014. It was also the third-longest rush TD by any Maryland QB over the last 30 seasons (C.J. Brown – 77-yarder & 74-yarder).

Malik Washington had a career-high 164 rushing yards on just 8 attempts (20.5 yards per rush) against Rutgers.

More on the Ground Game

• The Terps rushed for 305 yards at Rutgers. It marked the first time that Maryland collected over 300 total ground yards since 2019 (354 vs. Syracuse, Sept. 7, 2019, Coach Locksley’s second career game as head coach).
• Maryland’s 305 rushing yards was its most in a conference game since November 17, 2018 (339 vs. Ohio State).
• Maryland averaged 10.5 yards per carry, tying the program’s highest mark ever in a single game, set back in 1950 against Virginia Tech.
• Nolan Ray rushed for 77 yards on just five carries against the Scarlet Knights (15.4 ypc). He had a season-long 53-yard rush in the game.
• DeJuan Williams rushed for 64 yards on 14 carries against Rutgers. Williams has 293 all-purpose yards (97.7 per game) over his last three games.
  
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Maryland’s 305 rushing yards was its most in a conference game since November 17, 2018 (339 vs. Ohio State).

Stacking Sacks

• Maryland has 24 sacks on the season. The 2.67 sacks per game average ranks fourth in the Big Ten and tied for 18th nationally.
• Freshmen Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart each rank amongst the Top 15 players in the Big Ten in sacks.
• Stewart leads the Terps with six sacks and Mathis, who missed time with injury, isn’t far behind with 4.5 sacks on the year. Both players rank Top 50 nationally in sacks per game.
• Stewart has recorded at least half a sack in seven of his nine games this season.

Freshmen Zahir Mathis ranks amongst the Top 15 players in the Big Ten in sacks.