Terps Football: 5 Thoughts Before Maryland/Illinois

Game Information

Opponent: Illinois Fighting Illini (1-2, 1-0 Big Ten Conference)
Location: Memorial Stadium (60,670)
Date: Friday, September 17, 2021
Time: 9:00 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: Fox Sports 1, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 1-0 Maryland

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After starting their season with two straight wins, Maryland hits the road for the first time this season as they travel up to Champaign, IL. This is the team’s first trip to Memorial Stadium, as the teams’ only other meeting took place in College Park three years ago. The Terrapins won that game easily, besting the Fighting Illini by a score of 63-33. Head coach Michael Locksley’s team will be looking to start a season with three straight wins for the first time since 2016.

Illinois is led by first-year head coach Bret Bielema, who has returned to the Big Ten Conference after stints in the Southeastern Conference and the NFL. After starting off their season with a big win over Nebraska, they’ve suffered two straight losses to UTSA and Virginia. Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ unit has struggled mightily, and is currently ranked as the worst defense in the conference.

1. Can Tagovailoa Have Another Big Game?

Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has been brilliant through his first two games of the 2021 season. He followed up his excellent performance against West Virginia by completing 82% of his passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns in just over one half of play against Howard last weekend. Illinois’ pass defense is one of the worst in the country averaging 312 yards allowed through the air, so the opportunity should be there for Maryland’s passing offense to shine once again.

2. The Run Defense Has Been Stifling

While they haven’t yet faced any of the Big Ten Conference’s vaunted rushing attacks, the Terrapins’ run defense has been fantastic so far this season. They’re allowing an average of just 57 yards on the ground, a promising sign for a team whose defensive line was its biggest concern heading into the year. Senior defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu has led the way, and is currently tied for third on the team in tackles and leads the team in tackles for loss. As is the case with any Bielema-coached team, Illinois wants to run the ball downhill. However, they’ve struggled to put together a consistent rushing attack so far in 2021.

3. Will One of the Freshman Running Backs Break Through?

During last week’s episode of Talking Terps, we each mentioned a handful of reserve players we were looking forward to seeing in the second half of the team’s game against Howard. But somehow, none of us brought up any of the freshman running backs. After receiving rave reviews from the coaching staff during the summer, Roman Hemby, Antwain Littleton, and Colby McDonald each shone during last weekend’s game. Hemby and McDonald scored touchdowns, the latter on his first-ever collegiate snap. Isaiah Jacobs has been dealing with turf toe, so the door may be open for one or more of these freshmen to compete for snaps with Peny Boone during his absence.

4. Peters is Back

Brandon Peters entered the season as Illinois’ starting quarterback, but only played 13 snaps before suffering a shoulder sprain that’s kept him out of their last two games. He’ll be returning for this game against Maryland however, with Bielema naming him as the starter earlier this week. In the five games he played last year, he completed just 49% of his passes for 429 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also added 136 yards on the ground with another score.

He’s a prototypical Bielema quarterback: big and tall with a fairly strong arm who does his best work on heavy play-action throws. Peters has struggled with accuracy throughout his career, but typically takes care of the ball well. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Fighting Illini’s offense shows any signs of life now that he’s back under center.

5. The Importance of This Game

Maryland is in an excellent position to finish the month of September with an undefeated record. Illinois and Kent State are teams that they ought to beat, which would set up a big matchup against Iowa in their first home conference game on October 1st. This game against the Fighting Illini will be a good test of whether or not they can take a business-like approach on the road.