Maryland football defeated Northern Illinois, 20-9, on Sept. 5, marking its 17th straight nonconference win.
It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Terrapins left SECU Stadium 2-0 thanks to the poise of true freshman quarterback Malik Washington and their pass rush.
Maryland will face Towson in its final nonconference matchup on Sept. 13 at noon in College Park. But first, here are three takeaways from the win against NIU:
NIU dominated the run game.
The Huskies leaned on their running game all night against the Terrapins, dominating time of possession for most of the game. NIU was determined to play smash-mouth football, even if it was stuffed or stopped short.
Sophomore running back Telly Johnson Jr. scored the Huskies’ first touchdown with 6:22 remaining in the third quarter, breaking off a 74-yard run to bring NIU’s deficit to 13-9.
“Northern Illinois is a run-first team,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “They had a good scheme. They spread us out a couple of times and were able to make a guy miss.”
Johnson totaled 86 rushing yards and one touchdown. Senior Chavon Wright ran for 87 yards, matching Maryland’s entire rushing output. NIU finished with 180 rushing yards, while Maryland managed just 87.
“The run game was inconsistent,” Locksley said. “I thought it got better. If you look at the yards per carry, it improved, but the consistency of it is another thing that can help [Washington].”
Buy Dorian Fleming stock.
Georgia State transfer tight end Dorian Fleming followed up his six-catch, 36-yard, one-touchdown game in the season opener against Florida Atlantic with an eye-catching performance against NIU.
Fleming finished with four catches, 70 yards and a touchdown. Forty-eight of those yards came in the first quarter on a catch-and-run that set Maryland up at the Huskies’ 22-yard line. However, the Terrapins’ drive stalled and they had to settle for a field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
“My mentality is to not let one man tackle,” Fleming said of his yards-after-catch ability. “Any time I get the ball, if I let one man tackle me, then I feel like it’s on me. So, one man tackling me shouldn’t be a problem.”
Maryland showed poise.
NIU seemed to have all the momentum in the second half. The Huskies were trending in the right direction after kicking a field goal to make the score 10-3 at the end of the first half and drew closer after halftime.
Although Maryland kicked another field goal to make the score 13-3, the Huskies responded with the 78-yard touchdown run by Johnson to trim the lead to 13-9. Then, on the following defensive drive, they recovered a fumble deep in their own territory after Washington left the ball on the ground.
But that was the last time NIU made a push, as Maryland remained calm and held on to the lead. The Terrapins’ defense went on to force two punts, and Washington led a six-play, 77-yard touchdown drive to increase the lead to 20-9.
Washington completed 19 of 35 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with senior wideout Shaleak Knotts on a pivotal fourth-down play for a 42-yard touchdown pass that zipped behind the defender.
“These gritty games, you’ve just got to stay with it,” Washington said. “No matter how many possessions you get, you’ve got to make the best of them. … I think this week we learned we’re a fourth-quarter team. We’re going to play hard all four quarters, no matter what the score, and everybody has everybody’s back. No matter if things are going wrong or right. There’s no finger-pointing.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics