Illinois Football: What the Illini should expect from the Maryland Terrapins

Illinois football heads into week three with a 1-2 record and ready to take on an underrated Maryland squad.

Despite beating Nebraska and starting the season off on the right foot, the Illini have since dropped their past two games in less than impressive fashion. Needing a victory, Illinois is going to have to get past a solid Terrapins program that boasts a 2-0 record.

Here is what the Illinois football team should expect from Maryland.

• Offense

A 62-0 thumping of Howard last week is not exactly an eye-opener, although putting up 62 points is always impressive. The best win for Maryland thus far is against West Virginia.

I would say the biggest strength for the Terrapins is their tremendous passing attack. They have Taulia Tagovailoa under center, and he has started the year off with 606 yards and six touchdowns while failing to throw an interception.

Maryland isn’t a dink and dunk type of offense either. They move the ball down the field in big chunks. Currently, the Terrapins average 9.2 yards per pass attempt, which ranks No. 26 in the nation.

The only weakness I really see in Maryland’s offense is their ability to protect Tagovailoa. Through two games this season, the Terrapins are giving up two sacks per game, which ranks No. 64 in the nation. This is an area that Illinois can expose on Friday night.

Overall, a dangerous vertical passing attack by Maryland is not good news for the Illini. Illinois’ secondary has been shredded this season, and having a team that can throw the ball well up next does not bode well for the Orange and Blue. Getting pressure on Tagovailoa is going to be key for the Illini and any hope we can stay in this game.

• Defense

Maryland’s defensive numbers are going to be skewed a little bit after they didn’t give up a single point to a bad Howard team. But they still have some playmakers who can wreak havoc.

The Terrapins held West Virginia quarterback, Jarret Doege, to just 277 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions two weeks ago. Those are bad numbers from a quarterback who threw for 2,587 yards last season.

Through two games this season, Maryland has been able to take away the ball at a high rate as well. They are averaging four takeaways per game, which ranks No. 3 in the nation. That is an impressive number and one Illinois will have to be careful about come Friday.

One area of the Maryland defense where Illinois could end up attacking is their pass coverage. Much like the Illini, the Terrapins aren’t good in the secondary. They have given up an average of 277 yards per game through the air this season, which ranks No. 103 in the nation. On the other hand, they are only giving up 48 yards per game on the ground, which ranks No. 10 in the country.

• Overall

Overall, a couple of things stand out to me. Brandon Peters is back and will need to be on his game. This is the perfect game for him to return considering how bad the Maryland pass coverage is going to be on Friday. The second thing that stands out to me is the fact I think the Terrapins aren’t nearly as good at taking the ball away as the numbers show. Last season, they only averaged 0.8 takeaways per game. Take care of the ball and protect Peters. This will give us a chance to beat Maryland.