Illinois football vs. Maryland Terrapins – Saturday, November 15 (No time set)
Two weeks after taking down Rutgers, Maryland comes to Champaign. This is a program that is on the edge of moving on from their head coach.
The Terrapins finished the 2024 season 4-8 overall and just 1-8 in the Big Ten. Seven out of those eight losses were by double-digit points, one of which was to Northwestern by 27 points.
Billy Edwards Jr. was the leader at quarterback for Maryland, as he threw for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He has since transferred to Wisconsin.
Illinois’ defense should be licking its chops, as Maryland hasn’t named a starting quarterback yet. That means one player isn’t standing out. They are still deciding between transfer Justyn Martin, freshman Malik Washington, and redshirt freshman Khristian Martin.
I could see this being a situation where Mike Locksley plays both Justyn Martin and Washington. Martin transferred in from UCLA, so I think there were probably some guarantees there. Washington is a four-star top 100 recruit, so it is going to be hard to tell him to ride the pine.
When you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any in my book. Maryland could be in for another struggle season. Illinois should be able to pick them apart on defense. I am glad we are getting this offense later in the season, so we know what we are getting behind center.
Maryland’s defense is the biggest issue for the program. Luke Altmyer should be able to have his way with their secondary, as they gave up 249.1 yards per game through the air last season, which ranked No. 104 in the country. On top of that, one of the two leading players in interceptions is now in the NFL. Altmyer should put up big numbers.
Final score: Illinois 42 – Maryland 17