Maryland football’s 20-9 victory Friday night over Northern Illinois wasn’t pretty. But a win is a win, and the Terps move onto Week 3 a 2-0 team.
The Huskies tried to beat down a Terps team with substantially more talent — a gameplan Maryland was able to outlast. A fourth-quarter 42-yard touchdown from Malik Washington to Shaleak Knotts ultimately sealed the deal.
Here are three takeaways from the contest.
Malik Washington faced his first adversity
The much-discussed freshman was far from bad in his second collegiate game, but showed more flaws
than he did against Florida Atlantic in the season opener.
Washington appeared rushed in the pocket at times, leading to inconsistent footwork and missed opportunities down the field. He also committed the first turnover of his college career, essentially laying the ball on the ground as he attempted to balance himself on the run with his right hand — the hand holding the ball.
But his final statline doesn’t reflect that. Washington finished 19-of-35 passing for 254 yards and two touchdowns, which came from Dorian Fleming and Knotts. The freshman settled into the game down the stretch and was able to do what was needed to pull away.
“In these tough games, these gritty games, you just got to stay with it,” Washington said. “No matter how many possessions you get, you got to make the best of them.”
Washington is a freshman in his second collegiate game. The bar for a good game being set this high already is a very promising sign for him.
Dorian Fleming’s huge first half
Fleming transferred to Maryland from Georgia State with high expectations for what he could provide to the offense at tight end. The junior has done nothing but meet them in his two games as a Terp.
His first action came as catches on the first two plays of Maryland’s second drive, the second resulting in a first down. Then, two plays later, Fleming finally broke loose.
Washington found Fleming on a shallow crosser before the tight end broke a tackle, flew into open space, evaded another defender and topped off a 48-yard catch-and-run that set up an eventual Sean O’Haire field goal.
“The thing that always has jumped out about his game was yards after the catch, and his ability to extend plays,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “He made some big plays early in the game.”
His fourth and final catch of the game was just as impactful. Washington found him on a play-action bootleg in the endzone for a 13-yard score, giving the Terps a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Fleming didn’t catch a pass in the second half as the Terps tried to attack the perimeter more, but he still led them in receiving yards (70). Fleming’s athleticism and chemistry with Washington makes him a key stalwart in the offense as a security blanket while the freshman quarterback adjusts to Big Ten defenses.
Maryland’s defensive front held up well, mostly
Northern Illinois’ gameplan was clear: beat up Maryland’s defense in the run game and control pace of play.
The Huskies did indeed dominate time of possession for much of the game — especially in the first half, when they held the ball for 21:55 compared to Maryland’s 8:05. And while they were far from inefficient in the run game, the Terps’ front outlasted the barrage.
Northern Illinois racked up 208 yards on 4.7 yards per carry when adjusted for sack yardage. But it’s worth remembering 74 of those yards came on one run from Telly Johnson Jr. in the third quarter. While it’s irresponsible to completely discount a long touchdown run, without it, the Huskies’ per-carry numbers look much less daunting.
Maryland’s defensive interior — Cam Rice in particular — was disruptive in the run game, helping to contribute to the team’s nine tackles for loss. Linebackers Daniel Wingate and Trey Reddick were sensational cleaning up behind them, combining for 25 tackles. Wingate’s 14 tackles set a new career-high.
The Terps’ pass rush, when it was allowed to be so, was phenomenal. Maryland finished the night with four sacks and an additional quarterback hurry.
