For 50 minutes of game time Friday night, things were not going Malik Washington’s way.
After being deified following his exceptional performance in the Terps’ season-opening win against Florida Atlantic, Washington looked human against Northern Illinois. A few crucial drops did not help the true freshman, but he again got off to a sluggish start. He looked slow progressing through his reads, and several passes sailed past his receivers.
But with time ticking away in a one-score game, Maryland head
coach Michael Locksley was duly rewarded for maintaining his faith in Washington. The Terps lined up for a fourth-and-5 from midfield, and Washington held strong in the pocket before rifling a pass deep to Shaleak Knotts.
The wideout had to slow down and contort himself to secure the back-shoulder ball, but he walked comfortably into the end zone to secure the lead. Maryland was far from perfect but avoided disaster in a trap game, defeating Northern Illinois, 20-9.
The Huskies sought to dominate the time of possession and wear Maryland down. The former was well-managed, as the Huskies possessed the ball for nearly 22 of the opening 30 minutes; the latter came late in the first half, as a 19-play drive reluctantly finished with a field goal from the three-yard line.
Washington completed just four of his first nine passes, with two overthrown and two more deflected. The Terps’ pair of first-quarter first downs came via Dorian Fleming, including a spectacular 48-yard catch-and-run that put kicker Sean O’Haire in position to open the scoring.
Maryland’s defense gave its offense time to heat up, though. The line regularly flushed Northern Illinois quarterback Josh Holst out of the pocket early in the game, with the Terps recording three sacks and six tackles for loss before halftime. Linebacker Trey Reddick racked up a career-high eight tackles in the first half alone, while Daniel Wingate again led the team — this time with a career-high 14 tackles.
After Maryland’s special teams hadn’t fully impressed in week one, it came up with a momentum-changing play in the first half.
Northern Illinois looked set to punt from its own 45-yard line before the snap flew sideways. A Husky wing picked up the ball, sped across the formation and saw acres of space as he broke the line of scrimmage. But Maryland wide receiver Kaleb Webb, on to defend the punt, broke around his defender and dragged the runner down, squashing the trick play and putting Maryland in excellent field position.
Starting from the Huskies’ 47-yard line after the failed fake punt, Maryland put a drive together with Nolan Ray, who ceded first-quarter snaps to backfield partner DeJuan Williams, offering Maryland the change of pace it needed.
With the run game established, Washington had an opening to find Fleming crossing the end zone. The footwork on the scramble was unsteady — Washington slipped and nearly fell — but the pass was sure, pushing Maryland to a double-digit lead.
The Huskies steadily gouged the Terps with short-yardage runs. Aggressive playcalling helped extend those drives; Northern Illinois was 3-for-3 on fourth downs that were not in punt formation.
But after Maryland opened the second half with a long drive of its own with a 29-yard field goal, Northern Illinois’ rushing attack found its breakthrough. Secondary running back Telly Johnson Jr. took a third-and-11 carry up the gut and exploded for a 74-yard touchdown; a failed two-point conversion left the deficit at four points.
After two personal fouls assisted a Maryland drive into the red zone, Washington again slipped while scrambling outside the tackles, this time dropping the ball while attempting to catch himself for his first turnover of the season. With Northern Illinois’ run defense improving as the game progressed, pressure was levied on the quarterback. Washington finished the game having completed just 54% of his passes, with his inexperience showing.
The teams traded punts early in the fourth quarter before Washington’s second touchdown of the game broke the tension. Aided by O’Haire missing a field goal for the first time in his career, Northern Illinois attempted a comeback, but the run-first offense could not muster enough big-yardage plays against Maryland’s stout secondary to seriously challenge late.
Three things to know
1. Maryland solid but unspectacular against the run. After successfully neutralizing FAU’s air-raid offense in week one, Maryland’s defense was forced to contend with an entirely different threat against Northern Illinois.
The Huskies established their first-half ground game through former Division II star Wright, who had 72 yards off 20 attempts before halftime. Johnson and Wright operated in a closer to 50/50 split in the second half
2. Terps make progress with penalties. Locksley promised his team would improve on its 14-flag outing a week ago, and the Terps delivered. Maryland finished with three penalties for 30 yards while drawing six.
3. Red zone offense needs work. Maryland entered the red zone six times but left with just one touchdown. The Terps had to settle for field goals twice and failed to score thrice — once off the curious fumble from Washington, once after Dorian Fleming dropped a ball in the endzone on fourth-and-goal and once on an uncharacteristic O’Haire field goal miss. A more efficient offense could have put the game out of reach far earlier.
