For the first time in a long time, Maryland football’s coaches aren’t to blame for a loss. 

Despite a valiant effort, the Terps couldn’t overcome their deep-rooted issues to earn their first conference home win in two seasons. 

Maryland fought to the end and didn’t get completely dominated in the second half. However, big plays, turnovers and the overall talent gap between Maryland and the rest of the conference proved too much for the Terps, as they fell to Illinois 20-17. 

Despite the loss, being competitive with a non-bottom-feeder conference opponent is a step forward. 

Newly promoted interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim led Maryland’s defense to its best performance all season. 

Abdul-Rahim repeatedly emphasized mental toughness for the players and a simplified playbook for the coaches before Saturday’s game. 

“We’ve been preaching to those guys about their process the entire week, and the process doesn’t have anything to do with the outcome,” Abdul-Rahim said. “So, unfortunately, it’s not the outcome that we wanted, but it has validated that the process that we have put into place is the right process.”

The defense played with a new spark, consistently rallying to tackles and driving on passes better than it has all season. 

The Terps still gave up chunk plays, but given the big changes in the rest of the defense, blame falls on talent more than coaching. 

Illinois found success deep outside the numbers and in the intermediate middle of the field. Amari Jackson and the inside linebacker corps were the main culprits. 

Receivers covered by Jackson were constantly open. Linebackers moved away from zones in between the hashes to allow easy completions for Illinois quarterback Katin Houser. 

Maryland’s defense allowed seven big plays through the air for 162 yards of Houser’s 197 total.

“One of our goals and standards as a defense is to limit explosives. …That’s not what we want,” Abdul-Rahim said.

Other than Jackson and the linebackers, Maryland’s defense looked stout for the most part. The defensive playcalling improved, and players who previously struggled played better or stayed on the sideline. 

“The intent was to try to get the best 11 out there during especially critical situations, whether it’s third and long or third and short,” Abdul-Rahim said.

Daniel Wingate played especially poorly, giving up a touchdown before the half, missing tackles and vacating zones that he needed to cover as Maryland choked its fourth-quarter lead. 

Jamare Glasker had his best day in coverage against a conference opponent thus far. He recorded a pass breakup and did not allow a big play all game despite a heavy target share. 

Illinois’ 184 rushing yards ended up on par with the rest of Maryland’s conference opponents, but over ⅓ of the yards came on one play. The Terps allowed 5.6 per carry total.

“Take away a few plays, you know, in the run game. I thought we dominated the run game,” Abdul-Rahim said.

Maryland allowed a 64-yard touchdown run at the start of the fourth quarter.

Standouts on defense include Glasker, safety Messiah Delhomme and the defensive line. 

The offense also would’ve looked fantastic if it wasn’t for the multiple turnovers in scoring position. 

In the first quarter, running back DeJuan Williams fumbled the ball on the 1-yard line. Two drives later, quarterback Malik Washington also threw an ugly cross-body floater that Illinois DB Tanner Heckel intercepted, ending a Maryland drive deep into Illinois territory.

Despite the turnovers, Washington and Williams each scored a rushing touchdown. The offense looked its best since week two, especially in holding together a consistent rushing attack throughout the game, a rare sight for Maryland. 

The offensive line won the trench battle against a Big Ten defensive line for the first time this season. 

Washington ran more freely, while Williams took over the Terps’ backfield. Backup Iverson Howard got his first opportunity in the fourth quarter. Howard has averaged 3.8 yards per carry this season, compared to Williams’ 7.4. 

“We found some life with it across some energy that we needed from everybody within the team. It looked really good. I’m proud of the guys up front. Same thing with the backs,” Washington said regarding the run game.

Washington was mediocre through the air, as he has been most of the season. The sophomore finished the game with 19-of-29 passing for 190 yards and a rushing touchdown. His accuracy was erratic again, but he did well completing passes over the intermediate middle and moving the chains. 

Most importantly, Washington played mistake-free after the early interception, which allowed Maryland’s offense to stay on the field longer, which is arguably the Terps’ biggest issue through five conference games. 

The new era looks a little better so far, but Maryland needs wins if it wants anyone to see it as a serious football program.