Maryland visits Illinois on Saturday afternoon with both programs seeking a boost as the regular season winds down.
The Terrapins (4-5, 1-5 Big Ten) enter the matchup having dropped four of their past five games, while the Illini (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) aim to strengthen their postseason positioning behind one of the conference's most efficient passing attacks.
Illinois averages 384.9 yards per game, powered by quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has thrown for 2,255 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes. The Illini have been productive on the scoreboard at 33.1 points per game, but defensive inconsistency remains a concern. Illinois ranks 128th nationally in third-down defense and 122nd in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score on more than 90% of trips.
Maryland enters with a strong turnover margin (plus-eight, 10th in FBS) that has helped keep it competitive despite offensive struggles. Quarterback Malik Washington has thrown for 2,056 yards and 13 touchdowns, but the Terps’ 351.1-yard average ranks 98th in the nation, and their time-of-possession mark at 27:27 sits near the bottom of the FBS.
The visit is also a personal one for coach Mike Locksley, who spent four seasons as Illinois’ offensive coordinator and still calls Champaign meaningful for his family. Despite Maryland’s uneven season, Locksley said he isn’t feeling external heat.
“They know I’m going to coach them up until the day I’m not allowed to,” Locksley said. “And they’re going to play hard for me until the day they are done playing for me.”
Illinois beat Rutgers 35-13 in its last outing, while Maryland fell 35-20 to the Scarlet Knights.
The game airs on FS1 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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