In 2023, Illinois kicker Caleb Griffin hit a 43-yard walk-off field goal in College Park to beat Maryland.
On Saturday, Illinois’ Ethan Moczulski did the same, booting a 26-yarder as time expired to spoil interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim’s Terrapins debut, 20-17.
“I thank them for the buy-in,” Abdul-Rahim said in his first game following coach Mike Locksley’s firing during Maryland’s bye week. “This team could have went a lot of ways [the] last two weeks with all the craziness that they had to deal with and the uncertainty. I wanted to let them know how appreciative I am to be a head coach.”
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The Fighting Illini methodically marched 67 yards in the final 5:45 to set up Moczulski, who converted two of three on the day, sending Maryland to its 13th-straight Big Ten loss. But Maryland did show signs of turning the corner.
“I think they showed some of the new things that we we talked about,” Abdul-Rahim said. “I’ve seen great mental toughness. Only seen one penalty. I’ve seen the techniques that we were demanding. Seen the finishing strain.”
Maryland quarterback Malik Washington threw for 190 yards on 19 of 29 passing with an interception and added a rushing touchdown, while running back DeJuan Williams notched 57 yards and a score.
“It was freeing, really,” Washington said. “It’s been kind of a hectic past couple weeks, past couple months, and just to get out there, to get onto the field, get in those lines, all you worry about is the next play.”
Defensive back Lavain Scruggs echoed Washington.
“[Abdul-Rahim] wanted us to play free. He wanted us to feel good. He changed practice a lot. He wanted us to feel good,” Scruggs said. “That was his biggest thing. He wanted us to be free.”
Unexpectedly, Fighting Illini QB Katin Houser returned to action and started for the first time since breaking his right wrist Oct. 10 against Michigan State. He had surgery on the throwing hand and was expected to miss the game, originally listed as doubtful midweek before being upgraded to a game-time decision. The fifth-year senior threw for 223 yards with a TD and interception.
The loss was Maryland’s 18th in its last 19 Big Ten games and extended its losing streak to six.
“I felt like our energy was really good. And I thought it was sustained energy. It wasn’t just the first play. We usually started off fast, and we would kind of fizzle out. So the proof is in the product of what was out on the field,” Abdul-Rahim said. “I’m not a big talker. I’m ready to go back to work right now.”
In only the second-ever game on Halloween in College Park, the teams combined for two scary turnovers in their first seven plays.
Maryland safety Messiah Delhomme intercepted Houser and returned it into the red zone, but Williams fumbled inside the 1 as the Terps tried to score.
Washington also threw his Big Ten-leading seventh interception of the season as Maryland was driving inside the 30.
Maryland (2-6, 0-5 Big Ten) looked ready for a positive approach on offense, with Washington seeming more comfortable in different spread-option situations and taking off more often than in previous games.
“Malik is a unique quarterback who can be a dropback, but also allow him to move. He does a good job of using his legs as well, so it’s more of a run-pass option. So we want to continue to give him as many looks as possible, as many ways for for him to create, essentially long handoffs,” Abdul-Rahim said.
Of the Terrapins’ first nine plays, eight were rushes, culminating in Washington’s second rushing touchdown of the season on Maryland’s second drive for a 7-0 lead.
“It’s what we needed in the first half. Something that we did well. We found some life with it. Brought some energy that we needed from everybody within the team. It looked really good,” Washington said. “I’m proud of the guys up front. Same thing, the backs. It’s getting there, right? Like from earlier this season until now, the run game has improved.”
Then everything ground to a halt for the home team.
Maryland had only eight plays on offense in the second quarter as the Illini flipped the yardage and time of possession disparities in their favor, 184-124 and 16:46 to 13:14.
On its final drive before halftime, Illinois (5-3, 3-2) converted three times on third down, including one for 25 yards from Houser to Kaden Feagin near midfield. Houser capped it five plays later with a 16-yard TD pass to Brayden Trimble, who gained separation from linebacker Daniel Wingate in the end zone to tie the game at 7.
After gaining 124 yards of offense in the first quarter, Maryland scraped out a measly 2 in the second. Those yards came on a baffling play to end the half.
With 27 seconds and all three timeouts following Illinois’ tying score, Williams took a short handoff, and the Terrapins let the quarter expire. Maryland had won the toss and deferred the opening kickoff, usually meaning it would intend to use that opportunity to steal a possession before halftime. It did not.
“I go off, sometimes, analytics, but I also go off if I thought we were in a good place going to halftime,” Abdul-Rahim said of the decision. “The reality is we got the ball coming out, and sometimes when you get too aggressive — and if you watched our previous weeks, sometimes those 2 minutes, we let the defense get on the field again. I wasn’t going to do that.”
Some redemption came on Maryland’s ensuing third-quarter possession. Washington expertly drove the Terps down the field, going 5 for 5 before Williams rushed 18 yards off the left side for his fourth score of the season.
Illinois added a field goal on the next drive to cut the deficit to 14-10. Two drives later, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Illini RB Javari Barnett broke off the biggest play of the game, a 64-yard rush down the middle for a touchdown and Illinois’ first lead, 17-14.
Sean O’Haire tied the game with a 46-yard field goal on Maryland’s next drive before the Illini sucked up the remaining time on the clock to set up the winning kick. The Terrapins have a -35 point differential in the fourth quarter this season and have been outscored 105-23 in the second half of Big Ten games.
“We can’t come out there in the fourth quarter, go three and out, and expect the defense to continue to hold every single time that that happens to us,” Washington said. “We have to control the clock, one, and two, just execute when we get an opportunity and make the best of every single opportunity. You don’t want to leave anything in anybody else’s hands. You want to go do it yourself.”
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