Maryland vs. Illinois: Three Differences under Aazar Abdul-Rahim

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The first game after the Mike Locksley era led to similar results for Maryland, losing 20-17 to Illinois on Saturday marking their 13th consecutive conference loss. Even if the result was the same, the first game under Aazar Abdul-Rahim had some bright spots to take away from as Maryland will search for its first conference win in over a year in November. We take a look at three differences from Saturdays effort.

Maryland Had Just One Penalty

A constant thorn in the side for Maryland during the majority of the Locksley era were the penalties. The Terrapins were undisciplined by nature often with many of the infractions being unsportsmanlike calls or other penalties that were unnecessary. The Abdul-Rahim led Terps were a disciplined bunch only committing one penalty. This is the first time in 4 seasons that Maryland had only committed one penalty in the game.

With some potential winnable games remaining on the schedule, minimizing penalties can flip a few games Maryland’s way. This unfortunately was not the case Saturday as Illinois left College Park with a walk-off field goal win similar to their last visit in 2023. Illinois only committed two penalties of their own; however, if Maryland remains a disciplined side for the rest of the year it will bode well for close games.

The Defensive Effort Improved

For most of this year the defense has seemed checked out at times. Starting with the UCLA game, the effort was low as the games began to get out of hand. On Saturday there was renewed energy with the defense. This started early with Messiah Delhomme intercepting Katin Houser on the first drive. The secondary had arguably their best game versus a Power 4 opponent as Houser was held to a 56% completion rate. Collin Dixon was able to find his way to over 100 yards but players such as Lavain Scruggs popped off the page with pass breakups and tackles and Jamare Glasker was mostly strong throughout. It is clear the the defensive backfield will be putting in full effort for their former position coach.

The defensive front was also making plays for most of the game. Sidney Stewart was impacting the Illinois offense throughout the day and the interior was strong early at defending the run. Lavon Johnson and Eyan Thomas made some key tackles for loss and through three quarters Illinois was struggling to get the ground game going. This eventually flipped with a 64-yard touchdown run from Javari Barnett that helped the Illini’s final tallies on the ground. The majority of the game was encouraging on that front and although sacks were recorded there was more consistent pressure and fight from the front unit.

Dejuan Williams Gets Proper Usage

Maryland’s top back has been battling injuries for most of the season but has been back for a few weeks at this point. This week Williams got his most touches of the season carrying the ball 19 times. In the previous games, Williams has had 9, 16, and 10 carries. Williams is clearly Maryland’s most gifted back and can change a game with his game breaking speed. This was not the case in this game as he only amassed 3 yards per carry, but it was good to see the offensive game plan trying to get him going. It was a much simpler game plan overall on both sides of the ball for Maryland and this included more carries for Williams. Even if the stats did not jump off the page, the eye test for Williams looked encouraging with some longer runs mixed in.

As Malik Washington continues to struggle with accuracy, the run game is going to be extra important to establish down the stretch. In Aazar’s simplified gameplan it is Williams that is arguably the most important player on the offense if Maryland wants to win some games. A breakout game and consistent chunk yardage may even allow Washington to really

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