Three Maryland players to watch for against Northern Illinois

Chase King
5 days ago
3 min read

Breaking down three players to watch when Maryland football hosts Northern Illinois for a Friday night kickoff:

WR #5 Octavian Smith Jr

The senior Maryland native entered the year with high expectations after a junior year where he totaled 315 receiving yards and two TDs in his nine games played. Smith looked good last year in the competitive WR room, but now with both Tai Felton and Kaden Prather making their way to the NFL, Smith is looking at a much bigger role in the offense.

Smith totaled three receptions for 33 yards in the first game against FAU. But one could expect those numbers to go up as Smith finished with the third-most targets on the team with seven, and played the most passing snaps out of all the Terrapin pass catchers.

Passing snaps per PFF:

WR Octavian Smith Jr: 40

WR Jalil Farooq: 38

TE Dorian Fleming: 31

WR Shaleak Knotts: 30

RB Nolan Ray: 25

The senior receiver might not have had the production in week one to match it, but the impact piece is expected to become a focal point of the 2025 passing attack alongside WR Jalil Farooq and TE Dorian Fleming with Friday night a chance for Smith to break out.

QB #7 Malik Washington

The prized 2025 recruit, Malik Washington, made his debut in the season opener against FAU, where he showcased some of the raw talent that made him such a captivating prospect.

He finished his game in the third quarter, where he had already thrown 43 pass attempts and 258 pass yards. He went 27-for-43 in those attempts after starting the game 1-for-8 and only having 17 passing yards by the end of the first quarter.

In the second and third quarters, Malik Washington came alive as he began to look more comfortable playing in structure and found his timing with his receivers. In the first quarter, it looked like Washington was rushed through his reads, and his footwork was jittery. As the game went on, however, he took more time in the pocket and was able to find a lot more success. Later in the game, Washington also delivered a couple of big-time throws, with two long touchdowns in the second quarter, and a great throw on a third-and-17 in the third quarter.

Looking forward to Friday’s game against Northern Illinois, with his first game nerves out of the way, Washington will have a great chance to pick up where he left off against FAU, and as head coach Mike Locksley noted, “he's only going to get better.”

Washington will go up against a revamped secondary featuring a mix of experience and youth, giving the passing attack a chance to build on their week one success.

DE #29 Sidney Stewart

Following the game against FAU, Stewart sent a message while walking through his safety and said, “I saw a chip, which I feel like you know, you better chip me, but I saw a chip and a tackle, so I worked around the chip, and the tackle overstepped me and kind of was able to bend around both of them and the QB decided to hold it a little longer so it game the opportunity to make a play.”

The freshman had arguably the best debut for the Terrapins against FAU, where he totaled five total tackles, a sack that resulted in a safety, and three tackles for loss. Stewart also totaled the second-highest pass rush snaps for Terps’ edge rushers with 34 and led the team with four total pressures, via PFF.

What Stewart showed in his debut was game-wrecker potential, which is something that the Terps will need on defense. Stewart will continue to have plenty of opportunities on the Terps' defense throughout his true freshman season, but against a Northern Illinois team that makes the ground game its identity on offense, the Concordia Prep standout will look to be a big part of the Terps' run defense.

Stewart also earned the fourth-highest PFF grade amongst all Power Four true freshmen, earning some national recognition.

His pairing with another true freshman edge rusher, Zahir Mathis, will be something to monitor all year long.

Related Links