Maryland football’s red zone woes continue in 24-6 loss to Illinois

Photo courtesy of Kevin Snyder/Maryland Athletics

Red zone offense has been an issue for Maryland football all season. 

Coming into Saturday’s game, kicker Sean O’Haire had kicked nine field goals between 20-29 yards – all examples of Maryland being forced to settle after drives stalled out deep in opponents’ territory. 

The Terps’ struggles in finishing drives continued against Illinois. Maryland (4-6, 1-6 B1G) had its worst offensive showing of the season, failing to score a touchdown in a 24-6 loss to the Fighting Illini (7-3, 4-3 B1G). 

“They finished their long drives with touchdowns, and we didn’t score enough touchdowns,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “Sometimes it’s just that simple. We just got to find ways to end drives with touchdowns.”

Maryland’s running backs haven’t been reliable in short-yardage situations this season, and it was more of the same against the Illini. The Terps tried to set the tone early, going for it on fourth-and-one from midfield, but redshirt sophomore Nolan Ray got stuffed at the line of scrimmage and Maryland turned it over on downs. 

Illinois, like Maryland, is near the bottom of the conference in average rushing yards per game. However, it didn’t show against the Terps’ defense – a defense that had given up over 600 yards on the ground over the last two games. The Fighting Illini went for 225 yards on 48 attempts, good for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. 

Both quarterbacks struggled to find big plays in the opening half. Malik Washington completed 16 of his first 28 passes but only had 140 passing yards  – an average of 8.75 yards per completion. Luke Altmyer was 9-for-16 with 100 passing yards and a touchdown. 

A big difference between the two teams was conversions on later downs. Illinois was able to come up with clutch plays, while Maryland came up short. The Terps were 3-12 on third down conversions and 0-2 on fourth down conversions throughout the game, while the Illini were 8-15 on third and fourth down conversions. 

“We just gotta stay ahead of the sticks,” Washington said. “Instead of being third and seven, third and 10, being third and two, third and three – it makes the situation more manageable.”

Hudson Clement got whatever he wanted against Maryland’s defense. The junior came into Saturday’s game with only 281 yards and a touchdown on the season, but the Terps’ defense struggled to keep him in front of them. Clement finished the game with three receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns. 

A sequence that summarized Maryland’s issues this season occurred early in the fourth quarter, with the Terps trailing by 15. 

Maryland had the ball on Illinois’s three-yard line, with four plays to get in the end zone. What followed was a rush for a loss of a yard, a drop in the end zone, a rush for a yard and another drop for a turnover on downs. The Illini then marched down the field, taking close to six minutes of clock before finishing with a field goal – the finishing touch on their victory. 

The Terps’ losing streak is now up to six games – Maryland’s longest streak since 2019. Bowl eligibility requires wins over the next two weeks against Michigan and Michigan State.