By Brandon Walker for Urban Media Today
College Park, MD—Ethan Mosczulski made a 26-yard field goal as time expired, securing Illinois’ 20-17 win over Maryland and spoiling Aazaar Abdul-Rahim’s head coaching debut Saturday at SECU Stadium.
Illinois quarterback Katin Houser returned after missing one game with a broken bone in his hand. Although initially expected to be out four to six weeks, he started thanks to intensive rehab, advanced medical treatment, and determination. Houser completed 18 of 32 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Illinois coach Bret Bielema expressed strong appreciation for Houser’s return and his role in the critical Big Ten victory.
“I also can’t say enough about Katin Houser. I wasn’t playing games with you guys when I promised Monday at the press conference that I didn’t think there was any way he was going to play. He didn’t do anything on Tuesday during practice. He did some individual work, but that was it. Then on Wednesday, he came to me and said, ‘Coach, I’d really like to try to play.’ I told him we’d see how things looked,” Bielema commented during his postgame press conference.
“Full transparency–I give a lot of credit to Josh and our administration. When we got out of the Michigan State game that night, I made a couple of calls to our medical people. If we had handled everything locally, we were probably looking at a four-to-six-week recovery, or potentially longer.”
Maryland (2-6 overall, 0-5 Big Ten) intercepted Houser on the fourth play from scrimmage but quickly turned the ball over when DeJuan Williams fumbled near the goal line and Illinois’ Jakwon Morris recovered.
After the turnover, Maryland forced a three-and-out and capitalized on good field position with a Malik Washington 8-yard touchdown run, finishing a 6-play, 49-yard drive.
Illinois punted on its next drive. Maryland advanced into Illinois territory, but Malik Washington threw an interception to Tanner Heckel near the end of the first quarter.
Illinois gained momentum in the second quarter, but kicker Ethan Mosczulski missed a 52-yard field goal, keeping the score at 7-0. Maryland then punted on its next possession.
After several punts, Illinois tied the score with 27 seconds left in the first half when Houser connected with Brayden Trimble for a 13-yard touchdown.
The score was tied at seven at halftime.
Maryland opened the second half with a 7-play, 63-yard drive, capped by an 18-yard touchdown run from Williams. Washington completed all five pass attempts for 41 yards, including a 16-yard pass to Naheem Abdul-Raheem-Gladding.
Illinois advanced into field goal range, but Maryland’s defense held. Mosczulski then made a 45-yard field goal, narrowing the score to 14-10.
Maryland earned a few first downs on its next possession before the drive stalled, but managed to pin Illinois inside the ten-yard line. Maryland’s defense then forced a three-and-out to maintain field position.
End of the third quarter: Maryland 14, Illinois 10.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Javari Barnett ran for a 64-yard touchdown, giving Illinois its first lead. The run capped a four-play, 87-yard drive.
“We need to be more detailed in our technique,” safety Lavain Scruggs, who led Maryland with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss on Saturday, told reporters after the game about what went wrong on the play. “You take the wrong step, and the other guy wins. You can’t take the wrong step. You can’t do something wrong. It’s not just the guys in the back end; it’s the guys up front. You have to be very detailed.”
Maryland drove down the field but failed to convert two short-yardage opportunities, settling for a 46-yard field goal by Sean O’Hare to tie the game.
Maryland forced a three-and-out on Illinois, and Illinois responded with a defensive stop of its own. With 5:43 left, Illinois methodically drove 67 yards in 13 plays, highlighted by key catches from Colin Dixon and strong runs by Jordan Anderson. Anderson’s decision to take a knee at the two-yard line after Maryland used its timeouts set up Mosczulski’s game-winning field goal, redeeming his earlier miss.
“I kind of just had a feeling all day that it might come down to a kick and kind of thankful that I was pretty confident in any situation out there and kept my heart rate down a little bit and was able to execute,” Moczulski said to reporters after the game. “It did a really good job milking the clock in the last drive and setting up that scenario. It was good.”
Although Abdur-Rahim did not win his debut, Maryland showed clear improvement on both sides of the ball compared to previous conference games. The defense played aggressively, forcing an early turnover and making several tackles behind the line. Offensively, Maryland converted a bold fourth-down attempt and used creative plays, including an end-around for a key first down. The team also showed improved discipline, committing only one five-yard penalty and staying focused during tense moments. Maryland appeared more unified and energetic, matching the interim head coach’s goals set during the bye week.
“The process doesn’t have anything to do with the outcome,” Abdul-Rahim told reporters at his postgame press conference. “It’s not the outcome that we wanted, but it has validated that the process that we have put in place is the right process.”
Maryland will attempt to end its 13-game conference losing streak against Purdue next Saturday, striving to keep its bowl hopes alive and build momentum for the season’s final stretch. Illinois will seek its fourth consecutive win when it hosts Nebraska on Friday night, which would move the Illini closer to bowl eligibility and improve their Big Ten standing.
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