Maryland Holds Off Northern Illinois in Low-Scoring Week 2 Contest
Maryland defeated Northern Illinois 20-9 on Saturday in a defensive struggle that stayed competitive throughout. The Terrapins scored in all four quarters, with touchdown passes from Malik Washington providing the offensive highlights. Northern Illinois kept the game closer than expected, trailing by just 11 points despite being outscored significantly in the second half.
Northern Illinois' offense was led by Josh Holst's 91 passing yards and Chavon Wright's 90 rushing yards, while La'Don Bryant led the receiving corps with eight catches. The Huskies managed just a field goal in the second quarter and a field goal in the third quarter before being shut out in the first and fourth quarters.
The game featured four lead changes and saw Maryland's defense make critical plays, particularly a defensive effort in the third quarter that swung momentum. Northern Illinois also had defensive stands, including a forced fumble by Jalonnie Williams in the third quarter. The final score fell well short of the 44.5 over-under, with the teams combining for just 29 points in a defensive-minded affair.
AI-generated recap · Aug 21, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Northern Illinois | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
 Maryland | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Northern Illinois | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 14-22 | 19-36 |
| Pass Yards | 91 | 254 |
| Rush Yards | 180 | 86 |
| Total Yards | 271 | 340 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 7-20 | 3-12 |
| Penalties | 6-55 | 3-30 |
| Possession | 33:35 | 26:25 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Malik Washington pass complete to Octavian Smith Jr. for 5 yds to the MD 15
DeJuan Williams run for 2 yds to the MD 17
Malik Washington pass incomplete to DeJuan Williams
Bryce McFerson punt for 48 yds, fair catch by DeAree Rogers at the NIU 35
Chavon Wright run for 6 yds to the NIU 41
Chavon Wright run for 1 yd to the NIU 42
Josh Holst pass complete to Chavon Wright for 2 yds to the NIU 44
Chavon Wright run for 2 yds to the NIU 46 for a 1ST down
Josh Holst sacked by Zahir Mathis for a loss of 6 yards to the NIU 40
Chavon Wright run for 2 yds to the NIU 42
Chavon Wright run for 13 yds to the MD 45
Chavon Wright run for 1 yd to the MD 44 for a 1ST down
Telly Johnson Jr. run for 1 yd to the MD 43
Telly Johnson Jr. run for 1 yd to the MD 42
Josh Holst sacked by Trey Reddick for a loss of 1 yard to the MD 43
Danny Vuckovic punt for 43 yds for a touchback
Malik Washington pass complete to Dorian Fleming for 8 yds to the MD 28
Malik Washington pass complete to Dorian Fleming for 2 yds to the MD 30 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Shaleak Knotts
Malik Washington pass complete to Dorian Fleming for 48 yds to the NIU 22 for a 1ST down
DeJuan Williams run for 4 yds to the NIU 18
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Ryan Manning
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Shaleak Knotts
Sean O'Haire 36 yd FG GOOD
Philip Noyes kickoff for 58 yds , Dev'ion Reynolds return for 17 yds to the NIU 24
Chavon Wright run for 3 yds to the NIU 27
Chavon Wright run for 5 yds to the NIU 32
Chavon Wright run for 2 yds to the NIU 34 for a 1ST down
Telly Johnson Jr. run for no gain to the NIU 34
Josh Holst pass incomplete to Jaylen Poe
Josh Holst run for 5 yds to the NIU 39
Danny Vuckovic punt for 54 yds , Josiah McLaurin returns for 9 yds to the MD 16
Nolan Ray run for 5 yds to the MD 21
Nolan Ray run for no gain to the MD 21
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Dorian Fleming
Bryce McFerson punt for 49 yds, fair catch by DeAree Rogers at the NIU 30
Josh Holst pass incomplete
Josh Holst pass complete to DeAree Rogers for 4 yds to the NIU 34
Josh Holst pass complete to Gary Givens for 11 yds to the NIU 45 for a 1ST down
Josh Holst run for 4 yds to the NIU 49
Josh Holst sacked for a loss of 7 yards to the NIU 42
Josh Holst pass complete to Chavon Wright for 3 yds to the NIU 45
Quinn Urwiler run for 2 yds to the NIU 47
Octavian Smith Jr. run for 11 yds to the NIU 36 for a 1ST down
Nolan Ray run for 3 yds to the NIU 33
Nolan Ray run for 7 yds to the NIU 26 for a 1ST down
Nolan Ray run for 5 yds to the NIU 21
Nolan Ray run for 9 yds to the NIU 12 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington pass complete to Dorian Fleming for 12 yds for a TD (Sean O'Haire KICK)
Philip Noyes kickoff for 52 yds , Jaylen Poe return for 9 yds to the NIU 22
Chavon Wright run for no gain to the NIU 22
Chavon Wright run for 1 yd to the NIU 23
Josh Holst pass complete to Gary Givens for 15 yds to the NIU 38 for a 1ST down
Chavon Wright run for 5 yds to the NIU 43
Josh Holst pass complete to DeAree Rogers for 11 yds to the MD 46 for a 1ST down
Chavon Wright run for 4 yds to the MD 42
Chavon Wright run for 1 yd to the MD 41
Josh Holst pass complete to Chavon Wright for 2 yds to the MD 39
Josh Holst pass complete to George Dimopoulos for 8 yds to the MD 31 for a 1ST down
Telly Johnson Jr. run for 4 yds to the MD 27
(03:07) PENALTY NIU False Start (Ozoh,Izuchukwu) 5 yards from UMD27 to UMD32. NO PLAY.
Telly Johnson Jr. run for 4 yds to the MD 28
Chavon Wright run for 12 yds to the MD 16 for a 1ST down
Chavon Wright run for a loss of 2 yards to the MD 18
Chavon Wright run for 6 yds to the MD 12
Chavon Wright run for 7 yds to the MD 5 for a 1ST down
Telly Johnson Jr. run for a loss of 1 yard to the MD 6
Chavon Wright run for a loss of 1 yard to the MD 7
Chavon Wright run for 4 yds to the MD 3
Andrew Glass 20 yd FG GOOD
Andrew Glass kickoff for 23 yds , DJ Samuels return for no gain to the MD 42
M. Washington takes a knee
End of 2nd Quarter
(14:57) PENALTY NIU False Start (Paasch,Thomas) 5 yards from NIU25 to NIU20. NO PLAY.
Josh Holst pass complete to Jake Appleget for 3 yds to the NIU 23
Chavon Wright run for 3 yds to the NIU 26
Josh Holst run for 5 yds to the NIU 31
Danny Vuckovic punt for 36 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the MD 33
DeJuan Williams run for a loss of 1 yard to the MD 32
Malik Washington pass complete to Shaleak Knotts for 16 yds to the MD 48 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Shaleak Knotts
(11:49) No Huddle-Shotgun Williams,DeJuan rush middle for 0 yards to the UMD48 (Urwiler,Quinton) PENALTY NIU Personal Foul 15 yards from UMD48 to NIU37, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
DeJuan Williams run for 9 yds to the NIU 28
DeJuan Williams run for no gain to the NIU 28
DeJuan Williams run for 1 yd to the NIU 27 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington pass complete to Jalil Farooq for 6 yds to the NIU 21
Malik Washington pass complete to Octavian Smith Jr. for 10 yds to the NIU 11 for a 1ST down
DeJuan Williams run for no gain to the NIU 11
Malik Washington pass incomplete
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Jalil Farooq
Sean O'Haire 29 yd FG GOOD
Philip Noyes kickoff for 62 yds , Dev'ion Reynolds return for 24 yds to the NIU 27
Chavon Wright run for no gain to the NIU 27
Chavon Wright run for a loss of 1 yard to the NIU 26
Telly Johnson Jr. run for 74 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Malik Washington pass complete to Nolan Ray for 5 yds to the MD 30
Nolan Ray run for 4 yds to the MD 34
Nolan Ray run for 4 yds to the MD 38 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Octavian Smith Jr.
Nolan Ray run for 1 yd to the MD 39
Malik Washington pass incomplete for a 1ST down Northern Illinois Penalty, Personal Foul (Jalonnie Williams) to the NIU 46 for a 1ST down
Nolan Ray run for 10 yds to the NIU 36 for a 1ST down
Nolan Ray run for 2 yds to the NIU 34
(02:43) Shotgun Washington,Malik pass incomplete deep right to Smith Jr.,Octavian thrown to NIU00 PENALTY NIU Pass Interference (Lyons,Keshawn) 15 yards from NIU34 to NIU19, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Malik Washington run for 4 yds to the NIU 15
Malik Washington pass complete to Jalil Farooq for 8 yds to the NIU 7 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington run for a loss of 5 yards to the NIU 12 Malik Washington fumbled, recovered by NIU Jalonnie Williams
Telly Johnson Jr. run for 3 yds to the NIU 15
Josh Holst pass complete to Telly Johnson Jr. for no gain to the NIU 15
Northern Illinois Penalty, Intentional Grounding (Josh Holst) to the NIU 1
Danny Vuckovic punt for 40 yds , Josiah McLaurin returns for no gain to the NIU 43
Malik Washington pass complete to Nolan Ray for 2 yds to the NIU 41
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Shaleak Knotts
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Shaleak Knotts
Bryce McFerson punt for 41 yds for a touchback
Bryce McFerson punt for 41 yds for a touchback
Josh Holst pass incomplete to Gary Givens
Telly Johnson Jr. run for 1 yd to the NIU 31
Josh Holst pass complete to DeAree Rogers for 1 yd to the NIU 32
Danny Vuckovic punt for 53 yds , Josiah McLaurin returns for 8 yds to the MD 23
(12:20) No Huddle-Shotgun Williams,DeJuan rush right for 9 yards gain to the UMD32 (Urwiler,Quinton) PENALTY UMD Holding (Herron,Alan) 10 yards from UMD23 to UMD13. NO PLAY.
Malik Washington pass complete to DeJuan Williams for 25 yds to the MD 38 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington pass complete to Jalil Farooq for 15 yds to the NIU 47 for a 1ST down
DeJuan Williams run for a loss of 1 yard to the NIU 48
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Jalil Farooq
Malik Washington pass complete to Jalil Farooq for 6 yds to the NIU 42
Malik Washington pass complete to Shaleak Knotts for 42 yds for a TD (Sean O'Haire KICK)
Telly Johnson Jr. run for a loss of 1 yard to the NIU 24
Josh Holst pass incomplete to George Dimopoulos
Josh Holst pass incomplete to Telly Johnson Jr.
Danny Vuckovic punt for 29 yds
Malik Washington pass incomplete
Malik Washington pass complete to Octavian Smith Jr. for 3 yds to the 50 yard line
Malik Washington pass complete to Kaleb Webb for 19 yds to the NIU 31 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington pass complete to AJ Szymanski for 2 yds to the NIU 29
Malik Washington pass complete to Jalil Farooq for 20 yds to the NIU 9 for a 1ST down
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Dorian Fleming
DeJuan Williams run for 5 yds to the NIU 4
DeJuan Williams run for 1 yd to the NIU 3
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Dorian Fleming
Malik Washington pass incomplete to Dorian Fleming
Chavon Wright run for 5 yds to the NIU 8
Chavon Wright run for 2 yds to the NIU 10
Josh Holst run for 2 yds to the NIU 12
Chavon Wright run for 6 yds to the NIU 18 for a 1ST down
Josh Holst pass complete to George Dimopoulos for 6 yds to the NIU 24
Josh Holst pass incomplete to George Dimopoulos
Chavon Wright run for 3 yds to the NIU 27
Josh Holst pass incomplete to Gary Givens
Josh Holst pass incomplete to Gary Givens
Iverson Howard run for 7 yds to the NIU 20
Iverson Howard run for 1 yd to the NIU 19
Khristian Martin pass incomplete to JT Taggart
Sean O'Haire 37 yd FG MISSED
Josh Holst run for 5 yds to the NIU 25
Josh Holst pass incomplete to Chavon Wright
Josh Holst pass complete to La'Don Bryant for 8 yds to the NIU 33 for a 1ST down
Josh Holst pass complete to Telly Johnson Jr. for 17 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Josh Holst run for 9 yds to the MD 41
Andrew Glass 58 yd FG MISSED
K. Martin takes a knee