Another week, another Illinois loss, and this time it was at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins. Illinois came into Friday night’s matchup as the underdog, even with starting quarterback Brandon Peters returning to the field after a shoulder injury.

Head coach Bret Bielema was excited for Peters to get back on the field for the Illini, as he was almost certain the offense would receive the boost it needed to pull out a victory

“The last thing I told Peters as we were going on the field was, ‘Listen, I know we’ve been together since January to get to this moment. I know you started the Nebraska game,’ but he never really got in the flow of it, getting knocked out early,” Bielema said.

One of the biggest concerns for the Illini going into this game was how the defense would deal with Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who was on fire to begin the Terrapins’ season. Although Tagovailoa put up 350 yards and a touchdown, the Illinois defense did an acceptable job at attempting to limit the junior. 

Limiting Maryland to 20 points gave Illinois the opportunity to take hold of the game offensively, but Peters and the Illini offense did the opposite. The fifth-year senior went 10/26 with 185 yards and an interception. When Maryland’s game-winning field goal went through the uprights as time expired, many Illinois fans questioned Peters’ lackluster performance. 

Even after missing the previous two games with injuries, it was disappointing to see a quarterback with the experience of Peters play so poorly in a must-win game for the Illini. Bielema was disappointed in his quarterback’s performance, but he’s hopeful that Peters can improve in the coming weeks.

“We didn’t convert on some of those big hits, but to throw the ball down the field — it’s a different game to defend and can hopefully pay dividends for us in the future,” Bielema said. “We’ve got to be able to convert on some of those 50-50 balls. I think there are some things he learned through today’s process: He’s played a lot of football, he’s an older quarterback, but the things that prevent you from winning, we have to eliminate. Those are a part of the learning process for us.”

For the previous two games, Artur Sitkowski has started at quarterback for the Illini. And although he led the team to a victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, it was clear he wasn’t a viable option long term. Low completion percentages and overthrown passes were commonplace during Sitkowski’s run as QB1.

Sitkowski’s best offensive performance came against UTSA, a game in which he went 22/42 with 266 yards and three touchdowns, but Illinois picked up its first loss of the season in this game. 

Before taking on top 25 teams in Wisconsin and Penn State, Peters will have the opportunity to rebound against Purdue and Charlotte. If Illinois wants any chance to reach a respectable amount of wins toward the end of the season, it is imperative that Peters plays well in the winnable games.

@WillPayne33

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