Last season, the Illini (6-3, 3-3) used three-straight 38-point showings to take their final games of the regular season. The team is looking to repeat that success this year as the season draws to a close.
“The only way you could get three was to get one,” said head coach Bret Bielema of last year’s stretch. “We’ve really concentrated on the 1-0 mentality coming out of the Washington game.”
To go 1-0 this week, Illinois needs to beat the visiting Maryland Terrapins (4-5, 1-5) Saturday afternoon.
Air-based attack
The Terrapins’ offense relies heavily on freshman quarterback Malik Washington. The quarterback leads the Big Ten in pass attempts (327) and has racked up 2,056 passing yards because of it, despite his conference-worst completion percentage (58.4).
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Illinois found success in its last game by holding Rutgers (5-5, 2-5) senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to a 55.6 completion percentage (25 for 45). The Illini defense could be in for another good week if they can hold the Terrapins’ Washington to a similar clip.
“Us getting pressure on the quarterback is vital to us getting success,” said defensive coordinator Aaron Henry.
Senior linebacker Gabe Jacas did just that against Rutgers. The senior had his best game since the season opener, registering a pair of sacks and 2.5 tackles-for-loss in the win.
Still, the team isn’t looking past Washington just because of his accuracy issues. Henry acknowledged that the freshman boasts one of the best arms in the conference.
“I wouldn’t even consider him a freshman; he plays like he’s a senior,” Henry said. “He has a very, very live arm.”
Washington hadn’t made a difference with his legs until last weekend against Rutgers, when the quarterback totaled 164 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts. He failed to make an impact with his arm, falling well short of 200 passing yards for the first time this season.
If Washington is able to use both his arm and legs effectively — something he hasn’t done yet this season — he could give the Illini trouble.
Opportunity knocks
Even though the Illini aren’t looking past this game, it’s hard not to with just three left in the regular season and a bowl game on the horizon.
Senior quarterback Luke Altmyer and the offense have shown that they’re capable of big days. The unit was firing on all cylinders against Rutgers when Altmyer totaled five touchdowns to take home Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The defense, however, has struggled at times this year. Illinois is allowing 373.1 total yards and 247.2 passing yards per game this season, both among the worst marks in the Big Ten.
While the offense carried the day against in shootouts against Purdue (2-8, 0-7) and No. 17 USC (7-2, 5-1), Washington (6-3, 3-3) and No.2 Indiana (10-0, 7-0) built leads that proved too much for the not-quite-as-sharp offense to overcome.
Over their final three games, the Illini take on three of the lowest-scoring teams in the Big Ten. Maryland averages the most points of the group per game (25.3), good enough for 13th in the conference.
Northwestern (5-4, 3-3) and Wisconsin (3-6, 1-5) score even less at 21.9 and 12.6, respectively, meaning the defense has a great opportunity to gain confidence ahead of the postseason.
Illinois gets its first chance at that opportunity Saturday.
@BrendanGallian
