Terps Move to 2-0 With 20-9 Win Over Northern Illinois

Friday, September 5

College Park, MD

7:30 PM

Maryland

2-0 , 0-0

Northern Illinois

1-1 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
NIU	0	3	6	0	9
Maryland	3	7	3	7	20

Terps Move to 2-0 With 20-9 Win Over Northern Illinois

9/5/2025 7:30:00 PM | Football

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Maryland has allowed its fewest points through two games since 2001.

COLLEGE PARK, MD – Malik Washington's 42-yard touchdown pass to Shaleak Knotts on 4th-and-5 early in the fourth quarter put the Terps comfortably ahead on the way to a 20-9 victory over Northern Illinois. With the win, the Terps moved to 2-0 for the fourth time in five seasons and pushed their non-conference winning streak to a nation-leading 17 games.

The Maryland special team's unit sniffed out a fake punt in the second quarter to set the offense up for a six-play, 47-yard scoring drive that Washington capped off with a 12-yard dime to Dorian Fleming, who finished the night with four catches for 70 yards.

By holding NIU to just nine points and Florida Atlantic to seven on Aug. 30, Maryland has allowed its fewest points in the first two games of a season since 2001, when the Terps their first two opponents to a combined 10 points.

Northern Illinois broke off a 74-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to pull within four as Maryland took a 13-9 lead into the final frame. Two big kicks from Sean O'Haire earned the Terps six crucial points that ensured they never trailed in their second straight game to open the season.

Daniel Wingate led a defensive effort with a career-high 14 tackles while Trey Reddick added a career-high 11 tackles.

Washington found Knotts behind the NIU defense on 4th-and-5 for a 42-yard touchdown strike. The six-play, 77-yard touchdown drive put the Terps ahead by two scores with under 10 minutes to play. As it's done consistently in the young season, the Maryland defense proved steady, locking down the 20-9 win.

Head Coach Michael Locksley and Malik Washington talk to the media following the Terps win over NIU. https://t.co/IXeLpcqqvc
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) September 6, 2025

How it Happened:
1st Quarter:

Zahir Mathis picked up a six-yard sack on NIU's first drive, which eventually led to a Huskies punt.
Fleming tallied three catches for 58 yards on a scoring drive that resulted in a 36-yard field goal from O'Haire that put the Terps ahead 3-0.

2nd Quarter:

Nashir Taylor and Dillan Fontus combined for a seven-yard sack to bring up a 3rd-and-13.
NIU faked a punt early in the second, but Maryland's special teams unit sniffed out the run and stuffed the Huskies to set UMD up in NIU territory.
Washington hit Fleming for a 12-yard touchdown pass to put UMD up 10-0. 35 of Maryland's 47 yards came on the ground on the six-play drive.
NIU strung together a scoring drive at the end of the first half to cut the Maryland lead to 10-3, but the Terps defense made a red-zone stand to limit the Huskies to just three points in the half.

This duo is gonna be a problem

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/cgxPOeinC1
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) September 6, 2025

3rd Quarter:

Maryland forced a 3-and-out on the first possession of the second half.
O'Haire hit a 29-yard field goal to extend the Terps' lead on their first drive of the second half.
NIU's Telly Johnson Jr. broke off a 74-yard touchdown drive. The Huskies failed to convert a two-point conversion attempt, leaving the score at 13-9.
A Maryland drive was cut short on a fumble in the red-zone by Washington.

4th Quarter:

A 42-yard touchdown pass to Knotts opened a 20-9 Maryland lead midway through the 4th quarter.
NIU missed a 59-yard field goal in the closing seconds.

Let that thing fly ✈️@malikw2025 ➡️ @shaleak3

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/shaRlQ09Ay
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) September 6, 2025

Numbers to Know:

2: The Terps are 2-0 for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
3: Maryland picked up its third win over Northern Illinois and now leads the all-time series 3-1.
5: NIU's field goal in the second quarter snapped a five-quarter scoreless streak from the Maryland defense.
5: O'Haire became the first Terp kicker to start his Maryland career 5-5 since Chad Ryland started 6-6 in 2022.
6: Maryland's defense forced six NIU punts on Friday.
8: Maryland is 2-0 for the eighth time since 2015 and the 12th time since 2010, putting the Terps amongst the nation's leaders.
16: Maryland's 16 points allowed through the first two games of a season are its fewest since allowing 10 in 2001.
17: Maryland pushed its nation-leading win streak over non-conference opponents to 17 games.
91: The Terps held NIU to 91 passing yards. They only held one opponent (Iowa) to fewer than 100 passing yards last season.
254: Washington threw for 254 yards in the win.
512: Washington's 512 yards through his first two career games are the third-most by a true freshman since 2020 and the most since Washington State's Jayden de Laura had 548 in 2020.
2007: Sidney Stewart is the first Terp true freshman with sacks in each of his first two games since at least 2007.
2015: Maryland recorded back-to-back games without allowing a sack to open a season since 2015 and the first time across any two games since 2023.
2021: Fleming became the first Terps tight end to have a receiving touchdown in each of his first two starts since Chig Okonwo in 2021 and just the fifth to do so in Maryland history (Chig Okonwo (2 in 2021), Tyler Mabry (3 in 2019), Devonte Campbell (2 in 2011) and Eric James (2 in 1999)).

Washington's Winning Night:

Washington threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns on 19-35 passing.
He has five touchdowns to zero interceptions on the season.
He is yet to be sacked through two games.
His 512 yards through his first two career games are the third-most by a true freshman since 2020 and the most since Washington State's Jayden de Laura had 548 in 2020.

Locksley's Message:

"Credit Northern Illinois. They came in and played their tails off like we expected. We talked to our team that this would be a four-quarter game. It'd be a tough, hard-fought game. I'm really proud of our guys and the way they fought. We faced adversity for the first time as a team together. I like the way we responded."
"We don't get style points for how we win. The goal is to find a way to score one more point than our opponent. I thought we needed a game like this, where we were going to be tested and play four quarters. I never felt at any point that our team panicked."
"We held them down inside the red zone. Those types of plays are ones that will come back and benefit us later in the year."
"Daniel Wingate continues to lead us on the defensive side of the ball, showing tremendous leadership."
"I thought we improved on 3rd down in the second half. We focused on a run game, which allowed us to use a little clock and help take the defense off the field."
"I thought we were able to run the ball okay, but we've still got to be better, and I expect us to get better."
"When you make mistakes, it's a disguise for progress if you get the lesson out of it."
"We'll clean up the things that we need to get cleaned up and we'll enjoy it for tonight, then we'll get ready for Towson coming in here next week at the Shell."

Washington's Words of Wisdom:

On the defense: "Those guys are playing on the other side of the ball, but it's all complimentary football. When they play well and get us in a good position, it makes it easier for us to score."
"In these tough games, you've just gotta stay with it. No matter how many possessions you get, you have to make the best of them."
On his offensive line: "Those guys have worked their butts off. I trust them with everything and I know they trust me being behind them."

Flemming's Fabulous Friday:

"I try to be a reliable target for Washington. He's an amazing guy. I just want to be available for him at all times. I feel like that's my best attitude, just being available for him."

Reddick's Recap:

"I feel like all week in practice we had an emphasis on defensive communication being in a loud environment. I think we communicated very well today."

Up Next:

The Terps stay in College Park for a meeting with Towson on Sept. 13. The game is set to kickoff at Noon and air on Peacock and the Maryland Sports Radio Network.