Maryland Football Prepares For Program’s First Road Game At Illinois

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — This week Maryland plays astatine Illinois for the archetypal clip successful programme past — which says a batch astir however caller the Terrapins inactive are to the Big Ten.

However, the Terps bash person a mates coaches who are plentifulness acquainted with the Illinois program.

Maryland’s Michael Locksley was an violative coordinator astatine Illinois from 2005-08. Special teams manager Ron Zook was the caput manager astatine Illinois from 2005-11. They’ll beryllium backmost determination Friday nighttime erstwhile the Terrapins unfastened their Big Ten docket connected the roadworthy against the Illini.

“For maine and my family, a peculiar place. Raised my kids there. My 2 older sons some graduated from precocious schoolhouse there, and the 2 younger ones telephone it home,” Locksley said Tuesday. “We were capable to bash immoderate breathtaking things there.”

Locksley coached nether Zook astatine Illinois — it’s the different mode astir present — and the Illini went 1-15 successful the Big Ten successful Zook’s archetypal 2 seasons. Then they went to the Rose Bowl.

Locksley would emotion a akin upturn successful his 3rd twelvemonth arsenic Maryland’s coach. The Terps bushed West Virginia successful their opener, past drubbed Howard 62-0 past weekend. Maryland present volition effort to triumph its Big Ten opener for the archetypal clip since 2018. The Terps mislaid their past 2 league openers by a combined people of 102-3.

There are a half-dozen Big Ten teams Maryland had ne'er played earlier 2014, erstwhile the Terps joined the league. Illinois is 1 of them. The lone gathering betwixt the teams truthful acold was successful 2018, erstwhile Maryland bushed the visiting Illini 63-33.

“This is the archetypal clip evidently for Maryland to spell determination to play — which completes america present having been to each squad successful the Big Ten, with an distant game,” Locksley said. “It starts Big Ten play, which is different play for us, antithetic than the out-of-conference games. It’s a Big Ten opener, nationalist TV audience, truthful it volition beryllium the show.”

Illinois already has a Big Ten triumph nether its belt. The Illini opened the play with a triumph implicit Nebraska. That crippled was connected Aug. 28, a week earlier overmuch of the state began playing.

“Good team, play with energy. Their location assemblage truly gets into the game, which is important,” Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite said. “That’s conscionable going to let america to up our absorption more.”

The Illini are reeling a spot now. After the triumph implicit Nebraska, they mislaid to Texas-San Antonio and Virginia.

As for the connections betwixt Locksley, Zook and Illinois, Locksley says that hasn’t truly been a large contented truthful acold this week.

“We haven’t truly adjacent discussed it,” helium said. “When you person a abbreviated week similar this, erstwhile the turnaround is beauteous speedy — fortunately for us, with the mode we’re staffed and the mode we’re organized, we were capable to get the scouting reports retired a time early, were capable to get them done Sunday. Had bully meetings with our players, and past went retired and had a Monday signifier Sunday night.”

Still, Locksley’s halt astatine Illinois was an important measurement successful the Maryland coach’s career. Prior to that, helium had chiefly been a presumption manager astatine the assemblage level.

“It’s the archetypal clip I had a accidental to beryllium a coordinator, and not astonishing that a feline similar Ron Zook would springiness maine that opportunity, astatine 36 years old, to tally the offense. We did immoderate truly bully things, twelvemonth 3 were capable to instrumentality a squad to the Rose Bowl,” Locksley said. “But again, those things are successful the past. This is the ‘21 Terps, the ’21 Illini.”

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