Football | September 3

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football team is heading on the road for the first time in 2025, taking on the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Kickoff is set for Friday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network with the radio call beginning on 6 p.m. on 94-9 WDKB.

Fans can log on to this link to find the game on BTN in their area.

NIU (1-0) opened its season with a 19-17 win over Holy Cross at home last week, led by a defense that held the Crusaders to 217 total yards and 62 yards rushing. The win was NIU's fifth in the last six season openers. Redshirt-freshman cornerback Dev'ion Reynolds (Zion, Ill./Carmel Catholic) scored his first career touchdown on a 96-yard kickoff return after Holy Cross took the lead early in the fourth quarter. It was NIU's longest kickoff return in four years. Reynolds averaged 34.75 yards per kick return last week.

Redshirt-senior running back Chavon Wright (Opa Locka, Fla./Cedar Grove/University of Charleston) punched in a two-yard touchdown with 4:15 remaining for NIU's final score. Wright led the team in rushing, recording 77 yards on 11 carries and a rushing touchdown. He eclipsed 5,000 career rushing yards in the win. Sophomore running back Telly Johnson Jr. (Augusta, Ga./Hephzibah) carried the ball 21 times for 67 yards while redshirt-sophomore running back Jaylen Poe (Dallas, Ga./North Paulding) added 22 yards on the ground and 24 receiving yards. The backfield trio accounted for 190 scrimmage yards.

In his first game with NIU, junior wide receiver DeAree Rogers (Lexington, S.C./Irmo/Lenoir-Rhyne) recorded 73 yards on his seven catches and added a 22-yard run.

Defensively the Huskies finished the game with eight tackles for loss and redshirt-senior linebacker Quinn Urwiler (Mooseheart, Ill./Batavia/North Dakota) led the way with a career-high 10 tackles. NIU held Holy Cross to 3-for-12 on third down and 155 passing yards. It was the 27^th consecutive game that the NIU defense did not allow 300 passing yards. Redshirt-senior safety Muhammed Jammeh (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance) had seven stops and an interception. Jammeh's pass breakup late in the fourth quarter forced a turnover on downs and helped NIU to seal the win.

It's the fourth-ever meeting between the two teams and first since Sept. 4, 2004, in which Maryland held on to a 23-20 victory in College Park. The Huskies defeated Maryland 20-13 in overtime in 2003 at Huskie Stadium thanks in part to running back Michael Turner's 113 scrimmage yards and wide receiver P.J. Fleck's 116 receiving yards. NIU defensive line coach Travis Moore had a sack in that win as well. The victory over the Terrapins in 2003 was NIU's sixth "Boneyard Win", a win over a Power 4 program, since 1983 and the Huskies have added 13 more since.

Maryland (1-0) opened the year with a 39-7 home victory over Florida Atlantic totaling 380 yards of offense and scored 32 consecutive points. Freshman quarterback Malik Washington threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns on 27-of-43 attempts. Defensively, Maryland picked off FAU six times and recorded three sacks.
Following Friday's game NIU will have an open week before heading to Starkville, Miss. to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 3:15 p.m. CT.

--NIU--