Illinois
The Fighting Illini have 3 wins and 3 one possession losses, since 2020 in Big Ten Football. The 3 one possession losses:- Two against Purdue, 13-9 and 31-24
- One against Maryland, 20-17 in Week 3
Maryland
Strength: Quarterback
Junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (younger brother of Dolphin's QB Tua Tagovailoa) returns to lead the Terps' offense this year and to build off of his impressive sophomore season. In 2020, Tagovailoa was third in the Big Ten with 252.8 passing yards per game and third in completion percentage at 61.5. With another year under his belt, look for the shifty Tagovailoa to only improve.
Weakness: Rush Defense/Terps DL
It's a good thing Maryland has Tagovailoa because their defense has many question marks, specifically their run defense. Maryland allowed 230 rush yards per game (and 430 total) in 2020, while giving up an average of 32 points per game last season. Those numbers ranked towards the bottom of the conference. Head coach Mike Locksley will be hoping his defense takes a big leap this year and can match his offense's intensity.
The Hawkeyes have their own strengths and weaknesses they bring into the Big Ten road opener on Friday night at Maryland.
Iowa State scored first 3 points off a snap error in Iowa's first road test.
Can the defense step up against the B1Gs best WR group and fantastic Mobile QB transfer from Alabama on Friday night?
The Hawkeyes have a tall order tonight in College Football against Maryland. The eyes of a nation are upon thee potentially on FS1.
• 5️⃣ Iowa 💛 2️⃣7️⃣
• Maryland 🖤 1️⃣6️⃣
Who gets to 27 first like the Iowa-Iowa State game in Week 2 tonight?
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