Eight years into their time as members of the Big Ten, the Terps are set to make their first ever trip to Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, where they will face the Illini football team Friday night.
In a somewhat ironic twist, the Terps will be led by former Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, who, along with current Terps special teams coordinator Ron Zook, helped lead the Illini to their last Rose Bowl appearance back in 2008.
Given the history between Locklsey and Illinois, a warm welcome from the opposing fans is certainly in the offing, as the Terps head coach has fond memories of his time in Champaign-Urbana.
“On my return to Illinois, probably a place, other than Maryland, that for me and my family is a special place,” Locksley said at his weekly press conference. “I raised my kids there. My two older sons graduated from high school there and the two younger ones call it home. So definitely a special place for us. We were able to do some exciting things there and this is obviously the first time for Maryland to go there and play, which completes us having now been to every team in the Big Ten for an away game.”
While the Terps currently sit at 2-0, Friday night’s game should have a different feel for a couple of reasons.
“[Friday night] starts Big Ten play, which is another season for us, different than the out of conference games,” Locksley said. “It’s a Big Ten opener, national TV audience where we’ll be ‘the show.’ Should be a great crowd and we’re excited about the opportunity to go out there.”
Despite a short week, a national television audience and a late 8 p.m. CT (9 p.m. ET) start time, players are trying to keep their routines as normal as possible ahead of the Big Ten opener on the road.
“No added pressure,” said sophomore linebacker Ruben Hyppolite. “We’ve just got to continue to do what we do. Like I said, it’s just another game. Going in there and playing at a high level like we have been the past two games. Nothing is going to change. Preparation is still the same, style of play is still the same. We’ve just got to be confident in what we do and go in there ready to compete and ready to play, like any other team we face, not just Illinois.”
One of the big reasons for Maryland’s early success this season has been the play of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. He enters the Illinois game having thrown for over 600 yards and six touchdowns so far this season with no interceptions. While he started three road contests last season, Friday night’s game will mark his first road start with fans allowed in attendance.
“It’s going to be a crazy crowd, I hope there’s a lot of people there,” said Tagovailoa. “It’s a night game, I think it’s the game of the week for the Big Ten, so it should be a good game. You know, we’re practicing our cadence and how to handle stuff like that. Coach Enos and Coach Locks, they’ve been in situations like that before. This is my first time as a starting quarterback, so they are helping me with how to handle situations like that, but I think come Friday, I think we’ll be good.”
