FB25 - Telly Johnson at Maryland 9-5
Keith Lucas
NIU Logo
9
NIU NIU 1-1 , 0-0
Maryland Logo
20
Winner Maryland UMD 2-0 , 0-0
NIU Logo
NIU NIU
1-1 , 0-0
9
Final
Sep. 05, 2025
20
Maryland UMD
2-0 , 0-0
Maryland Logo
Winner
Game Recap: Football | September 5
Telly Johnson Jr., Chavon Wright Combine For 176 Rushing Yards
Story Links
FB25 - MD 20 NIU 9 9-5 (PDF)
Mississippi State
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at Mississippi State
9/20/2025 | 3:15 P.M.
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Sep. 20 (Sat) / 3:15 P.M.
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at Mississippi State
History
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Northern Illinois University football team was within four points of the Maryland Terrapins into the fourth quarter Friday night at SECU Stadium, but a late Maryland touchdown gave the Terrapins a 20-9 win.
"We faced a good team tonight, but we didn't make plays in critical moments," said head coach Thomas Hammock following the game. "We went toe-to-toe with them as long as we could go. We have to learn keep our composure in those critical moments and make plays. I'm proud of how our guys competed and played. They fought for four quarters against a Big Ten opponent with a lot more resources and we showed we had a lot of heart. It's something we can build off of."
Running Backs Chavon Wright (Opa Locka, Fla./Charleston) and Telly Johnson Jr. (Augusta, Ga./Hephzibah) combined for 176 of NIU's 180 rushing yards. Wright led all players with 90 yards on 27 carries. Johnson had 86 yards on 10 carries including a 74-yard touchdown int he third quarter. Linebacker Quinn Urwiler (Mooseheart, Ill./North Dakota) led the Huskies' defense for the second straight game with 10 tackles. Filip Maciorowski (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard West) added six tackles with a half-tackle for loss.
After trading punts to start the game, Maryland (2-0) got on the board with 4:30 to go in the first quarter on a 36-yard field goal by Sean O'Haire. Quarterback Malik Washington hit Dorian Fleming on a 48-yard pass to get the Terrapins to the NIU 22 yardline, but the NIU defense held strong to force the kick.
NIU (1-1) drove the ball to its own 45 yardline early in the second quarter, but were stopped on a fake punt run by Quinn Urwiler (Mooseheart, Ill./North Dakota). The Terrapins then drove 47 yards in six plays, scoring on a 12-yard touchdown from Washington to Fleming to go up 10-0 with 8:46 to play until halftime.
The Huskies responded on their next drive. NIU went 75 yards in 19 plays, taking 8:37 off the clock. An Andrew Glass (Wheeling, W. Va./Kent State) 20-yard field goal made the score 10-3 with 0:03 left in the half. Quarterback Josh Holst (Marengo, Ill./Marengo) was 4-for-4 passing on the drive for 36 yards. He found DeAree Rogers (Lexington, S.C./Lenoir-Rhyne) on a third and nine for 11 yards and George Dimopoulos (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) for eight yards on a fourth and two to keep the drive alive.
Maryland extended its lead on its first drive of the third quarter. The Terrapins drove to the NIU 11 yardline but were kept out of the end zone on an incomplete pass on third and 10. O'Haire made a 29-yard field goal to make the score 13-3 with 7:52 to play in the quarter. Johnson Jr. got NIU back in the game with a 74-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession, the longest rush of his career, to get NIU within four at 13-9 with 6:22 to go in the third. NIU went for a two-point conversion but was not successful.
The Terrapins drove ball to the NIU seven yardline on its next drive, but Washington fumbled the ball and Jalonnie Williams fell on it for NIU with 1:24 to go in the third. However, NIU was unable to capitalize on the turnover and punted from deep in their own territory. Washington threw his second touchdown pass of the game with 9:20 to play, finding Shaleak Knotts from 12 yards out to make the score 20-9.
Maryland extended its non-conference winning streak to 17 games. The Terrapins had 340 yards of total offense to NIU's 271. The Huskies were 7-for-20 on third down and 4-for-6 on fourth down. Washington threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Daniel Wingate led all players with 14 tackles.
"It's a disappointing result," Hammock said. "We didn't make enough plays to win the game, and that's what it comes down to. We chose some moments to be aggressive and got stopped. We have to get a lot better and I look forward to see how we improve over this bye week."
The Huskies are next in action on Saturday, Sept. 20 when NIU heads to Starkville, Miss. for its first-ever meeting against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Kickoff is at 3:15 p.m. CT with the game telecast on SEC Network and the radio broadcast on 94-9 WDKB.
—NIU—
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