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Illinois edges Maryland 20-17 on last-second Halloween kick for third straight win
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- Illinois edges Maryland 20-17 on last-second Halloween kick for third straight win
Illinois edges Maryland 20-17 on last-second Halloween kick for third straight win originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Ethan Moczulski drilled a 26-yard field goal as time expired, propelling visiting Illinois to a 20-17 victory over Maryland in Big Ten action on Saturday afternoon.
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Quarterback Katin Houser, who returned from injury after exiting in a 38-37 overtime win against Michigan State earlier this month, threw for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Illinois (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten), capturing its third straight win.
Collin Dixon caught six passes for 103 yards, while Javari Barnett provided a spark with a 64-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
Maryland quarterback Malik Washington passed for 190 yards and an interception for Maryland (2-6, 0-5), dropping the Terrapins to 0-1 under interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim . Washington and DeJuan Williams each recorded rushing scores for the Terrapins.
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Tied 17-17 midway through the final frame, Illinois drained the game's final 5:45 with a clock-killing drive. Jordan Anderson broke loose for a 12-yard gain and gave himself up at the Maryland 2-yard line, allowing the Illini to run the clock down to the final seconds before Moczulski split the uprights on the game's final snap.
Following a defensive struggle that went into halftime deadlocked at 7-7, Maryland struck quickly on its opening possession of the third quarter when Williams bounced left for a 17-yard touchdown burst to make it 14-7.
Illinois answered on the ensuing drive with a 45-yard field goal from Moczulski to cut the deficit to 14-10 heading into the fourth quarter. On the first snap of the final period, Barnett broke through the middle of the line, hurdled a defender, and sprinted away for a 64-yard touchdown to give the Illini a 17-14 edge.
Sean O'Haire countered for Maryland with a 46-yard field goal to knot the score at 17-17 with 10:16 remaining before Illinois mounted its decisive final march.
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Both teams opened the contest with turnovers on their initial possessions before Maryland broke the ice on an 8-yard touchdown scamper by Washington. The Terrapins threatened to extend their lead late in the first quarter, but Tanner Heckel intercepted Washington at the Illinois 16-yard line.
The Illini failed to convert the takeaway into points when Moczulski misfired on a 52-yard attempt, but the offense finally found paydirt with 27 seconds remaining in the half as Houser connected with Brayden Trimble on a 16-yard touchdown strike.
