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Maryland's Stadium Was Nearly Empty For Saturday's Game vs. Illinois
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- Maryland's Stadium Was Nearly Empty For Saturday's Game vs. Illinois
The attendance numbers for this Saturday's game between Illinois and Maryland won't exactly have the athletic department in College Park feeling pretty good.
Maryland fired head coach Mike Locksley after a 2-5 start to the 2026 season. He finished 39-54 during his time with the Terrapins. In an effort to give the program a lift, Maryland named Aazaar Abdul-Rahim the interim coach for the remainder of the fall.
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Even though Maryland turned in an inspired performance this Saturday against Illinois, the program ended up on the wrong side of a 20-17 game.
Illinois' Ethan Moczulski kicked a 26-yard field goal for the win as time expired at SECU Stadium. That loss dropped Maryland to 2-6 on the season.
Oct 31, 2026; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Malik Washington (7) runs with the ball during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn ImagesDaniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images.
Unsurprisingly, Maryland's attendance numbers have taken a huge hit during their six-game losing streak.
During this Saturday's game, several reporters and fans shared photos of the crowd size at SECU Stadium. Let's just say it was a ghost town on Halloween.
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Here's footage from The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland tried to uplift its crowd.
According to USA Today , sections of the lower bowl at SECU Stadium remained empty throughout the game.
In an effort to help out with attendance numbers, Maryland had a raffle for free tuition for the spring semester. The winner was wisely announced during the fourth quarter.
Maryland may have to raffle off another round of free tuition in order to get fans to the stadium on Nov. 14 against Wisconsin.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Oct 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
