Telly Johnson weaved through the Maryland defense and didn’t stop there.

The sophomore running back raced past defenders and towards Maryland’s booing student section for a 74-yard touchdown.

Under the Friday night lights of SECU Stadium, Northern Illinois University fell to the University of Maryland, 20-9.

Both teams had much at stake, with Maryland (2-0) defending a 16-game win streak outside of conference play, and NIU (1-1) seeking to snap it with its first away win.

Here are five takeaways from this loss.

Maryland’s early scoring in the first half took advantage of gaps in NIU’s defense

NIU came into the game off a 19-17 victory over Holy Cross, but being away from Huskie Stadium seemed to shake the team.

The Huskies struggled to stop runs from the Terps, and specifically saw trouble when facing UMD tight end Dorian Fleming.

Finding the holes in NIU’s defense was key to giving the Terps an early lead in the first half, and harmed the Huskies’ momentum.

These same defensive problems reemerged in the final quarter as Maryland made efforts to widen the gap between itself and NIU.

Johnson’s big 74-yard touchdown run in the third quarter

When the Huskies needed it most, running back Telly Johnson Jr. delivered.

After two touchdown-less quarters, the scoring play sent Johnson down the field and into the Huskies’ endzone, easily slipping past every Terp in his way.

After only one field goal in the first half, this touchdown was instrumental in creating a smaller gap between teams and putting pressure on Maryland.

Running back Chavon Wright continues as a key component of the team

After racking up accolades in the 2024 season, like leading Division II with 2,233 rushing yards and a record-setting 38 touchdowns, Wright showed up for the Huskies Friday night.

The redshirt senior allowed NIU to continually rack up rushing yards, ending with NIU outperforming Maryland by 93 yards. This extension of drives was easily the highlight of the Huskies’ gameplay, and if developed, could be a real problem for opponents ahead.

Missed opportunities

A team this good at running the ball should be putting up far more touchdowns in a game like this.

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington saw a completion rate of just 19 of his 35 passes, plus a missed field goal, and plenty of drops and fumbles alike presented the Huskies with chances

But without seizing these vulnerable moments the Terps keep on having, NIU threw away opportunities to score and arguably even win the game.

Troubles on fourth down decisions

Quarterback Josh Holst had no problem connecting with his teammates — until fourth down.

By squandering time in the end zone and not pushing through Maryland’s defense, the Huskies gave up chances to put more points up on the board.

The Terps most likely expected to win this game by a larger margin, especially after romping Florida Atlantic University 39-7 last Sunday. The Huskies saw opportunities to surprise Maryland, but just couldn’t perform when it mattered most.