Even though Friday night’s game against the University of Maryland ended in a loss, Northern Illinois University is confidently blazing ahead.

The Big Ten, Power 4 Terrapins were coming off a massive 39-7 win over Florida Atlantic University, and seemed to believe they could coast through a game against NIU.

“I’m proud of the way the guys played,” NIU coach Thomas Hammock said after the 20-9 loss. “I’m proud of the way they competed for four quarters against a Big Ten opponent with a lot more resources, and we showed we have a lot of heart.”

But, the Huskies were able to catch Maryland in vulnerable positions — landing them a 74-yard touchdown by running back Telly Johnson Jr.

“We’ve really just been going through the game plan all week,” said Johnson Jr.

His teammate and linebacker Filip Maciorowski echoed Johnson Jr.’s sentiment, noting that when the team could execute the game plan, they saw the most success.

“There’s always going to be some plays we want back, but that’s football,” Maciorowski said. “So, we’re going to practice more, and get it fixed.”

The Huskies will go into a bye week, and Hammock looks forward to seeing how the team improves.

He noted that the team also has to get a lot better.

“Telly had a nice explosive play, but we need more from our running game, to be honest with you,” Hammock said. “I thought that was a good defensive front. I thought they played extremely tough. You know, we’ve got to find ways to get better, very very quickly.”

NIU saw a touchdown-less first half, scoring only on a field goal. Coming into the second half, the team knew they needed to get the ball back.

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington saw a tough game after a successful debut versus Florida Atlantic, and NIU was able to seize the moment in a critical fumble recovery.

“That was a huge play, because now, you took points off the board,” Hammock said.

Though the team found success running the ball in the first half and ended with 93 more rushing yards than Maryland, Hammock still wanted players to utilize redzone space to “try to score seven points” instead of three.

Unsurprisingly, running back Chavon Wright gave the Huskies much of their success with running yards.

Wright, a redshirt senior, set records across Division II football with his performance in the 2024 season. With this game, he made it clear that his talent has not gone anywhere, and that he’s hungry to break his own record of 2,233 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns in 2025.

The Huskies came into the game from a 19-17 victory over Holy Cross, and will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs on September 20. Likely the most difficult opponent on its schedule, NIU should feel less nervous going forward.

“We can build from that, because the rest of the season, I don’t know how many teams on our schedule are going to be as good as [Maryland],” said Hammock.

Overall, Hammock was satisfied with the team’s performance and their ability to hold their ground in an away game against the Terps.