Saturday, October 27, 2018 03:30 PM (ET)

Leake scores four TDs as Maryland blasts Illinois

Field Level Media
Oct 27, 2018

Sophomore running back Javon Leake rushed for 140 yards and scored four touchdowns as Maryland posted a 63-33 home win over Illinois on Saturday at College Park. Md.

The Terrapins (5-3, 3-2) moved to within one victory of bowl eligibility with the lopsided home win. Illinois (3-5, 1-4) lost for the third straight week in the first meeting of the cross division Big Ten squads.

After Illinois went ahead on a 32-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal, Leake took the ensuing kickoff back 97 yards for a touchdown and the Terrapins never trailed again. Leake's score came with 11:30 left in the first quarter, and he added a 64-yard scoring jaunt from scrimmage in the second quarter to put Maryland up 21-6. Leake finished with a career high 140 yards on five carries, stepping up for an injured Ty Johnson (calf). He added a 27-yard scoring run in the third quarter and a 43-yard scoring scamper in the fourth.

Illinois had chances early. Three times the Illini moved the ball into the red zone in the first half, but each time came away with McLaughlin field goals, the last one with 7:33 left in the second quarter to make it 21-9. Maryland answered, though, with a 10-play, 75-yard march to score on Kasim Hill's 14-yard pass to Jeshaun Jones that made it 28-9 at the half.

Illinois senior quarterback AJ Bush took over for freshman MJ Rivers II to start the third quarter, and he marched the Illini down for another McLaughlin field goal, this one from 26 yards to pull Illinois to within 28-12 with 10:48 left in the third quarter. Again the Terrapins had an answer, Jones rushing 43 yards on a reverse for a 35-12 lead with 8:49 to go.

Bush completed 11-of-19 passes for 216 yards and two scores, but couldn't dig his team out of the deep halftime hole. Illini junior running back Reggie Corbin, who hails from Upper Marlboro, Md., led

Illinois with 155 yards rushing on 18 attempts and ran 69 yards for the first Illini touchdown late in the third quarter.

Hill completed 11-of-19 passes for career highs of 265 yards and three touchdowns for Maryland. Anthony McFarland had 83 yards on 16 carries as the Terrapins racked up a season-high 712 total yards and their highest score ever in a Big Ten game.

--Field Level Media

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