Mired in a 13-game Big Ten losing streak, Maryland will face a team that knows how it feels when the Terrapins take on Purdue on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind.
On Oct. 3, the Boilermakers snapped their 19-game run of failure in the Big Ten when they toppled Illinois 24-17.
The victory, coupled with a 41-13 romp the following week over Minnesota, was evidence that Purdue (3-5, 2-3 Big Ten) is making progress under second-year coach Barry Odom.
Maryland (2-6, 0-5) will look for a similar ray of hope under interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who took the reins on Oct. 21 after the departure of eight-year coach Mike Locksley.
The Terrapins had a chance to end their skid last week at home against Illinois before surrendering a field goal on the final play of a 20-17 loss in Maryland’s sixth straight defeat overall.
But there were several positives for the Terrapins, most notably that they committed just one penalty for 5 yards.
“There were a lot less missed assignments. Obviously, the lack of penalties was encouraging,” Abdul-Rahim said. “I think they’re definitely buying in. Our technique, detail and discipline was much improved.”
Malik Washington, who has been less productive than he was as a freshman last season, completed 19 of 29 passes for 190 yards, with one interception, against Illinois.
“I think he’s a little bit too hard on himself, and sometimes just doing your job is good enough,” Abdul-Rahim said.
Purdue, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back losses in winnable games against Washington and Penn State.
“Our attitude and our mindset, that’s gotta turn into your advantage,” Odom said. “And when you do that, you continually get better and then you find ways to win close games, which is what we’re going to have to do down the stretch.”
The Boilermakers struggled offensively in their 31-17 loss to the Nittany Lions last week. Ryan Browne completed only 10 of 29 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions.
After rushing for 195 yards and three TDs against Minnesota, Fame Ijeboi has carried 24 times for just 39 yards in Purdue’s past two games.
Odom expects a tough challenge from Maryland, saying he noticed the Terps played “very inspired” in Abdul-Rahim’s debut.
“You look at how their staff has navigated through the leadership change; it speaks volumes for what they’ve got inside their building,” Odom said.