Javon Leake rushed for three touchdowns and scored on a 97-yard kickoff return, Kasim Hill had the best passing game of his career and Maryland rolled past Illinois 63-33 Saturday.
Leake is the first Maryland player to score four TDs in a game since D.J. Adams in the 2010 Military Bowl. Leake, a sophomore, finished with 140 yards rushing, including scores of 64, 27 and 43 yards.
"The offensive line did a great job today," Leake said. "They just set me up to make plays."
The victory left the Terrapins (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) one win short of becoming bowl eligible, no small feat for a team that was rocked by the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair and has been playing under interim coach Matt Canada since August.
Despite of the uncertainty surrounding the program, Maryland has already exceeded its win total (4) from last year.
"The whole point of the story is, our guys have checked their egos and just want to win," Canada said. "We're sitting here 5-3 with a bunch of kids who are playing so hard for each other and care for each other."
Canada, the team's offensive coordinator, took over for DJ Durkin, who is on administrative leave during an investigation of the culture of the program.
The probe began soon after McNair collapsed on the practice field and died of heatstroke in June. The report is complete. Now, after the commission determined there are problems with the culture of the program, the school and the football team await the fallout.
Reggie Corbin ran for 155 yards and a touchdown for the Fighting Illini (3-5, 1-4). Illinois had yielded 158 points during a three-game skid, and its streak of forcing a turnover in 21 consecutive games came to an end.
"It's kind of beyond words the feelings we have right now," coach Lovie Smith said. "There's been some cracks that we've seen, but not like this. We knew what was at stake, just thought we would play a lot better. I thought our preparation was good, but as you can see it was not."
Leake's kickoff return and 64-yard run, along with two touchdown passes by Hill, provided Maryland with a 28-9 halftime lead. The Terrapins tacked on three touchdowns in the third quarter, including a 27-yard run by Leake and Hill's third touchdown pass.
Hill was removed from the game late in the third quarter with the score 49-19. He went 11 for 19 for a career-high 265 yards, and his three TD passes tied a career best.
Playing Illinois for the first time, Maryland set a school record for most points in a Big Ten game since joining the conference in 2014. The Terps finished with 712 yards in offense.
It was a redemptive performance for a team that mustered only 115 yards one week earlier in a 23-0 loss to Iowa.
