RUTGERS (1-5, 0-3) at MARYLAND (3-2, 1-1)
October 13, 2018 • 12:01 p.m. ET • Big Ten Network
Maryland Stadium • College Park, Md.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football meets Maryland Saturday in a road game scheduled to start at noon at Maryland Stadium in College Park. The Scarlet Knights and Terrapins have split four meetings since the programs both entered the Big Ten in 2014, including a 31-24 victory for RU last season in Piscataway.
 
Watch the matchup live on Big Ten Network, as Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Glen Mason (analyst) and Elise Menaker (reporter) narrate the telecast. Chris Carlin (play-by-play), Ray Lucas (analyst) and Anthony Fucilli (sideline) are set to deliver the action on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network (WCTC 1450-AM, WOR 710-AM, WENJ 97.3-FM, WNJE 920-AM, XM 384, Sirius 206). In addition, Jake Ostrove, Stephen Nelson and Brad LoPrinzi have the WRSU 88.7-FM student broadcast.
 
SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights return to the road after playing their last three games at HighPoint.com Stadium. RU will play three times at home and three times away in the second half of its schedule, with the trek to College Park the shortest of the remaining trips.
 
Last time out, Rutgers put together a 12-play drive over 6:15 that concluded with a 32-yard touchdown run by graduate student Jonathan Hilliman to take a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, but Illinois posted the next three scores to pull ahead, 24-7. Freshman Artur Sitkowski then engineered a touchdown drive to close the first half, going 9-for-9 passing, with sophomore Travis Vokolek hauling in a seven-yard scoring pass to cut it to 24-14. After a scoreless third quarter, the Fighting Illini added two touchdowns in the final period and went away with a 38-17 victory.
 
Sitkowski finished with 29 completions and 267 passing yards on the day for his best marks to date. The 29 completions, which were spread to eight different receivers, were the most ever by an RU true freshman quarterback in a game and the most overall since Mike Teel registered 32 in 2007 versus Connecticut. The yardage total ended as the most through the air for the Scarlet Knights over the last three seasons. The rookie signal caller now has 750 passing yards on the season.
 
Hilliman is up to five rushing touchdowns in 2018 to rank fourth in the Big Ten. The running back has 31 in his career on 674 carries, which sits eighth and second among active FBS players, respectively. Sophomore Raheem Blackshear paces the offense with 78 carries and 25 receptions, being eighth in the league with 106.2 all-purpose yards per game.
 
In the passing game, sophomore Bo Melton added six catches for 70 against Illinois, both career highs, to tie senior Jerome Washington with 202 receiving yards on the season. Freshman Eddie Lewis joins Blackshear and Melton with at least one reception in each outing this year.
 
The defense posted eight tackles-for-loss against the Fighting Illini, including sacks by junior Damon Hayes and redshirt freshman Mike Tverdov. The team has 36 stops in the backfield through six games after having 23 at the same point last season. Sophomore Elorm Lumor owns five TFLs, with senior Kevin Wilkins at 3.5. In the secondary, Hayes has two interceptions and senior Saquan Hampton has collected five pass breakups.
 
Sophomore Justin Davidovicz is 5-for-5 on field goals after converting from 20 yards last week. He previously connected from 52 versus Indiana and is one of two Big Ten kickers perfect on the year with at least five attempts. Sophomore Adam Korsak has boomed four punts at least 50 yards with an average of 42.2. In addition, the kickoff unit leads the Big Ten with a net average of 42.2 yards and ranks second nationally with only 14.80 yards allowed per return.
 
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Coming off a bye, the Terrapins took a 42-21 loss at No. 15 Michigan last Saturday. Ty Johnson had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the game, as Maryland added two rushing scores. Kasim Hill is 47-of-86 passing for 578 yards on the season, while Anthony McFarland (325) and Johnson (303) are both over 300 rushing yards. DJ Turner paces the receiving corps with 159 yards. The team has scored on all 11 trips to the red zone and surrendered only four turnovers, tied for first in the Big Ten. Defensively, Tre Watson owns a team-high 49 tackles.
 
Matt Canada is serving as the interim head coach and led the team to wins over then-No. 23 Texas, Bowling Green and Minnesota.
 

THE SERIES
Rutgers will take on Maryland in a Big Ten game for the fifth time and 14th time overall. The Scarlet Knights first visited College Park in 1940 and are 2-3 on the road in the series, 4-3 at home and 0-1 at a neutral site. The programs have split four Big Ten games, with each side winning at home and on the road since 2014.
 
Rutgers trailed 24-17 entering the fourth quarter of last season's matchup before scoring two unanswered touchdowns to capture a 31-24 victory in Piscataway. Robert Martin evened the game with a 10-yard rushing score and Gus Edwards later hauled in a 23-yard touchdown from Giovanni Rescigno to put the Scarlet Knights ahead. The defense sealed the win by preventing Maryland from reaching the end zone on a 17-play drive that lasted 6:39. The secondary knocked away passes on three of the final four plays, including a breakup by Isaiah Wharton on fourth down to force a turnover on downs. Kiy Hester previously had a 52-yard pick-six in the second quarter.
 
In the first Big Ten matchup in College Park in 2014, Rutgers rallied from a 35-10 deficit to win 41-38. The 25-point comeback is tied for the school record, also done in 2015 at Indiana. Gary Nova threw for 347 yards, as Leonte Carroo, Janarion Grant and Andre Patton all topped 100 yards receiving. Defensively, RU allowed just three points in the second half, using a short-yardage stop on a late fourth down to seal the win.
 
UP NEXT
Rutgers is set to take on Northwestern for the first time since joining the Big Ten, but the programs have three prior meetings in the books. The Scarlet Knights are 3-0 with the most recent matchup in 1991. It will be the annual Homecoming game for RU at HighPoint.com Stadium and is scheduled to start at noon on Big Ten Network.
 
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding football, follow the program on Twitter (@RFootball). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.