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Are you serious? Illinois scores go-ahead TD on wild play

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good. That was the case for Illinois early in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s B1G matchup against Maryland.

With the game knotted at 10-10 less than 1 minute into the final quarter, Reggie Love III broke off a big run and appeared to be getting Illinois within scoring territory. Disaster hit when the ball was poked free by a Maryland defender, seemingly ending the drive for the Illini.

Fortunately for Illinois, Casey Washington was in the right place at the right time.

Washington tracked the ball down, collected it and raced into the end zone to give Illinois a 17-10 lead. It was the first lead of the game for the Fighting Illini.

Washington was credited with a 30-yard touchdown run on the play. It was his first touchdown of the season, though he’s played in all 3 games.

Every now and then during the college football season, teams need a few breaks to escape with a win. Illinois caught a big one on Friday night with a few favorable bounces.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB