Coach Bret Bielema's Illinois Fighting Illini are coming off of a cathartic 21-10 home win over the Oregon Ducks that helped Bielema exorcise the demons of past losses in big games at Gies Memorial Stadium.

Bielema got a compliment from Ducks coach Dan Lanning then watched as his team physically dominated Lanning's en route to 225 rushing yards and a huge victory. 

Week 9 brings a road matchup in College Park, Maryland against interim coach Aazar Abdul-Rahim's team. Abdul-Rahim has taken over for fired coach Mike Locksley and is looking to lead his team to its third win of the season against an Illinois team that is expected to start true freshman quarterback Michael Clayton II. 

Here are four keys to victory for the Fighting Illini as they look to move to 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in the Big Ten, in a game they're favored to win by 2.5 points. 

Washington, the Terrapins' starting quarterback, has been a saving grace ever since he started as a true freshman. The sophomore from Glen Burnie, Md. still makes his share of youthful mistakes, typically while trying to salvage a broken play. 

Washington has passed for 1,615 yards with nine passing touchdowns and six interceptions so far this season. His rushing numbers haven't been up to snuff compared to his freshman season as he has totaled 112 yards on 40 carries with one touchdown, a paltry 2.8 yards per carry average. 

The Fighting Illini have shown promise on defense under Roger Cooper, and will need to play disciplined football to prevent Washington from taking over the game. 

Clayton II has played beyond his years as a true freshman, helping to engineer an overtime victory over Michigan State and an upset over Oregon last week.

He got a taste of Big Ten road action against the Spartans at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, which is a tougher place to play than SECU Stadium in College Park. 

Clayton has shown a lot of poise and precision for a freshman, but Abdul-Rahim is an experienced defensive coordinator who should have an exotic gameplan in hand for Saturday. 

The Fighting Illini need to pick up their new quarterback mentally, emotionally, and physically in the game as he prepares for a deceptively tough challenge. 

The Fighting Illini offensive line opened up holes with impunity at times against the Ducks and will want to keep that performance up this weekend in College Park.

Aidan Laughery and Jordan Anderson both had huge runs; Laughery in the first half and Anderson in the second half, as they helped lead the Illini to a huge win. 

Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. will almost certainly plan on sticking to the run game in Saturday's game. Coming up with a game plan that's creative enough to prevent Maryland from bum-rushing Clayton II yet simple enough for him to execute in a loud road environment will be key. 

Illinois will need to stay disciplined on special teams as a mistake or two could be amplified in a hostile road environment.

Kicker Ethan Moczulski has been solid this year, making 10 of 12 field goals and 24-of-24 extra points. He's kicked two 50-plus yard field goals and made all five of his kicks from 40-50 yards.

The Illini offense could bog down if Clayton II experiences freshman jitters on the road. Three or four field goals from Moczulski and strong punting could make the difference in what figures to be a close game against a talented team playing with nothing to lose.