2016 Season Preview: October 29th vs. Maryland Terrapins
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Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Week Eight: Maryland
Date and Time: October 29, 2016/Time is TBA
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN
TV: TBA
Terrapins At A Glance
Head Coach: DJ Durkin
1st season at Maryland
Overall Record: 0-0
Team Last Year: 3-9
Preseason Predictions
Athlon: 6th in Big Ten East
Sporting News: 6th in Big Ten East
Lindy’s: 6th in Big Ten East
Phil Steele: 6th in Big Ten East
RETURNING LEADERS FOR THE TERRAPINS
Passing: Perry Hills (90 of 180 for 1,001 yards with 8 TDs and 13 INTs)
Rushing: Perry Hills (92 carries fo 639 yards with 3 touchdowns)
Receiving: Levern Jacobs (35 catches for 425 yards and 3 TDs)
Defender: Jermaine Carter, Jr. (84.5 tackles, 14 TFLs)
WHY THE TERRAPINS WILL WIN
Maryland’s poor 2015 sealed the fate of former head coach Randy Edsall. The Terrapins quickly hired from within the Big Ten, naming former Michigan defensive coordinator DJ Durkin as the new leader of their program. By the time this game rolls around, Durkin will have seven games under his belt (including three road games) and he should have a good gauge on how to be a head coach and how to manage his team. New offensive coordinator Walt Bell is installing an up-tempo spread scheme that will attempt to kick-start a passing game that was among the nation’s worst in 2015. At running back, Wes Brown, transfer Trey Edmunds and former four-star recruit Ty Johnson will be a tough trio for the Hoosiers defensive line to deal with and Maryland’s offensive line is filled with highly-regarded prospects that could start living up to expectations under a new coaching staff.
It’s hard to tell how good (or bad) Maryland’s wide receivers are because the quarterback play was so putrid in 2015. It’s possible they can be at least decent as nearly every 2015 contributor is returning. Levern and Taivon Jacobs combined with tight end Avery Edwards, graduate transfer Teldrick Morgan and four-star freshman Tino Ellis will at least challenge IU’s secondary and keep the Hoosiers from keying in on the running game. In addition, Walt Bell has reportedly been looking for ways to turn sophomore D.J. Moore into a versatile and explosive weapon. If Moore becomes a pass-catching and running star they can get into space, he could be the guy that breaks a couple of big plays (a problem for IU in the past) and turn the game for the Terps. The problem with all of this is the quarterback play. It was as bad as anyone’s in the country in 2015. However, what if Durkin and Bell can turn Perry Hills or Caleb Rowe into something resembling competent? Maryland scored 28 points against IU last season despite barely being able to complete a forward pass. The Terrapins have some weapons and good coaching could bring adequate quarterback play. If they can find that, Maryland will find the end-zone often.
Defensively, the Terrapins return a very good group of linebackers, led by Jermaine Carter Jr.. Carter Jr. led the squad in tackles as a sophomore and he’s capable of racking up double-digit tackles and controlling the middle of the field along with returning starters Abner Logan and Jalen Brooks. DJ Durkin was the maestro behind Michigan’s highly-successful defense a season ago and he may be able to orchestrate a strong season from this defense. Randy Edsall was a poor coach but he recruited well and there’s a decent level of talent in every position group.
A strong running game led by a trio of good backs and a talented offensive line could keep IU’s offense on the sidelines. Plus, the Hoosiers will be coming off of a grind that will see them try to go toe-to-toe with Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska and Northwestern (combined record of 40-13 in 2015). Maryland won in Memorial Stadium on their last trip to Bloomington by a score of 37-15. I certainly don’t expect that but it’s not inconceivable that they leave with a “W” once again.
WHY THE HOOSIERS WILL WIN
IU started last season’s pressure-packed game at Maryland in horrific fashion. After the first 9:28 of the must-win contest, IU trailed 21-3 and it looked like their bowl hopes were going up in smoke. However, the Hoosiers closed on a 44-7 run and demolished the Terps by a score of 47-28. IU beat Maryland on the road and it didn’t even feel like they played all that well. That alone is reason for optimism when previewing this matchup.
Offensively, the Hoosiers should be clicking on all cylinders by this game (the eighth of the season). Richard Lagow will be comfortable within the offense, Camion Patrick should be healthy and back in game-shape and the Hoosiers will be well-equipped to take on a Maryland defense with a lot of question marks. Yannick Ngakoue is gone and the defensive ends replacing him had a combined 6.5 sacks in 2015. The secondary will be relying on three new starters and none of their options have much playing experience. In addition to top defensive end Ngakoue, Maryland lost their second, third and fourth leading tacklers (Davis, Nixon and Hendy) to either graduation or to the NFL Draft and the players replacing them have yet to produce. DJ Durkin is regarded as a terrific recruiter and a top defensive mind but he led a much more talented Michigan defense last season and IU put up 41 points in a close defeat so Kevin Wilson and Kevin Johns won’t be quaking in their sneakers matching wits with Durkin. IU scored 47 in College Park and it felt like they left points on the board. They’ll likely be expecting to put up a large total once again and Lagow and IU’s talented receivers could be in line for a huge day against the inexperienced and potentially overmatched Maryland defense.
Call me a skeptic or a cynic but I won’t believe in Maryland’s offense until they have a quarterback that can consistently deliver the ball accurately. I think Caleb Rowe and Perry Hills both show glimpses of being decent but they made way too many mistakes in 2015 to suggest a huge leap is coming in 2016. The Terps have a top quarterback (Kasim Hill) coming in 2017 but he can’t help them this season and I think the passing game will continue to struggle. Wes Brown, Trey Edmunds and Ty Johnson (along with a running quarterback) will be a challenge for the Hoosiers defensive line but I think we’ll see a repeat of the 2015 contest. Eventually, IU’s defenders will realize they won’t get burnt by the Terrapins passing game and they’ll key-in and begin to negate the run game. Put this attack in some third-and-long situations and they’ll be forced to consistently punt (or the quarterback will give it away).
FINAL ANALYSIS
Both teams have some stiff challenges to face before they will clash on October 29 in Bloomington. Of note, both squads will play at Florida International (IU on September 1, Maryland on September 9) so early comparisons between the two will be drawn. The Hoosiers will travel to Northwestern the week before this pre-Halloween battle while Maryland will be coming off of back-to-back home games against Minnesota and Michigan State. It’ll be late-October in Bloomington. I’m hoping for beautiful weather but it could do anything. Maryland would certainly be hoping for a miserable day to keep the passing to a minimum but it’s likely the weather (or the schedule or the crowd) won’t be a factor. I envision a competitive game but one that the Hoosiers eventually win thanks to a superior offense. The Hoosiers score more and make way fewer mistakes plus I’m positive in new DC Tom Allen’s ability to make the necessary adjustments to keep Maryland’s one-dimensional offense in check. After a brutally tough first half of IU’s Big Ten schedule, the Hoosiers will likely need this one to feel good about their chances to reach a bowl game again in 2016. I think they get the win in somewhat comfortable fashion.