Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 34 Maryland 28

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle) 

Opponent: Maryland Terrapins

Location: Saturday October 19th, 2019 College Park, Maryland

Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Terrapins play annually in the Big Ten’s East division.

What The Game Meant: We had labeled this game as a potential swing-game for the Hoosiers way back in the spring. It turned out to be just that. Indiana and Maryland are forming a solid rivalry on the gridiron playing fourth-straight one score games.

Top Offensive Performers:

Peyton Ramsey, QB, Indiana- Peyton Ramsey may not have the arm strength that Michael Penix has, but by golly the kid has heart and guts. Ramsey came in during the second quarter in relief of an injured Michael Penix and led the Hoosiers to a win. He completed 20-of-27 passes for 193 yards and a score and added 46 yards on the ground.

Stevie Scott, RB, Indiana- It took Scott until the second half to really get going, but the Indiana offensive line wore down the Maryland front in the second half. Scott finished with 18 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Scott added five catches for 36 yards on the ground.

Peyton Hendershot, TE, Indiana- Maryland has been dominated by the tight end position all season and today was no different. Peyton Hendershot set a career-high with 95 yards on six receptions.

Javon Leake, RB, Maryland- Leake was a force for Maryland as he reached the end zone twice including an impressive 60-yarder. He finished with 23 carries for 158 yards and adding eight yards receiving.

Dontay Demus, WR, Maryland- Demus was Maryland most dangerous pass catcher. He scored a touchdown and caught five passes for 82 yards.

Top Defensive Performers

Juwan Burgess, DB, Indiana- The redshirt sophomore had a big day for the Hoosiers. He tallied a career-high four tackles, including one for a loss, and made a tremendous play where he both forced and recovered a fumbled deep in Maryland territory.

Marcelino Ball, Husky, Indiana- Marcelino Ball had been MIA for most of the season from the stat sheet, but the senior found his way back to the spotlight with a team-high five tackles including a sack.

Reese Taylor, DB, Indiana- IU fans have been waiting for Reese Taylor to have a signature moment for the Hoosiers. Taylor made three tackles and played solid coverage all day. It was his interception that sealed the win for the Hoosiers.

Antoine Brooks, DB, Maryland- Brooks is a heck of a football player. He finished with seven tackles, two tackles for loss and a momentum changing interception.

Special Team Performance

I’ll start off with this. Logan Justus is in the zone. He is still perfect for the season. On Saturday afternoon he hit two short field goals and was four-for-four on extra points. But the biggest play on special teams came when IU returner David Ellis coughed up a fumble that looked like would swing the game in Maryland’s favor, but IU safety Kahlil Bryant raced to the ball and dove on it to preserve possession and possibly the game. Outside of the fumble, Ellis was solid with 103 return yards on five kicks. Punter Haydon Whitehead had a good day even if the numbers were not huge. He averaged 39.4 yards per punt, but he pinned Maryland inside their own 20-yard line three out of his five punts. Nathanael Snyder had one touchback on five kickoffs while Jared Smolar kicked his only kickoff for a touchback. The Hoosiers were concerned with Maryland’s return game coming in and limited the Terrapins to just 15.4 yards per return.

​Key Stat(s)

2

The Hoosiers had two huge takeaways late in the fourth quarter that helped seal the win.

Turning Point

The turning point in this one was just before halftime when Peyton Ramsey placed a perfect throw in the back corner of the end zone and Nick Westbrook made an outstanding diving catch for a touchdown. The score gave the Hoosiers a 24-21 lead after giving up the lead on the previous drive. It gave the Hoosiers momentum and hope.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Reese Taylor secured his first career interception with a minute left in the game.

Players of the Game

Peyton Ramsey, Indiana- Ramsey was outstanding and showed the poise and guts needed to flip the script for Indiana.

Javon Leake, Maryland- Leake was pretty darn good Saturday and if Maryland had a few more pieces around him would have a very, very good offense.

What I took away from the game

Sure, the Hoosiers won by just six points and committed 11 penalties for 105 yards and lost their starting quarterback early in the second quarter, but guess what? The Hoosiers won in spite of all that.

This was an extremely important win for Indiana who now moves to 5-2, just one win away from bowl eligibility. They went on the road against an opponent who has historically played close games against them and they finally were able to finish a game with two huge takeaways.

The win had its highs. Peyton Ramsey was huge coming off the bench to replace an injured Penix. Stevie Scott scored twice and topped the 100-yard mark again. Tight end Peyton Hendershot had a career-high 95 yards receiving. While Whop Philyor only managed two yards, Nick Westbrook, Donavan Hale and Ty Fryfogle picked up the slack combing for 12 catches for 170 yards and two scores. On defense, there were two gigantic takeaways late in the game.

There were also some lows. The defense was torched on big plays of 60 and 52 yards, but was a boom or bust day for IU’s defense. The offense wasted some opportunities to blow the game open as well. Michael Penix threw a tipped ball interception in the end zone that ended up being a 14-point swing on his last throw of the day and only mustered a field goal on a four play drive after forcing a fumble that set up the offense at Maryland’s 16-yard line. I did not think Tom Allen managed a good game either. There were wasted timeouts early in both halves. The lows are going to happen, it’s how IU responded to them that sticks out. There were so many mentions of “I’ve seen this movie before…” on social media and in messages between fans, however the Hoosiers flipped the script Saturday and snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat instead of the other way around.

Yes, it was a gritty, ugly win, but guess what fans can and should enjoy being 5-2. It is the first time IU has secured five wins by October since 2007. Buckle up Hoosier fans, late-season football is going to be a thrilling ride.