Know Your Opponent: Week Five Maryland Terrapins

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0) re-enter Big Ten play as they welcome the Maryland Terrapins (3-1,0-1) for the conference home opener. The Hoosiers and Terrapins have split the last six meetings and have played plenty of close games since Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014.

Head Coach: Mike Locksley (6th Full Year at Maryland)
Overall Record: 34-60 (.361) 9th Full Season
At Maryland:  33-39 (16-38)
Maryland Bowl Games: 30
Last Year’s Record: 8-5 (4-5)
This Year’s Record: 3-1 (0-1)
Mascot: Testudo
Colors: Red, White, Gold and Black
Outfitter: Under Armour
National Titles: 1
Conference Titles: 11
Heisman Winners: 0

FUN FACT:

•  The mascot is a diamondback terrapin named Testudo, which means "turtle" in Latin. It is also the name of an ancient Roman military tactic, in which soldiers protected their infantry square from projectiles by completely enclosing it with their shields.- Wikipedia

1. Billy Edwards Has Evolved

Hoosier fans may remember Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards from 2022 when he came in relief and just ran through IU’s defense. He was a run-first player who didn’t really throw the ball. Well, Edwards has evolved and is the Big Ten’s leading passer with 1,155 yards and eight touchdown passes while completing 75-percent of his passes.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said Billy Edwards “can make all the throws. He's got a lot of snaps under his belt. They'll also run him, and obviously he's a threat when he gets out of the pocket as well when he drops back and escapes the pocket. So, he's a very competitive guy with good arm strength, and (a) good leader.”

2. Tai Felton is THE Playmaker at Receiver

Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton is lapping the field when it comes to receiving yards in the Big Ten. Felton has had a scorching hot start to 2024 as he has hauled in 41 passes for 604 yards and five touchdowns in his first four games. That’s a season for most guys. The receiver with the second most catches is Kaden Prather with 21, no one else has more than nine receptions in 2024. Shutting down or limiting the damage by Felton will likely be the secondary’s top priority.

3. Passing Defense is Vulnerable

The Maryland pass defense ranks 17th in the Big Ten allowing 247 yards per game. In their two Power Four games (Michigan State and Virginia) the Terrapins have allowed 610 yards passing and a 60-percent completion rate. While the numbers are not great, the Terrapins do have six interceptions on the year, which bailed them out of some poor situations. IU has not turned the ball over yet this year, so the aggressive Maryland defense will try and end that streak. Glendon Miller and Jalen Husky both have two interceptions for the Terrapins this year.

4. Strength vs. Strength on 3rd Downs

Indiana’s third down offense is tops in the Big Ten at just over 58-percent while Maryland is slightly below the Hoosiers at third by converting 51-percent of their third down tries. Both of the offenses in this game are potent and converting on third downs will keep the other off the field longer. On defense, IU ranks fifth in the conference allowing conversions on 29.2-percent of third downs while Maryland sits at eighth allowing first downs 35.1-percent of the time.

5. Sack Production Down from 2023

Maryland ranked fourth in the Big Ten in sacks in 2023 with 34. This season there has been a drop off to 12th in the Big Ten with just seven sacks in four games. The talent is there according to Cignetti, but the numbers are lacking so far.

“This is going to be the stoutest defensive line we've gone against. They're really big inside, and they've got good players on the outside too..” Cignetti said.