Matchup to Watch: Week Five Maryland Terrapins: D’Angelo Ponds vs. Tai Felton

Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times

Written by: TJ Inman 

D’Angelo Ponds vs. Tai Felton

The Indiana Hoosiers blasted the Charlotte 49ers to improve to 4-0. IU is outscoring opponents 50.5 to 9.3 through four games and they are outpacing opponents 7.81 yards per play to just 3.67 yards per play. The Maryland Terrapins come to Bloomington and the Hoosiers have a chance to improve to 5-0 for the first time since the famous 1967 Rose Bowl team.

Several things will determine the outcome of this swing game (IU’s second of the season for those keeping track) but the point of this article is to zero in on one key battle and the answer is staring us in the face: Maryland’s All-Big Ten receiver Tai Felton against shutdown corner D’Angelo Ponds. That could easily be expanded to include guys like Jamari Sharpe and Jamier Johnson against secondary target Kaden Prather but Ponds versus Felton is the marquee matchup.

Felton was selected to the preseason All-Big Ten team and he has lived up to the hype with a 90.7 PFF grade through four game (second-best among all power conference wide receivers) and he is the first Maryland player with more than 100 yards receiving in each of the team’s first four games. Look at Felton’s stat-line thus far:

-UConn – 7 catches for 178 with two touchdowns

-Michigan State – 11 catches for 152 yards with one touchdown

-Virginia – 9 catches for 117 yards with one touchdown

-Villanova – 14 catches for 157 yards with one touchdown

In total, Felton has 41 receptions for 604 yards (14.73 yards per catch) with five touchdowns through four games. He is on pace to land on an All-American team and what immediately stands out is his combination of explosive speed and size. At 6’2”, he figures to be a problem for D’Angelo Ponds. The corner is well under six-foot and he has not faced a receiver of this caliber yet this season. Quarterback Billy Edwards and Felton have developed quite a rapport and if Edwards has time in the pocket, the IU secondary is going to have a difficult time containing the star wide receiver. The key for Indiana will be helping Ponds a bit by getting pressure on Edwards, forcing him to move off his spot and off of his primary read (most of the time, Tai Felton). That will give the Indiana cornerback the edge in this matchup and help him limit the damage Tai Felton can do. Indiana does not need to limit Felton to fewer than 50 yards, although no one would complain if they did. Holding the Terrapins’ top offensive weapon to fewer than 100 yards and keeping him from major explosive plays would be a victory for IU’s secondary and give the Hoosiers the edge and a path to a 5-0 start.