Throwback Thursday: Indiana 42 Maryland 36

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Since we skipped last Thursday we are going to double-dip on the Throwback Thursdays this week. First we’ll take a look at the Hoosiers win against Maryland.

Indiana returned home to face Maryland after a disappointing trip up to Northwestern. The Hoosiers desperately needed a win to keep their bowl hopes afloat. It was a beautiful, warm Saturday afternoon and the Hoosier offense would finally show signs of life.

Opponent: Maryland Terrapins

Location: Saturday October 29th, Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, IN)

Why They Played:  The Hoosiers and Terrapins meet for the third time as Big Ten East foes.  

What The Game Meant

This was a must-win game for the Hoosiers as they already had four losses with a dwindling schedule, while the Terrapins were looking to become bowl eligible.

Top Offensive Performers

Indiana Running Game- The Hoosiers broke out of their running slump with style as seven ball carriers combined for a total of 414 yards and six scores on the ground. It was the Hoosiers highest rushing total since they put up 455 yards on Indiana State in 2014. Three runners went over 100 yards (Redding 130, Natee 111, Diamont 104). Mike Majette added 42 yards, Mitchell Paige scored on a 15-yard run, and Devonte Williams ran for 13 on three carries. A lot of credit has to go to the offensive line who saw a vintage Dan Feeney return and Delroy Baker step up in place of an injured Brandon Knight.

Ty Johnson, RB, Maryland- Johnson was explosive as advertised as he averaged 10.9 yards per carry and scored on a 66-yard run. However, he only carried the ball 13 times.

Perry Hills, QB, Maryland- It was a boom or bust day for Hills in the 42-36 loss. He accounted for four touchdowns and 247 total yards, but he missed a handful of wide-open receivers deep down field and turned the ball over twice. He was good, but had too many critical errors to overcome.

Top Defensive Performers

Marcus Oliver, LB, Indiana- He has been Indiana’s Mr. Reliable for a season-and-a-half now and he stepped up when the Hoosiers needed him most. He finished with eight tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. Both fumbles came when IU needed them most.

Marcelino Ball, Husky, Indiana- Ball made some mistakes on Saturday and was beat deep a few times, but he made eight tackles, picked off a pass, and recovered a fumble.

Chandler Burkett, DE, Maryland- Maryland was gashed for big runs most of the afternoon, but Burkett tried to plug the holes as he accounted for nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Special Team Performance

Luckily for the Hoosiers Saturday’s special teams gaffs did not cost them the game. The trouble started early as holder Joseph Gedeon dropped a snap on an extra point. Gedeon also added a 33-yard punt to the mix as he continues to be good, but struggle with consistency. Griffen Oakes may have had the worst day of the bunch as he struggled with the wind putting two kickoffs out of bounds and hitting the upright on a field goal. Usually teams do not win games when the special teams have that many errors.

Key Stat(s):

414

Heading into this game we said that running the ball would be key if the Hoosiers were to come out with their fourth win. Indiana busted out of a slump big time with 414 yards on the ground giving Maryland a taste of their own medicine.

Turning Point

The game was turned by the defense. After failing to capitalize on a field goal, the Hoosiers forced a fumble deep in Maryland territory when Marcus Oliver busted through the line and strip sacked Perry Hills. IU recovered and turned it in to six points and pushed the lead to 11.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Zander Diamont outraced the Maryland defense 52 yards for the put away touchdown.

Players of the Game

Zander Diamont, Indiana- Diamont provided the spark that the offense needed in a unique package that saw him play running back while Tyler Natee played quarterback. He ran for 104 yards and two scores and connected for 29 yards on his only throw of the game.

Perry Hills, Maryland- Hills gave Indiana fits for most of the day and was one or two deep balls from putting the game away. However, his inability to make those plays and hang on to the ball doomed the Terps.  

What I Took Away From the Game

Indiana fans can take a giant exhale and enjoy their first win since October 1st. This was a huge win for Indiana as they even their record at 4-4 before hitting the road against a two-win Rutgers squad next week. It’s great to win again and this one breathed life back into the Hoosiers.

It was good to see the running game get back on track after being absent since the Ball State game. Indiana pulled out all the stops and used running back Tyler Natee and back-up quarterback Zander Diamont in the same backfield, although Natee was at QB and Diamont was taking handoffs. The “Big Bacon” package worked great today as Natee ran over people and Diamont ran by people, but it is now on tape and Rutgers will be ready for it. Their performance, combined with Devine Redding getting off the mat for 130 yards, overshadowed an efficient passing performance from Richard Lagow who completed 16-of-25 passes for 207 yards. He did not throw a touchdown, but most importantly he did not throw an interception and only threw one or two really poor passes.

Winning is the cure-all and it covered up a lot of mistakes the Hoosiers made on Saturday. The defense wasn’t great as they allowed 517 total yards and allowed too many receivers to get open behind them, but they stepped up when the team needed it most with a late turnover. Special teams gaffs nearly cost the team the game, as they were not sharp at all. Two kicks out of bounds, a botched extra point, a missed field goal, and three failed two-point conversions was almost too much to overcome.

The good news is that the Hoosiers played with urgency and got out to a 13-0. They came back strong after blowing that lead and heading into the half down 21-16. They also over came critical penalties and special teams errors. It was a game they had to win and they did. The coaches have lots to work on before taking on the Scarlet Knights, but this win should stop the Doom’s Dayers for at least a week.