For the first six minutes of game time on Saturday, the Hoosiers looked like they may be put on upset alert. The Hoosiers were without starting offensive line man Drew Evans and linebacker Aiden Fisher, lost leading receiver Elijah Sarratt to a hamstring injury. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was being pressured and already had thrown an interception. It looked like the ingredients were there for an upset, but that’s when the Indiana ground game went to work.
With the Hoosiers trailing 3-0 and having a turnover and a three-and-out on their first two drives, IU leaned on a patchwork offensive line and their three running backs to steady the ship.
“We have a great running back room,” IU running back Roman Hemby told Fischer in a postgame interview. “We have a lot of guys who come to practice and work to get better. We were able to put it on the field.”
Hemby, the former Terrapin, ran for 88 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown. He added 13 yards receiving and 62 kickoff return yards.
The Hoosiers ran for 367 yards on 52 carries. IU Had 24 runs in the first half and 85 plays total. IU scored four touchdowns on the ground. One each from Mendoza, Kaelon Black, Hemby and Khobie Martin.
Black broke the 100-yard mark for the first time as a Hoosier with 108 hard-fought yards and Martin added 80 on the ground.
Maryland came in trying to take away the Hoosiers passing attack and Heisman hopeful Fernando Mendoza. However, the Hoosiers welcomed that challenge.
“It seemed like (Maryland) wanted to take away our pass game, take away our RPO game, and take away our pass lanes.” Mendoza said. “That opened up the run game…We do one of the best run games in the country. So when you want to think with a pass, then all right, sure, we’ll run 370 yards down your throat.”
It happens so often that it shouldn’t be a shocker, but Indiana is not phased by much. They were not phased by the bumps in the road Saturday.
“Definitely just never wanting to be complacent despite all the success, we stay humble, do everything, just making sure that we, like you said, we are keyed into the details, staying focused and never letting us get too high, too low.” IU running back Kaelon Black said postgame.
Black gave credit to his teammates for the mentality that fueled IU’s ground game to 7.1 yards per carry.
“It’s our game plan, our offensive line, the whole line did it end today? They did what they could for us, and we were able to go out there and make some things shake. Well, you have to give all the praise to the whole line. Quarterback, make some great reads, receivers blocking.” Black said.
Indiana moves on to 9-0 (6-0) and are back on the road next week as Curt Cignetti and his team continue to take it one step at a time.
“I’m impressed with the way our guys listen to the message and play the way we want them to play,” Cignetti said on the radio postgame show. “That’s a big part of it. Tomorrow is a new day. Everything is earned; nothing is given.”
Indiana takes on Penn State (3-5, 0-5) in Happy Valley on Saturday at Noon ET on FOX.