Game Day Primer: Indiana at Maryland
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Image: Sarah Miller Hoosier Huddle
Written by T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Game 7 Primer – Maryland
What: Indiana (4-2) at Maryland (3-3)
Where: Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium
When: Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 3:30 pm
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. You can also listen to the game on the IU Radio Network with the legendary Don Fischer on the call.
Series History: The new Big Ten East rivals have faced each other five times with one matchup each season beginning in 2014. The past three games have been close with Indiana winning 42-36 in 2016, Maryland prevailing 42-39 in College Park in 2017 and IU winning 34-32 last season in Bloomington.
What’s at Stake: This game is massive for both programs, there is no sugar-coating or getting around that. Indiana is 4-2, up to 25th in the S&P+ rankings and on the verge of getting over the hump for a legitimately nice season. While this is not a “must win” game for the Hoosiers bowl chances, it is a game that IU really “needs” to win. Both for the perception and momentum of the program and for the realistic scenario that gets them to six wins and a bowl berth. The Terrapins started the season off red-hot but they have faltered in their past couple of tests, losing to Temple, Penn State and Purdue (two of those in blowout fashion). A loss to Indiana would all but eliminate them from bowl contention.
What to Watch For
1. Offensive Momentum
The Indiana Hoosiers have scored 30+ points in all of redshirt freshman Mike Penix’s starts. Whop Philyor is on fire, the running game got going last week against Rutgers and the offensive line is playing very well. First-year offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer has revitalized the attack and they now travel to play a Maryland defense that has proven to be susceptible to a good aerial game. They gave up nearly 300 passing yards to Temple, Penn State could have thrown for whatever they wanted and Purdue’s Jack Plummer threw for 420 yards last week. The Terps are now without starting cornerback Tino Ellis as he has been lost for the season with an upper body injury. The opportunity is there for the offense to have another very nice outing.
2. Which Defense Shows Up?
The Indiana Hoosiers defense was a bit shaky against Ball State but ultimately played alright. The other games have been on either extreme: IU was picked apart by Ohio State (no shame there) and Michigan State but completely shut down Rutgers, UConn and Eastern Illinois. Now, the level of opponent is very different and it’s easy to draw a direct correlation between defensive numbers and the offense IU is playing. Maryland falls somewhere in the middle so it will be fascinating to see how the Hoosiers perform. IU showed some different lineups and personnel coming out of their bye week and they were much more aggressive in attacking the opponents backfield. That should continue to be the case but the Hoosiers will need to be careful about over-pursuing and getting hurt for big gains by Maryland’s explosive playmakers. Athletic linebackers like Cam Jones, Reakwon Jones and perhaps secondary players like Bryant Fitzgerald and Marcelino Ball could be important to keep mobile threat Tyrell Pigrome (if he is the quarterback) from beating IU with his legs. If the Hoosiers tackle well in space, Indiana will be in position to win.
3. Negative Plays, Not Explosive Ones
There has been no official word but it seems unlikely that Maryland quarterback Josh Jackson will be able to play on Saturday after suffering an ankle sprain a couple of weeks ago. If he cannot go, it leaves Tyrell Pigrome as the signal-caller. The Hoosiers have matched up with the speedy quarterback before and know what he brings to the table. Pigrome is a decent passer but he struggles at times with accuracy and doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of a vertical passing game. The much scarier part of Pigrome is his running ability. Getting Maryland into obvious passing downs by creating negative plays on defense is a key. In addition, stopping running backs Javon Leake and Anthony McFarland, both future NFL players in my estimation, from hurting Indiana with explosive plays is another. The Terrapins will attempt to get those speedy backs and Pigrome into space and IU will need to contain them and prevent five yard gains from turning into 50 yard touchdowns.
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