Game Eight Primer – Maryland Terrapins

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

What: Indiana Hoosiers (3-4) at Maryland Terrapins (3-4)

When: Saturday, October 28 at 3:30

Where: Maryland Stadium in College Park, MD

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on BTN. Fans can also listen to the game on the IU Radio Network with the legendary Don Fischer on the call.

What’s at Stake: After dropping back-to-back close contests to Michigan and Michigan State, IU finds themselves sitting at 3-4. If they are to successfully improve upon the past two seasons and grow as a program in Tom Allen’s first season in charge, they now need to win four of their final five contests. That makes Saturday’s game in College Park essential for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers are road favorites but they’ll need to play well to come away with a victory. Maryland is staring at a difficult schedule the remainder of the way and they have to get a “W” this Saturday if they are to have any chance of reaching a bowl game.

A Few Things to Look For

Red Zone Struggles – IU failing to finish drives that reach the red zone with touchdowns is not a new trend or issue. In fact, it started a few seasons ago and has been a problem area for IU football since. The problem becomes magnified in close defeats and IU has only 13 touchdowns in 23 red zone attempts. The Hoosiers absolutely must find a way to begin consistently finishing drives with touchdowns if they are to win four of the next five. I’m hoping to see more creative play calling and better execution as the defense IU will be facing is a far cry from the four they saw in their previous Big Ten contests. If the issues persist against Maryland, they are not likely to be remedied this season and the door will be open for a defeat in College Park.

Big Play Terrapins – The Maryland offense is not near as dangerous as it might have been if Tyrell Pigrome or Kasim Hill were leading the attack. However, they are still capable of producing explosive plays that can change games. Max Bortenschlager is averaging only five yards per pass attempt and he’s still completing only 49.3% of his passes. Still, D.J. Moore has 47 receptions for 14.21 yards per catch. He has seven touchdowns and is the only receiving threat the Hoosiers defense really needs to be aware of. Taivon Jacobs is their secondary threat but he’s not a game breaker. On the ground, IU needs to contain Ty Johnson. He is averaging 6.8 yards per carry on 12 carries per game but he is capable of ripping off long runs every time he touches the ball. IU has been really good on defense this season and that will need to continue. If they can force Maryland to methodically work their way down the field, I don’t see the Terrapins having many long drives.

Forcing Takeaways – IU’s defense, as good as it has been in 2017, has not forced enough takeaways. The Hoosiers only have one interception (Crawford) and have only forced six fumbles. That hurts your defense because they have to get off the field only by forcing punts (which can be draining) or giving up points. It also hurts your offense because they are not being put into great field position they can potentially capitalize on for “easy” points. In short, turnover margin is a crucial stat and IU is minus eight on the season. The Maryland Terrapins are currently plus five. The Hoosiers are favored and this is a game they absolutely should win if they play well. However, turnovers can be the great equalizer so IU needs to start forcing more takeaways.

Hoosier Huddle will have extensive pre and post-game coverage of this and every other game of the 2017 season!