Maryland looks to bounce back this week after a heartbreaking loss to Purdue.
A missed offsides call on a blocked PAT and a penalty that negated a successful two-point conversion turned out to be the difference as the Terps fell to the Boilermakers, 29-31.
The Terps will look to even out their conference record against an Indiana team that has lost three straight games.
Following his performance against Purdue, QB Taulia Tagovailoa is on the hunt for his third straight 300-yard-passing game against a Hoosier defense that has allowed the most passing touchdowns, the second most passing yards, and the second most passing yards per game in the BigTen this season.
Taulia has three 300-yard games on the season and recently eclipsed Scott Milanovich for the most in program history.
Somewhat limited against Purdue, Maryland running back trio of Hemby, Littleton, and McDonald will also be looking to bounce back against the Hoosier’s bottom-five rush defense. The Terps only had 72 yards on the ground against Purdue compared to 175 the week before.
TE Corey Dyches has emerged as the leading Maryland receiver after totaling four receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
He currently leads the Terps in touchdown receptions and will be looking for more against
the Hoosiers’ defense.
When asked about his tight ends this season, Tagovailoa said, “I’m very comfortable with them. We continue to work hard every day, getting our timing down. We know that they can create some mismatches on the field.”
True freshman LB Jaishawn Barham has made an immediate impact for the Terps. He leads the team with three sacks and is a player to watch out for against a lackluster Hoosier offensive line.
“His first step quickness and his ability to ‘get skinny’ on the big tackles becomes a matchup issue,” said Head Coach Michael Locksley on Barham, “he loves attacking, getting to the football… and we’ll continue to try to create those opportunities for him.”
After winning its first three games to open the season, Indiana has since lost its last three.
Despite this recent skid, QB Connor Bazelak still ranks third in the conference in passing yards and is tied for fifth in touchdown passes.
While showing some signs of life against Purdue, Maryland has the third-worst pass defense in yards and is bottom-five in touchdowns allowed.
Indiana will try to exploit Maryland through the air as they are currently the second-worst rushing offense in the BigTen.
One of Indiana’s biggest problems is its offensive line which has allowed 19 sacks, the most in the Big Ten. Seven of them came last week against Michigan.
A shootout may be in the making. Both teams are looking to bounce back from losses going into the heart of Big Ten play.
