By Ethan Cadeaux (@Ethan_301)
It has been a rough season in College Park, as the Terps dropped their seventh straight game to Michigan State this past weekend, bringing their record to 2-8. Saturday provides another new opportunity for the Terps, as they host the Indiana Hoosiers in what will be the senior’s last game ever in Byrd Stadium.
The Hoosiers have also hit a rough stretch, as their have dropped their last six games after starting the season with four straight wins. They are also looking for their first Big Ten conference win of the season, after suffering a heartbreaking double overtime loss last weekend to a solid Michigan team. Four of the six conference losses for the Hoosiers have been one-possession games.
“We have 13 or 14 seniors that are playing their last game at Byrd Stadium,” said head coach Mike Locksley. “We are excited about playing a good Indiana team that is coming off a really tough loss; they are still battling for bowl eligibility, so we are expecting to get their best.”
Although the Terps have not been victorious in almost two months, they continue to fight hard under Locklsey’s realm. Based on their combined opponents record of 60-17, the Terps have faced the hardest schedule in all of college football.
“Playing a tough schedule, when we joined the Big Ten, we knew there weren’t many easy games on our schedule,” said Locksley. “It really doesn’t matter the record, if you look at it, we have had opportunities and been competitive in games against really good teams, but good teams don’t beat themselves, and we are a team that continues to do that.”
Although on paper it looks like the Hoosiers are Maryland’s weakest opponent in weeks, they have been competitive with some of the best teams in the country. They took top ranked Ohio State down to the wire, came within a touchdown of undefeated Iowa, and took #14 Michigan into double overtime.
The Hoosiers have been very solid on the offensive side of the ball, averaging 33.3 points per game, over eleven points more than the Terps. Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfield has had a very strong season, throwing for close to 2500 yards with 16 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
“[Sudfield] is great with the vertical game,” said Locksley. “Indiana does a lot of things from a tempo standpoint, where they try to lineup fast. I think they had 104 plays against Michigan last week. Their screen game is really good. [Sudfield] has great touch and accuracy on his deep ball.”
Locksley stressed the fact that in order to stop a quarterback who is so talented throwing the ball like Sudfield, the Terps must force him to move out of the pocket and throw in positions he is not comfortable. The Terps must limit the amount of time Sudfield has in the pocket in order to stop the Indian offense from scoring at will.
Stopping the Indiana aerial attack starts with a solid pass rush. Junior defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has had a stellar season, and is just a half sack away from tying the Terps single-season sack record of 13.
Ever since Locksley took over as interim head coach midseason, he has stressed loose, aggressive play in all three phases. The Terps energy level has been a lot higher since then, and more and more players are getting opportunities to play that they otherwise would not have had.
“I am expecting our guys to give their best for the seniors, to send those guys out victorious,” said Locksley.
Although a lot of younger guys have had the opportunity to play, the leadership of the seniors has kept this team in line throughout this rough season. Locksley commends the seniors for keeping the team on top of things, and wants nothing more than them to go out victorious for their last game in College Park.
The Terps have a good nucleus, and have competed in every game they have played. All Locksley can ask for is that they compete hard and give their best effort. He treats his players like his own children, and is adamant in developing them in three phases: academically, athletically, and socially. He has done a great job of that since taking over as head coach.
“These guys are fighting their tails off, doing everything we have asked of them,” said Locksley regarding the team’s effort. “As a coaching staff, we will demand that they give us great effort, and they have responded.”
Locksley hopes the continuous strong effort the Terps have been giving will translate into a victory over Indiana. Kickoff is Saturday at noon in Byrd Stadium.
