Maryland’s Big Ten Opener against Michigan State last Saturday provided a huge sigh of relief for Terps fans. After scoring three touchdowns on three consecutive drives to start the game, and avoiding an early 14-0 deficit for the first time since week one, the Spartans started to creep back in. 

Down two scores in the fourth quarter, Michigan State put together a drive with a chance to cut the deficit in half. After showing signs of life with the commanding drive downfield and just eight yards away from the endzone, it was almost as if Maryland fans everywhere could feel why they hadn’t won in East Lansing since 1950. 

With the whole stadium on the edge of their seats, Michigan State’s Katin Houser put a screen pass up in the air for too long and was intercepted by Tarheeb Still to derail the drive. 

“This week, we put an emphasis on getting our hands on the ball and creating turnovers,” Still said. The senior has three fourth-quarter interceptions in the past two games. 

Taulia Tagovailoa delivered the final blow with an 80-yard touchdown march on the ensuing drive to take a 31-9 win back to College Park. The victory puts them on the brink of their first 5-0 start since 2001, as well as a chance to start 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since joining the conference.

Even after winning the first four games of the season by at least 18 points for the first time since 1913, Head Coach Mike Locksley is still waiting for his group to put it all together. 

“We haven’t played the perfect game,” Locksley said. “The perfect game is winning and meeting our standard, and we haven’t had any of those yet.”

A win over Indiana will likely shoot the Terps into the Top 25 rankings before hitting the road to play Ohio State. Maryland will feature as part of FOX’s Big Noon Saturday against the Buckeyes next week, but no Big Ten foe can be overlooked. 

The Terps host the Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m..