3 Things I Want to See from Indiana on Saturday against Maryland
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — This is the season where Indiana is supposed to turn the corner, to get back to bowl eligibility, have a winning record and work their way up in the Big Ten standings.
So far so good, but here comes Saturday and a huge conference team against Maryland. It really is a must-win game for the Hoosiers if they want to have the season they've talked about.
Maryland is 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference. Indiana is 4-2 and 1-2. Both team have beaten hapless Rutgers for their only league win. Indiana has lost to Ohio State and Michigan State and the Terrapins have been pounded by Penn State and Purdue.
The game starts at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers on Saturday:
1. Attack downfield and make several big plays
Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has a big arm, and one of the biggest reasons why he won the starting job is because he can stretch the field. Indiana has been close with deep ball so far, but haven't hit as often as they would like. This needs to change on Saturday against Maryland, because its secondary has issues.
Let's not forget that Purdue redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Plummer, playing only his fourth college game EVER, threw for 420 yards against Maryland last week. The Terrapins love to play aggressive man-to-man defense with their secondary, and they can get burned. They'll go into Cover Zero defense — no deep safeties — often, so Indiana needs to cover that and make them pay.
Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. should be able to attack Maryland downfield.
2. Continue to run the ball with success
Indiana's running game keeps getting better every week, and it really looked good last Saturday against Rutgers. The Hoosiers rushed for 260 yards and were led by sophomore Stevie Scott, who gained 164 yards on just 12 carries. They all looked really good doing it, from start to finish.
Head coach Tom Allen has had nothing but praise for Scott, who's been patient with Indiana's slow start on the ground in Kalen DeBoer's new offense. He knew that, because he knew it was coming. Scott is averaging more that 5 yards per carry on the season, which is great, and he'll need to keep that up on Saturday. I can see an 18-carry, 110-yard day — that's more than 6 yards per carry.
Indiana Hoosiers running back Stevie Scott III (8) gestures during the first quarter of a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
3. Don't let Maryland's special teams flip this game
Maryland is one of only seven teams in the country that's returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown this season. That's somewhat scary heading into a road game. Indiana is a 6-point favorite in this game, which rarely happens on the road in the Big Ten for the Hoosiers, but it's easy to erase that edge with ONE PLAY in special teams.
Maryland is 3-3 and has been very up and down all year. The Terrapins have a good win (Syracuse) but a couple of ugly losses (Penn State 59-0 at home, Purdue 40-14 on the road), so we really don't know what to expect from them on Saturday. That's why it's critical for Indiana to win the special teams battle and not let that level this game out.
