'He's Young': Indiana Football Defense Aims to Pressure Maryland QB Malik Washington

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — There's little on Maryland quarterback Malik Washington's resume that suggests he's a true freshman.

Washington has thrown 11 touchdowns to three interceptions this season, and he's only been sacked twice while ranking sixth in the Big Ten with an average of 245.1 passing yards per game.

But there's no Halloween costume here. Washington is, in fact, a freshman signal-caller, and he's one of the nation's best.

The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Washington is tied for first among FBS true freshmen quarterbacks with 11 passing touchdowns, and he's second in both passing yards (1,716) and completions (160), according to Maryland communications. He also leads the Terrapins with three rushing touchdowns.

Entering his eighth career start, Washington has Indiana's respect — though sixth-year senior defensive back Devan Boykin said Tuesday the No. 2 Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) plan to get creative with their attack when they face the Terrapins (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday inside SECU Stadium in College Park.

"Obviously his size, his scramble ability," Boykin said as Washington's standout traits. "So, we're going to have to be able to contain him and give him different looks. He's young, so we're going to try to do a couple things."

Indiana's defense, led by defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, specializes in controlled chaos. The Hoosiers rank No. 3 nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 10.9 points per game, and No. 7 in total defense, holding opponents to 242.8 yards per contest.

Haines spearheads a veteran unit. According to Pro Football Focus, 16 Hoosiers have played 100-plus defensive snaps this season — and 14 or juniors or seniors. The lone exclusions are two sophomores in linebacker Rolijah Hardy and defensive lineman Mario Landino.

With experience comes wisdom and schematic familiarity. Success has followed. Indiana has allowed only six defensive touchdowns this season, and no Big Ten team has scored more than one touchdown against the Hoosiers this season.

"It's been tough going for opponents against our defense," Cignetti said Monday. "It's been that way for a while. That's what I'm used to seeing. Our guys play with a lot of pride. There's a tradition on that side of the ball. They've got a great leader. The other assistant coaches do a tremendous job as well. We've got a lot of veterans back there that play a lot of football."

Washington poses an intriguing challenge. Entering his first Homecoming weekend, the Glen Burnie, Md., native has eclipsed 200 passing yards in each start of his college career, and he's surpassed 250 yards from scrimmage in all but one. At his radio show Thursday night, Cignetti said Washington has "done a really nice job."

The Terrapins' offensive line has done its job, too. The unit holds an 82.2 pass blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus, the fifth-best mark in the FBS.

Thus, Cignetti feels Washington has the protection and playmakers to hit explosive plays as a big-bodied dual-threat passer.

"He's got great size," Cignetti said. "They're doing a really good job protecting him, which is huge. But he's also got the ability to extend plays, avoid the rush, which he's done, and throw it down the field or run, tuck it and run. But he can make all the throws down the field, and he's learning as he goes.

"He's very impressive."

But Indiana's defense has been a buzzsaw, armed by a collection of traits — experience, athleticism and schematic creativity — that makes life difficult for even the most veteran of college quarterbacks, let alone a true freshman facing his first ranked team.

Washington has been tested through seven games, but none stiffer than Saturday. And the Hoosiers have no plans to stray from their havoc-based identity in College Park. If anything, with a young passer on the other side, Haines' aggression meter will be turned up.

"I think it's just a lot of the things that we do on defense, as far as disguise and just kind of confusing the quarterback," Boykin said about the unit's success. "Our ability to kind of fly around and show different coverages and play man, I think that really helps us."