Indiana Football Dominates Maryland 55-10, Moves to 9-0 For Second Straight Year

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — A slew of injuries and an abnormally slow start failed to fracture No. 2 Indiana, as the Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) cruised to a 55-10 victory over Maryland (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon at SECU Stadium in College Park.

Indiana redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw an interception on the first drive but rallied to finish 14-for-21 passing for 201 yards, one touchdown and the lone giveaway. He added 24 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

Sixth-year senior running back Kaelon Black spearheaded the Hoosiers' 367-yard rushing effort. Black took 14 carries for 110 yards, while redshirt senior Roman Hemby, a Maryland transfer, tallied 88 yards on 18 attempts.

Redshirt junior Omar Cooper Jr. led Indiana in receiving, catching seven passes for 86 yards and one touchdown.

Maryland true freshman quarterback Malik Washington, who entered the season with just three interceptions to his name this season, tossed a pair of picks in the first half. He went 16-for-31 passing for 242 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Terrapins entered Saturday with just five giveaways in seven games. They committed five turnovers alone against the Hoosiers' opportunistic defense.

Indiana's afternoon couldn't have started much worse offensively. Mendoza's interception, which featured a 32-yard return by redshirt junior defensive back Jamare Glasker and set up a Terrapin field goal, preceded a three-and-out in which the Hoosiers lost 11 yards and committed a false start on fourth down.

But Indiana's defense stood tall. Maryland gained only eight yards on its first two possessions, largely failing to capitalize on the Hoosiers' early missteps.

Indiana scored on its final four possessions to end the first half. Mendoza ran for one touchdown and threw another to Cooper, and kicker Nico Radicic made 21- and 46-yard attempts to give the Hoosiers the lead, 20-3, entering halftime.

Maryland scored on its first drive of the second half, as Washington floated a pass over Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones and into the waiting arms of redshirt freshman running back DeJuan Williams, who won a footrace to score a 55-yard touchdown.

But the Hoosiers answered. Then again. And again.

Indiana scored three touchdowns in less than two minutes, starting with a 31-yard run from Black and ending with a 16-yard run from Hemby. Sandwiched in between the two was a 32-yard defensive touchdown by sixth-year defensive back Devan Boykin, who forced, recovered and returned a fumble for a score.

The switch flipped that quickly. Maryland, which trailed 20-10 after Williams' touchdowns, suddenly faced a 41-10 deficit with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Hoosiers grew their edge to 48-10 with 11:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, as backup quarterback Alberto Mendoza, Fernando's younger brother, threw a six-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior Jonathan Brady. They added another touchdown on a one-yard rush from running back Khobie Martin with just over three minutes left to play.

Indiana didn't leave College Park unscathed. The Hoosiers played without All-American linebacker Aiden Fisher, who's battling a knee injury, and they lost All-American receiver Elijah Sarratt to an apparent hamstring injury in the first quarter. Linebacker Kaiden Turner also left with an injury, and right tackle Kahlil Benson spent much of the final three quarters with a noticeable limp.

Nevertheless, the Hoosiers remain undefeated — and they added another lopsided victory to their resume Saturday.

Indiana returns to action Nov. 8 against Penn State at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., with the kickoff time still to be determined.