Indiana Football RB Roman Hemby Can Spoil Homecoming in Return to Maryland

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — This weekend, thousands of Maryland alumni will descend upon College Park, Md., to celebrate Homecoming. One of their own has plans to rain on their parade.

Indiana football running back Roman Hemby spent the first four years of his career at Maryland, earning a bachelor's degree in communications. He now spearheads the Big Ten's second-best rushing attacks and is a key piece to the No. 2 Hoosiers' offensive puzzle.

And Hemby, an Edgewood, Md., native who's fresh off a two-touchdown performance in Indiana's 56-6 win over UCLA on Oct. 25, enters his own homecoming with plenty of wind behind his sails.

But Maryland freshman defensive end Sidney Stewart, who has five-and-a-half sacks this season, doesn't see cause for concern.

"He's a prototype running back," said Stewart, who arrived after Hemby's departure. "We've played some good running backs before. Our job is just to tackle him. So, I really don't know his differences between the other ones we've played."

Maryland coach Mike Locksley recruited Hemby to College Park and saw his career unfold.

Hemby played in three games and scored two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2021, ultimately opting to redshirt. He broke through in 2022, starting all 13 games while ranking third among FBS freshmen with 1,287 yards from scrimmage and posting 10 rushing touchdowns, the second-most by a freshman in Maryland history.

Over his final two years in College Park, the 6-foot, 210-pound Hemby rushed for 1,287 yards and 10 touchdowns while compiling 1,909 yards from scrimmage.

Hemby ranks No. 3 in Maryland history with 3,268 scrimmage yards, No. 4 with 27 total touchdowns, No. 11 in rushing at 2,347 yards and No. 14 in receiving with 112 catches.

Now, on a reunion-based Saturday in College Park, Hemby and the Hoosiers will try to steal the show.

"They've got a guy that we're very familiar with, Roman Hemby," Locksley said Monday. "Roman, you can tell, is their every-down back. They throw it to him, he's a hit few home runs. ... Roman is a home-run hitter, that if you give him a crease, it will and can go (far)."

Hemby leads Indiana with 107 carries for 513 yards and four touchdowns, and he's caught 10 passes for 131 yards. He ranks second on the team — behind only receiver Omar Cooper Jr. — with 644 scrimmage yards.

Hemby and fellow redshirt senior running back Kaelon Black combine to drive a rushing offense averaging 230.5 yards per game, which ranks No. 10 in the FBS.

"They're different," Locksley said about the Hoosiers' running back duo. "(Hemby) and Black are both complementary of each other. Both those guys are redshirt seniors who've had a lot of football in front of them.

"Big toolbox in protection and experience, and it shows up because in critical situations you see those guys being familiar with making plays when they need them."'

Locksley is innately familiar with Hemby's ability to break games open. So are four of Maryland's top five tacklers, as each shared the Terrapins' sideline with Hemby.

Bad blood or not, recognition or not, respect or not, Hemby and the Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) will face Maryland (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at SECU Stadium in College Park.

And Hemby, once a focal point of Homecoming weekend at Maryland, now gets to play the villain in his final college season.