Meet the Opponent: 3 Things to be Worried About With the Maryland Terrapins
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana is in hot pursuit of win No. 5 on the season, but it's going to take a victory on the road at Maryland to get it. The Hoosiers take on the Terrapins Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in College Park, Md. (TV: Big Ten Network)
The Terrapins are 3-3 on the season and 1-2 in the Big Ten. Much like Indiana, they've only had one close game, losing 20-17 to Temple. Everything else has been a rout, good or bad.
Maryland opened the season with a 79-0 thrashing of Howard, which didn't mean much, but it turned heads in Week 2 when the Terps upset then No. 21-ranked Syracuse in College Park. It was a true beatdown, and the 63-20 win had people talking about first-year coach Mike Locksley's immediate turnaround of the program.
Since then, though, the Terps have struggled. They lost to Temple 20-17 in Week 3 and then got embarrassed at home 59-0 by Penn State. They thumped Rutgers 48-7 but then went to Purdue last weekend as a 4-point favorite and proceeded to get boat-raced by the Boilermakers, losing 40-14.
So, expected the unexpected Saturday is about the best way to describe it. Indiana is a 5.5-point favorite, but that doesn't account for which Maryland team will show up.
Here are three things to be worried about with the Terrapins this weekend:
1. Terps' offense can be explosive — or be a dud
Maryland has three wins, and all three have been by 40 points or more. With the wins over Howard (79), Syracuse (43) and Rutgers (41), the Terps are one of only three teams in the country with three wins over 40 points. Ohio State and Wisconsin are the other two teams, and one of those Ohio State wins, of course, was against Indiana back on Sept. 14 when the Buckeyes won 51-10 in Bloomington. It's the first time Maryland has had three such wins since 1974.
Maryland has 221 points through six games, which is a program first. It's also amazing they've done that while getting shut out by Penn State and only scoring 14 points at Purdue. So we have no idea which offense we'll see Saturday.
Josh Jackson, a transfer from Virginia Tech, started the first five games at quarterback and was mostly good before suffering a high ankle sprain in the Rutgers win. Backup QB Tyrell Pigrome, more of a running threat, had a 61-yard touchdown run against Purdue but struggled to throw the ball. He was just 21 of 39 passing for 219 yards, and he had two critical interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown on the last play before halftime that blew the game open. Jackson has been back to practice this week, but he's still "doubtful'' and Pigrome is getting the start.
West Lafayette, IN, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Tyrell Pigrome (3) runs out of the pocket against the Purdue Boilermakers in the first half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
2. Maryland's defense loves forcing turnovers
Maryland has forced a turnover in 18 straight games, the third-longest streak in the FBS, behind only Mississippi State (22) and Syracuse (20). Indiana knows all about turnover streaks because they had one of their own earlier this year, reaching a nation's-best 19 games before going turnover-free in the 52-0 win over Eastern Illinois.
The Terps's streak covers a year and a half now, and the turnovers often can be game-changers. Indiana needs to be good with the football on Saturday. The Hoosiers had two turnovers last week against Rutgers — a Michael Penix interception and a Sampson James fumble — and the opportunistic Terrapins will look to do the same this week. Maryland has a plus-3 turnover margin on the season, forcing 10 and giving up only 7.
3. The Terps are dangerous on special teams.
Maryland is one of only seven teams in the FBS with both a kick return touchdown and a punt return touchdown, so that's big reason for concern right there. (The other six teams? It's Appalachian State, Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss, UCLA and Utah State.)
Maryland is tops in the Big Ten in punt return average (15.14) and third in kick return average (24.93).This should be a good matchup because Indiana's kick coverage units have been mostly good all season, but there have been a few hiccups. Special teams are critical in close games, and this one will be no different. The Hoosiers will need to tackle well on Saturday.
