A Look at Week 10's Maryland Football's Opponent, the Indiana Hoosiers

The Maryland Terrapins football team will play the Indiana Hoosiers at SECU Stadium on Saturday afternoon in their 2025 Homecoming game. Maryland will have its hands full taking on the No. 2 team in the country, which boasts a Top 10 offense and defense. Let's dive into the Hoosiers' season so far and what to potentially expect on Saturday.

Season: 8-0 (5-0 Big Ten)

As mentioned, the Hoosiers have yet to lose a game in 2025. They began the season by dismantling all three non-conference foes (Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State) by averaging 52 points per game. Entering their conference schedule in late September, they continued their dominant trend, defeating their first five Big Ten opponents (Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, Michigan State, and UCLA last Saturday 56-6). The closest finishes in that stretch were against Iowa (20-15, scoring ten points in the fourth) and No. 6 Oregon (30-20), the third-ranked team in the country at the time of play.

Against Oregon, their defense forced one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in CFB, Dante Moore, to throw two crucial fourth-quarter interceptions, guiding them to the ten-point upset. Another ranked victory came on September 20th against Illinois, which was ranked No. 9 then, with Indiana listed at No. 19. The Hoosiers completely dominated the Fighting Illini, putting up 63 points led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who completed 91% of his passes for five touchdowns and an unreal QB rating of 260.6.

The Offense

Mendoza has taken this offense to elite levels in 2025, playing as a potential Heisman winner under center who's looking to be projected as a lottery pick in the NFL 2026 Draft. He's thrown for 1,923 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns for an 188.5 rating while only taking six sacks and throwing three picks. He has also added 196 yards on the ground for three scores.

As we head into November, here’s how I see the Heisman race: https://t.co/aUZy0om8vj pic.twitter.com/vJH2Z5I6kr
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 29, 2025

The Hoosiers have a familiar name in College Park: Roman Hemby, who leads their running back room. Hemby spent four seasons (2021-2024) with the Terps before moving to Bloomington, Indiana. Hemby has 513 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The Hoosiers' ground attack is diverse, with three other running backs with at least a touchdown and 200+ rushing yards (Kaelon Black, Khobie Martin & Lee Beebe Jr.).

Their passing attack is led by senior wideout Elijah Sarratt (45 receptions, 609 yards, and 10 touchdowns, which leads all of College Football ) and junior wideout Omar Cooper Jr. ( 39 receptions, 583 yards, and seven touchdowns).

The Defense

Curt Cignetti's defense will be a big test for the young Maryland offense led by Malik Washington. Cited by Fox Sports, this Hoosiers defense is ranked among the top 12 in College Football in scoring defense (10.9 points per game), total defense (242.8 yards), pass defense (157.4), and run defense (85.4)

They are a detail-oriented group that plays aggressively, fast, with energy, and disciplinedly on the field. Their coaching staff clearly reflects this, keeping them prepared and showing that the players receive the message.

Louis Moore leads the DB room with four interceptions on the season. He'll be lined up against Maryland's top wideout. Amare Ferell has played great alongside Moore with three picks and five passing deflections. Linebackers Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy each have five sacks, leading the team. Jones has been everywhere, adding one interception, two pass breakups, two QB hits, and one forced fumble. Aiden Fisher, another linebacker, has 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, four QB hits, and a pick six (against UCLA last week). Their defensive linemen up front have gotten to the QB, with four guys having at least 2.5 sacks or more ( Kellan Wyatt, Tyrique Tucker, Mario Landino, and Stephen Daley).

Such a deep unit with a lit of depth that can provide production from anyone that they put out on the field.

What do the Terps need to do to play an upset?

Mike Locksley has a well-experienced staff around him, with limitless experience in both the college football scene and the NFL. These are the types of games you live for. Maryland is a heavy 21.5-point underdog going into this matchup.

You need to play in the moment; players can't try to be heroes and overamp themselves against a great program.

Taking care of the ball is key number one; you don't want to put Indiana in short-yardage situations and allow them to get going.

Control the clock and the flow of the game. Maryland's defense has been outstanding all season, and keeping the Hoosiers' offense at bay bodes well for them. However, going in a back-and-forth scenario is a lot to ask of this group. Establish the run and don't put all the pressure on young Washington's shoulders.

Please take advantage of opportunities when they come. This includes getting off the field on third downs, making big fourth-down stops, creating turnovers, and most importantly, holding on to leads when you gain them.

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