#2 Excel H Sports Ranked Hoosiers Turn Over the Terrapins  

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

   #2 Excel H Sports Ranked Indiana Hoosiers forced five Maryland turnovers as the Hoosiers controlled the Maryland Terrapins 55-10 Saturday Afternoon at Sold-Out SECU Stadium in College Park Maryland. Indiana improves to 9-0 and 6-0 in the Big Ten and will travel to Penn State Next Saturday to face a Nittany Lions team that lost fifth straight game on Saturday losing at top ranked Ohio State 38-14.

   The Hoosiers are 9-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history and it’s the four time that Hoosiers have won 9 games in a season along with 1945 and 1967. The Hoosiers achieved six Big Ten Conference wins for the second year in a row and the fifth time in program history to go with 1967, 1987 and 2020.

   Maryland falls to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten and have dropped four in a row. Indiana is now 9-5 all-time against Maryland and 7-5 since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014. The Hoosiers have won two in a row against Maryland, and this is the largest margin of victory for the Hoosiers since they beat Maryland 47-28 in College Park in 2015. This is the first win in College Park for the Hoosiers since a 34-28 victory on October 19 ,2019. Indiana is 3-3 all-time in College Park.

    The Hoosiers started out slowly as on the third play from scrimmage Fernando Mendoza was picked off by Jamare Glasker. Maryland scored a 24-yard field goal by Sean O’Haire with 12:04 left in the first quarter to make it 3-0. Indiana ran 3 plays for (-16) yards and had to punt deep in their own territory. Indiana scored on the next four drives to close out the first half leading 20-3 at halftime.

   Fernando Mendoza scored on a 7-yard rushing touchdown with 2:18 in the first quarter to make it 7-3 Hoosiers. Nico Radicic added a 20-yard field goal with 10:35 left in the second quarter to make it 10-3. Mendoza threw his first touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. for 22 yards to make it 17-3 with 5:01 left in the second quarter. Radicic added a 46-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the second quarter to make it 20-3 heading to the locker room.

   Maryland’s Malik Washington was picked off twice by Kaiden Turner and Louis Moore and punted three times in the first half. Maryland responded in the third quarter when Washington found DeJuan Williams on a 55-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-10 with 13:10 left in the third quarter. Indiana controlled the rest of the game, scoring five touchdowns, shutting out the Terrapins 35-0 the rest of the way.

   Kaelon Black took it 31 yards to the house to make 26-10 with 9:59 left in the third quarter. Malik Washington was stripped by Devan Boykin who took it 32 yards to the house for a Hoosiers defensive touchdown to make it 33-10 with 8:57 left in the third quarter. Indiana added another score a minute and twelve seconds later when Roman Hemby found the end zone on a 16-yard run against his former team to make it 41-10 Hoosiers. Indiana added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Alberto Mendoza found Johnathan Brady on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 11:30 left in the fourth quarter and Khobie Martin added a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:17 to seal the deal for the Hoosiers.

    Indiana is 20-2 under Curt Cignetti and has outscored the opposition 923-97 in 20 wins and 418-97 in 9 games this season. The Hoosiers have won 18 of their 20 games by double digits. Indiana is 14-1 in the Big Ten and has won 12 of them by double digits. The Hoosiers are 14-0 and will have one more home game in two weeks against Wisconsin.

Fernando Mendoza was 14-21 for 201 yards 1 touchdown, 1 interception and sacked 1 time along with 4 carries for 24 yards and a rushing touchdown. Alberto Mendoza was 2-2 for 20 yards and a touchdown. Omar Cooper Jr. caught 7 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Elijah Sarratt did not have a reception and was taken out of the game twice due to injury. It is the first time in his college career that he has not caught a pass and ended a 46 game consecutive games streak with at least one reception.

   Kaelon Black ran 14 times for 110 yards and Roman Hemby carried the ball 18 times for 88 yards and a touchdown as the Hoosiers racked up 588 yards in 75 plays and dominated Maryland on the ground 367-37. Malik Washington finished 16-31 for 242 yards with a 1 touchdown pass and 2 interceptions. Khristian Martin completed both his passes for 14 yards. DeJuan Williams caught 4 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown pass. Maryland struggled in the running attack as Iverson Howard was the leading rusher with 12 yards on 4 carries.

   Indiana was without Offensive Lineman, Drew Evans and Kicker Brendan Franke with injuries. Linebacker Aiden Fisher was questionable coming into the game and went through warmups after suffering a knee injury last week against UCLA and did not play. No matter what the injuries are and who cannot play the Hoosiers have the next man up mentality and they are able to fill the gaps that are necessary to not only win but win going away.

   Three more games are left in the regular season for the Hoosiers at Penn State, Wisconsin at home and at Purdue and Hoosiers and Ohio State are on a collision course for the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the only thing that will slow down Indiana is Indiana.