How to Watch Indiana's Matchup Against Maryland on Saturday
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana kicks off the second half of the 2022 regular season with a home game against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday.
After starting the year 3-0, the Hoosiers have dropped three consecutive games to fall back to .500. Indiana was tied at halftime in its last two matchups with Nebraska and Michigan, but the Hoosiers were outscored 35-0 in the second half. Indiana generated five fourth quarter yards against Nebraska and -12 yards versus Michigan as quarterback Connor Bazelak faced constant pressure.
Maryland travels to Bloomington after a 31-29 home loss to Purdue where the Terrapins allowed two touchdowns in the final four minutes. Maryland is 4-2 on the year, and Indiana coach Tom Allen is preparing the Hoosiers to face a team full of playmakers.
"Always have had a lot of athletes, always have had a lot of speed," Allen said about. "One of the most athletic teams we play every year. That's never changed. That's still the case this year."
- *** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog. To read that story, CLICK HERE.
How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Maryland Terrapins
- Who: Indiana Hoosiers (3-3, lost 31-10 vs. Michigan in Week 5) vs. Maryland Terrapins (4-2, lost 31-29 vs. Purdue in Week 6)
- What: Indiana's second Big Ten East matchup.
- When: 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 15
- Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
- TV: ESPN2
- Announcers: Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline)
- Stream: Watch fuboTV
- Radio: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network, Sirius/Online: XM (134 or 195) // SXM App (957)
- Radio Announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Rhett Lewis (analyst), Joe Smith, John Herrick
- Point spread: Maryland is a 11-point favorite over Indiana, and the over/under is 62.5 points as of Saturday morning, according to the SIsportsbook.com website.
- Season totals: Indiana's 2022 regular season win total over/under was 4 prior to their 23-20 win over Illinois in Week 1, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Last season's records: Indiana was 2-10 overall with a 0-9 record in Big Ten play in 2021. Maryland was 7-6 with a 3-6 record in Big Ten play in 2021. The Terrapins defeated Virginia Tech 54-10 in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.
- Series history: Indiana leads the all-time series 7-3. Since joining the Big Ten, Maryland is 3-5 against Indiana with losses in three of the last four meetings.
- Last meeting: Maryland defeated Indiana 38-35 on Oct. 30, 2021 in College Park, Md. Donaven McCulley made his first-career start at quarterback for Indiana, and he threw for an Indiana true freshman record 242 yards on 14-of-25 passing with two touchdowns. Maryland started fast with two touchdowns on its first two drives, but Indiana stayed within striking distance all game. Two fourth quarter touchdown passes from McCulley to Hendershot made it a three-point game, but Indiana's comeback effort fell just short. With 106 yards against Maryland, Hendershot became Indiana's all-time leader in receiving yards by a tight end. Indiana running back Stephen Carr had the best game of his one-year Indiana career, rushing 21 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Safety Devon Matthews led Indiana with 12 tackles, and Micah McFadden and Weston Kramer each sacked Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. This was Indiana's second-highest scoring game of the 2021 season, but the Hoosiers couldn't stop Maryland through the air. Tagovailoa completed 26-of-40 pass attempts for 419 yards and two touchdowns. Carlos Carriere led Maryland with eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Indiana held Maryland to 79 rushing yards on 46 attempts, but running backs Challen Faamatau scored two touchdowns and Tayvon Fleet-Davis added one. This was Indiana's fourth consecutive loss in what became a eight-game losing streak to end the season.
- Coaches: Mike Locksley is in his fourth season as Maryland's head coach. He holds a 16-20 overall record with a 7-19 mark in Big Ten play and a 1-0 record in bowl games. Locksley previously coached at Maryland from 2012-15 as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, as well as from 1997-2002 as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. Most recently, Locksley moved from offensive analyst to wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator on Nick Saban's coaching staff at Alabama. His coaching career began at his alma mater, Towson, in 1992 as a defensive backs and special teams coach. Locksley played safety and was Towson's defensive MVP as a senior in 1991. Tom Allen is entering his sixth season as Indiana's head coach with a 29-35 overall record 16-30 record in Big Ten play. His 29 wins rank seventh among all-time Indiana football coaches, behind John Pont's 31 wins from 1965-72. Allen's 26 wins over his first five seasons were tied for the most by a Hoosier head coach with the program's all-time winningest coach, Bill Mallory. Allen was the 2020 AFCA National Coach of the Year. He is 0-3 in bowl games, most recently losing 26-20 to Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021.
- Weather: According to weather.com, at 3:30 p.m. ET in Bloomington, Ind. it's going to be 60 degrees and sunny with a 0 percent chance of rain and winds from the west at eight miles per hour.
Three things to watch from Indiana in Week 6
1. Disrupting, containing Taulia Tagovailoa
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa's has always been a versatile threat with natural athleticism and mobility, but he's taken his game to the next level with improved accuracy this season. He steadily increased his completion percentage from 61.5 as a freshman, to 69.2 last year and 74.1 in 2022, which ranks third among FBS quarterbacks. Indiana safety Devon Matthews faced Tagovailoa in 2020 and 2021, and shared his insight on the matchup.
"The key to defending him would be disguise," Matthews. "We gotta disguise our coverages very well because he kind of struggles in that aspect. Just keeping him in the pocket, don't let him move around too much."
Keep an eye on Indiana true freshman linebacker Dasan McCullough in this game. Indiana lines him up all over the field, and his sideline-to-sideline speed could help the Hoosiers bring pressure and keep Tagovailoa boxed in the pocket.
2. Any changes in offensive line play and personnel?
Tom Allen fired offensive line coach Darren Hiller after Michigan sacked Connor Bazelak seven times last week. Rod Carey is the new offensive line coach, and he spoke with brutal honesty that there might not be time to fix the ongoing offensive line issues.
Carey said his main focus with be fundamentals, but it will be interesting to see if he shakes up the offensive line personnel at all. Indiana has shuffled guys around this season as they continue to search for the best five offensive linemen. With Matthew Bedford out for the season, Parker Hanna has taken the majority of snaps at right tackle, but Josh Sales has rotated in at times. Tim Weaver and Khalil Benson split time at right guard recently, and Caleb Murphy made two starts at center when Zach Carpenter was out with a thumb injury. Carpenter moved to left guard when he returned, and Mike Katic took over at center.
It's unrealistic to expect drastic differences from this unit halfway through the season, but watch for any changes on Saturday with Carey taking over.
3. Pass-heavy offenses vs. vulnerable pass defenses
The SI Sportsbook is predicting a high-scoring affair with the over/under set at 62 points. This game features two defenses ranked second and third in the Big Ten in most passing yards allowed per game. Indiana has had trouble containing explosive plays through the air, allowing seven passing touchdowns of 25-plus yards from Weeks 3 to 5.
The Hoosiers could also be without starting cornerback Jaylin Williams, who is dealing with a shoulder injury and did not play against Michigan. Maryland has a deep receiving corps full of speed, headlined by Rakim Jarrett, Jeshaun Jones, Jacob Copeland and Dontay Demus Jr.
For Indiana, wide receiver D.J. Matthews has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Allen said he is "definitely making progress," but remains a game-time decision. If they have any hope of keeping up with Maryland's high-powered offense, they'll need their big-play threat Matthews in this game. Also watch for Jaylin Lucas to be featured more this week after four carries for 45 yards and three catches for 20 yards against Michigan.
Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak leads the nation with 295 pass attempts, and he has a favorable matchup against a Maryland defense ranked 21st in passing yards allowed per game among FBS teams.
Related stories on Indiana football:
- MATT HOHLT CARVING OUT ROLE ON IU DEFENSE: Matt Hohlt joined Indiana as a walk-on last season, but he's made a strong impression on coach Tom Allen and defensive coordinator Chad Wilt. With the loss of linebacker Cam Jones, Hohlt, along with Aaron Casey and Bradley Jennings Jr., will be counted on as the season moves on. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 7 DEPTH CHART, INJURY NOTES: Heading into a Week 7 matchup with Maryland, Indiana football is dealing with injuries to key players Cam Jones, AJ Barner, D.J. Matthews and Jaylin Williams. CLICK HERE
- MARYLAND'S KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: Maryland travels to Indiana for a Week 7 matchup at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Terrapins are led by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who is second in the Big Ten with 1,731 passing yards. CLICK HERE
- MIKE LOCKSLEY PREVIEWS INDIANA: Maryland football coach Mike Locksley anticipates a fast-paced offense and a blitz-heavy defense when the Terrapins travel to Indiana in Week 7. CLICK HERE