Hoosiers Throttle Terrapins
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Slow start?
No problem.
Big finish?
Absolutely.
Dominating defense?
Did you expect anything less from No. 2/2 Indiana, which rolled to a 55-10 victory over Maryland Saturday afternoon.
The Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) have a half-game lead over top-ranked Ohio State in the conference race.
Their defense forced five turnovers and held the Terrapins to just 37 rushing yards. That’s eight-straight opponents that haven’t rushed for 100 yards against IU, tying a program record.
“It’s hard to win on the road,” head coach Curt Cignetti told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the post-game radio show. “It was (Maryland’s) Homecoming, a soldout crowd. They had a week off.
“They made a big play early with an interception and our defense did a great job to hold them to a field goal. Then the offense got rolling a little bit.
“The bottom line is this – (Maryland was) No. 1 in the country in turnover ratio, and our defense created five turnovers. Offensively, we rushed for 367 yards. So, it was a dominant win. There will be a lot of smiling faces on the plane ride back home.”
IU’s next-man-up approach saw linebacker Kaiden Turner and receiver Charlie Becker deliver key first-half plays. Turner, who had an interception, was in for the injured Aiden Fisher. Becker, who had a 52-yard reception, replaced Elijah Sarratt, who left the game after just a few plays with a tight hamstring.
Turner was later sidelined by a strained calf.
Cignetti told Fischer IU had some players “nicked up,” but we didn’t have any significant injuries.”
Through it all, the Hoosiers’ play never suffered.
“That’s a testament to Coach Cignetti and the way they run the program,” running back Roman Hemby told Fischer. “We have a next-man-up mentality. Everybody knows the main goal and comes out and executes. We’ll have those guys get back healthy.”
IU’s first two offensive possessions generated an interception, a sack, a tackle for loss, a shanked punt, and minus-six yards.
Then the Hoosiers found their groove, scoring 20-straight points on four consecutive drives, and scored on eight-straight drives overall. A 21-point third quarter ended any hopes of a Maryland (4-4, 1-4) upset.
Even without offensive lineman Drew Evans because of injury (he’s only allowed four quarterback pressures all season), IU ran for 367 yards and passed for 221.
Kaelon Black led with 110 rushing yards and a touchdown. Hemby had 88 and a TD. Khobie Martin added 80 yards and a touchdown.
“We have a great running back room,” Hemby told Fischer. “We have a lot of guys who come to practice and work to get better. We were able to put it on the field.”
It was a homecoming for Hemby, who played three years at Maryland and earned his bachelor’s degree there.
“This was very special to me,” he told Fischer. “To have my family come out and to have a win was special. I hugged around 40 people.
“It was a great moment to see those guys. Everything happens so fast. We’re all trying to chase that goal.”
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 14-of-21 passes for 201 yards, one touchdown and one interception in just over three quarters. Alberto Mendoza was 2-for-2 for 20 yards and a TD. He also had a 53-yard run.
Receiver Omar Cooper Jr. had seven catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
“I’m impressed with the way our guys listen to the message and play the way we want them to play,” Cignetti told Fischer. “That’s a big part of it. Tomorrow is a new day. Everything is earned; nothing is given.”
As for the way the defense set the early tone when the offense struggled, Hemby told Fischer, “Hats off to them. They helped us when we were struggling. We picked up the slack and worked together in the second half.
“Great teams pride themselves on being balanced. The defense kept us in the game early. We got it on the back end.”
Mendoza’s interception on IU’s third play of the game led to a Maryland field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Then the Hoosiers took charge.
Mendoza passes of 22 and 11 yards to Cooper Jr., and his own 18-yard run set up his seven-yard touchdown run for a 7-3 Hoosier lead late in the first quarter. That capped a 13-play, 93-yard drive.
Turner’s second-quarter interception, set up by pressure from defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, ignited another scoring drive highlighted by Becker’s 52-yard catch-and-run play. A Nico Radicic field goal made it 10-3 early in the second quarter.
Safety Louis Moore’s interception led to Mendoza’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Jr. for a 17-3 lead. Radicic’s 46-yard field goal (tying his career best) made it a 20-3 halftime score.
Maryland opened the second half with a touchdown to cut the lead to 10 points. IU responded with Black’s 31-yard TD run to make it 27-10.
Then safety Devan Boykin forced and recovered a fumble and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown and a 34-10 third-quarter score. Safety Bryon Baldwin Jr. forced and recovered a fumble to set up Hemby’s 16-yard touchdown run to make it 41-10.
Alberto Mendoza’s six-yard TD pass to Jonathan Brady pushed IU ahead 48-10. Martin’s one-yard touchdown run finished the scoring.
IU heads to Penn State (3-5, 0-5) next Saturday.
“I’ve been to Happy Valley,” Hemby told Fischer. “I know what the environment is like. I know we have to be ready. We’ll dive into the film. We have our work cut out for us. We’ll figure out what will help us be successful.”