Maryland football trampled in 55-10 loss to No. 2 Indiana

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins

For a few minutes, Maryland fans had hope. 

Cornerback Jamare Glasker picked off Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza on the Hoosiers’ opening drive, and after the Terps picked up a field goal, the defense forced a three-and-out deep in Indiana territory, giving Maryland great field position for its second drive. 

However, for the next 50 or so minutes, there wasn’t much else for Terps fans to cheer about. The Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) dominated Maryland (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten), piling on the points in a 55 – 10 victory. 

“I didn’t coach us very well,” coach Mike Locksley said following the game. “We got to do a better job when we get those opportunities. I mean, I can’t say it enough, but we have had opportunities to seize momentum, to maybe put out people when we start the game.”

Indiana’s rushing attack was unrelenting. The two-headed monster of Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black ran all over the Terps – the two combined for 198 yards and two touchdowns on 32 attempts. 

Maryland’s run game, after back-to-back weeks of over 100 ground yards, disappeared. 

The Terps had two total rushing yards in the first half on five attempts, good for a brutal average of .4 yards per carry. Maryland would finish the game with 37 rushing yards on 17 attempts – both season lows. 

Running back DeJuan Williams wasn’t able to produce on the ground, but he showcased his receiving ability against the Hoosiers. The redshirt freshman finished as Maryland’s leading receiver for the second straight week, with four receptions for 78 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown off a beautiful touch pass. 

Malik Washington has done many things well in his first year of college football – limiting errors had been one of his strengths. Coming into Saturday, the true freshman quarterback only had three interceptions on the season, with two coming in Big Ten play. 

That conference play number doubled against the Hoosiers. 

Washington’s first pick went straight to Indiana linebacker Kaiden Turner, who showed blitz and then dropped back into coverage. His second came on a deep ball to wide receiver Kaleb Webb. Hoosier defensive back Louis Moore beautifully timed his jump to high point the ball and catch it over the Terps receiver. 

“I think, you know, today, we kind of tried to force the issue a little bit,” Washington said. “I’ll take that on myself.”

Outside of the interception, Mendoza orchestrated a clean game for Indiana’s offense. The junior finished the game 14-for-21, with 201 passing yards and a touchdown. He also picked up a rushing touchdown and had 32 yards on the ground on four attempts. 

One of the lone bright spots for Maryland was its offensive line. Indiana entered Saturday’s game leading the conference in sacks with 29, but the Terps were able to keep Washington safe for the most part – the Hoosiers didn’t pick up a sack and were credited with only one QB hurry. 

The Terps have now lost four straight, and Locksley is 0-11 as Maryland head coach coming off a bye week. Next week’s matchup against Rutgers will be a chance for Maryland to right the ship – the Scarlet Knights are 4-5 and 1-5 in conference play.