It was another shootout between Indiana and Maryland, and for the second year in a row the Hoosiers found a way to come out on top.
IU (5-2) beat the Terrapins (3-4) 34-28 in College Park, Maryland, giving the Hoosiers their first true road win of the season.
This was the sixth year in a row in which the Hoosiers and Terrapins would combine to score 50 or more points in a game and the fourth year in which the game was decided by six points or fewer.
Both offenses showcased their talents in the first half. There were 31 first downs converted (Indiana with 19 to Maryland’s 12) and 566 yards of total offense (Indiana with 327 to Maryland’s 239).
Indiana quarterback Michael Penix threw for 141 yards with a touchdown and interception before having to leave the game with an undisclosed injury.
Redshirt junior Peyton Ramsey picked up where Penix left off, producing 139 yards and a touchdown of his own in the second quarter alone.
Ramsey would finish 20 of 27 passing for 193 yards and a touchdown.
Indiana’s receiving core had a big game with nine different Hoosiers getting catches. Sophomore tight end Peyton Hendershot and senior wideout Nick Westbrook led the way with six catches apiece.
Westbrook and fellow senior wideout Donavan Hale each had touchdown grabs, with Westbrook making an impressive diving catch in the corner of the end zone on a 26-yard pass from Ramsey.
Indiana running back Stevie Scott had his second consecutive 100-yard game, finishing with 108 yards on 18 carries and two rushing touchdowns.
Maryland running back Javon Leake proved to be just as good on the ground, finishing the night with 158 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard touchdown run in the first half.
While both offenses put up big numbers in the first half, the second half was a different story.
Indiana and Maryland got a touchdown apiece to end the third quarter, keeping it a three-point game, 31-28 Indiana, going into the fourth.
Again both offenses struggled to get much going in the fourth, but with 3:50 left in the game Indiana sophomore defensive back Juwan Burgess came up with a fumble recovery after stripping Leake, giving Indiana the ball at Maryland’s 15-yard line.
After Logan Justus made a 34-yard field goal to put the Hoosiers up six, Maryland got the ball one last time with a chance to win the game.
On a first-and-ten from Indiana’s 42-yard line with 1:22 remaining, Pigrome threw a deep pass, but ended up overthrowing his receiver. The ball fell into the hands of Indiana sophomore defensive back Reese Taylor, sealing the win for the Hoosiers.
With the victory, Indiana is now only one win away from earning bowl eligibility for the first time in three seasons.
Indiana’s next game will again be on the road as the Hoosiers take on Nebraska (4-3) in Lincoln next Saturday.
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