With college football season starting to creep up, we’re running down Indiana’s schedule to preview all 12 opponents for 2025.
IU starts off November with a road game at Maryland. The last time these two teams played in College Park, in 2023, Indiana fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell the next day after a brutal performance. But the two programs went opposite directions in 2024; Curt Cignetti took the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff, while Mike Locksley’s Terps suffered their worst season in four years.
- Opponent: Maryland
- Date/Time/TV: Saturday, November 1, time TBD
- Location: SECU Stadium, College Park, Md.
- 2024 record/postseason result: 4-8, 1-8 Big Ten
Returning production, offense: 39 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (112th in the country)
Offensive outlook: Maryland’s offense ranked 67th in the country with 386.1 yards of total offense per game. The passing offense was strong, at 275.7 yards per game (17th in the nation, third in the Big Ten). But the rushing offense struggled to just 110.4 yards per game (116th in the nation, 16th in the Big Ten).
However, the Terps’ offense will have a lot of new faces this year, both on the field and on the coaching staff. Pep Hamilton is replacing Josh Gattis as UMD’s offensive coordinator this season. The team also lost a lot of key players to graduation and transfers, like quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., running back Roman Hemby, and wide receivers Tai Felton and Kaden Prather.
The player turnover starts at quarterback, where either four-star freshman Malik Washington or UCLA transfer Justyn Martin will take the reins. Martin played very sparingly for the Bruins last season; Washington was the fifth-best quarterback in the class of 2025, per 247Sports, and has potential as a dual-threat playmaker.
Senior Octavian Smith Jr. has flashed some potential at receiver in smaller roles during his career, but he’ll have more responsibility this year. Redshirt senior Jalil Farooq (Oklahoma) and redshirt junior Kaleb Webb (Tennessee) both transferred in this year at wideout, though with little production to their names. Redshirt sophomore tight end Dorian Fleming is a name to watch in the passing game; he was second on Georgia State last year with 588 yards on 49 catches with six touchdowns.
Redshirt sophomore Nolan Ray appears the favorite to step up at running back with Hemby at IU now. Locksley didn’t replace Hemby in the portal, so the Terps will go with internal options. Ray averaged 4.99 yards per carry last season with two touchdowns.
Maryland’s offensive line was a major weakness in 2024, finishing with the second-lowest run-blocking and pass-blocking grades in the country on Pro Football Focus. Two starters return from that group. The Terps will hope four-star transfer pickup Rahtrel Perry (Central Connecticut State) can help improve the line play.
Returning production, defense: 46 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (92nd in the country)
Defensive outlook: Maryland has a new defensive coordinator as well, hiring North Carolina defensive line coach Ted Monachino. The Terps allowed 378.1 yards per game last season, good for 79th in the country but 16th in the Big Ten. They totaled just 14 sacks as a team last year, tied for the fourth-worst mark in FBS and the lowest in the conference.
Just two main starters return from that unit, though, with several transfers and graduations on defense. Maryland’s leader in tackles for loss last season, Kellan Wyatt, joined Hemby in transferring to Indiana. One of the team’s returnees, safety Jalen Huskey, tied for the team lead with three interceptions last year.
UMD added some potentially key pieces from the portal. 247Sports rated Wake Forest transfer Jamare Glasker as a four-star portal recruit, and defensive tackle Cam Rice recorded 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and five QB hurries last season at Ohio.
The Terps will also be looking at some younger players to step up in bigger roles this year. Linebackers Daniel Wingate (6.5 TFLs) and DJ Samuels (six TFLs) are candidates.
Special teams outlook: Redshirt junior Bryce McFerson returns at punter; he ranked third in the Big Ten by averaging 45.1 yards per punt last year. UMD’s starting kicker from 2024, Jack Howes, transferred out in the offseason. Redshirt junior Gavin Marshall is set to take over; he went 0 for 2 on field-goal attempts last season. Maryland got very little out of the return game last year, so the team could go with different options in 2025.
Overall Outlook: This is an important year for Locksley in College Park. The Terps have a new athletic director, and their fans saw Indiana’s surge last season and wondered why their program can’t make the same leap. But their team has a lot of question marks and areas for improvement. Much will depend on quarterback play, as always; but Maryland needs a lot to break right to stay competitive this season, even with a manageable Big Ten schedule. If things go sideways early, Locksley’s seat could heat up quickly.
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