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    IU football game day: Indiana at Maryland primer and prediction

    Mike SchumannBy IU Football No Comments
    Photo credit IU Athletics

    Indiana must chart its path to the Big Ten title game on the road.

    The first of three road games to finish out the final four regular season contests comes against a familiar foe.  IU and Maryland have met every year since 2014, and it’s been a back-and-forth series.

    The Hoosiers arrive in College Park as big favorites with big dreams.  But the Terps shouldn’t be taken lightly.

    Here’s everything you need to know about Indiana’s week ten matchup against Maryland in College Park.

    No. 2 INDIANA (8-0, 5-0) at MARYLAND (4-3, 1-3)

    • Kickoff:  3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
    • Location:  College Park, Md.; SECU Stadium (46,185; field turf)
    • Television:  Brad Nessler (pbp), Gary Danielson (color), Jenny Dell (sideline)
    • Stream:  CBS Sports
    • Radio:  IU Football radio network
    • Odds:  Indiana is around a 21.5-point favorite
    • Weather at kickoff:  62 degrees, partly cloudy, wind 9 mph, 0% chance of precipitation.
    • Series:  IU leads the series 8-5.
    • Tickets:  Use our StubHub affiliate link
    • The Coaches:
      • Curt Cignetti is in his second year as the head coach at IU.  He holds a 138-37 record in his 15th season as a college head coach.  He’s 19-2 at Indiana.
      • Mike Locksley is in his seventh season as head coach of the Terps.  He’s 37-44 at Maryland, and 39-70 in 10 total seasons as a head coach.

    TALE OF THE TAPE 

    THE COMPLETE BIG TEN WEEK TEN SLATE

    Image

    MARYLAND RESULTS

    Aug. 30 FLORIDA ATLANTIC W, 39-7
    Sept. 5 NORTHERN ILLINOIS W, 20-9
    Sept.13 TOWSON W, 44-17
    Sept. 20 at Wisconsin W, 27-10
    Oct. 4 WASHINGTON L, 20-24
    Oct. 11 NEBRASKA L, 31-34
    Oct. 18 at UCLA L, 17-20

    MARYLAND NOTES AND NUMBERS

    (Via Maryland Athletics)

    103rd HOMECOMING
    • Saturday’s game will be Maryland’s 103rd homecoming game. The Terps have an all-time record of 62-36-4 in homecoming games.
    • The Terps have won four of their past five and seven of their last nine homecoming games, with wins against Purdue (2016), Indiana (2017 & 2021), Rutgers (2018), Minnesota (2020), Northwestern (2022) and USC (2024) in that span.

    Among the Best in the Big Ten and Nationally

    • Maryland’s secondary has been dominant, leading the Big Ten and ranking second in the nation with 14 interceptions through seven games, only trailing Southern Miss with 15 who played 8 games.
    • Maryland leads the FBS with a +1.57 turnover differential. The Terps have forced 16 opponent turnovers, while only committing five turnovers.
    • The Terps offensive line has allowed just three sacks this season, the third fewest nationally and tied with Ohio State for the best in the Big Ten. Maryland’s offensive line had a season-best 94.3 pass blocking grade against UCLA, according to PFF.
    • Maryland is one of only two Big Ten teams and one of four FBS teams that have yet to allow a score on an opponent’s opening drive (Nebraska, UCF, and Texas Tech).
    • The Terps rank sixth in the Big Ten and 18th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 17.3 points per game.
    • Maryland has has just 34 negative plays on offense this season, the fourth fewest in the Big Ten.
    • Maryland’s red zone defense has been among the most effective in the country, ranking third in the Big Ten and 19th nationally with a .762 opponent success rate.
    • On third down, the Terps are holding opponents to just a 31.4% conversion rate, which ranks third in the Big Ten and 18th in the FBS.
    • Through his first seven career games, QB Malik Washington has thrown for 1,716 passing yards, the third-most by any Power Conference true freshman since 2018.
    • Among 2025 true freshmen nationally, Washington ranks:
      • 2nd in passing yards (1,716)
      • 2nd in completions (160)
      • Tied for 1st in passing touchdowns (11)
      • 3rd in total touchdowns (14)
    • Maryland has 22 sacks on the season. The number ranks third in the Big Ten (behind Indiana and Minnesota who have both played eight games) and 17th in the FBS.
    • Maryland is averaging 3.33 sacks per game this season after averaging 1.17 per contest in 2024. This improvement of 2.16 sacks per game from last season to this season is the second largest of any FBS team (Western Michigan, +2.54).
    • Freshman Sidney Stewart has 5.5 sacks on the season with at least a half-sack in six of seven games. Stewart is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in sacks per game and 19th nationally, with .79.

    MORE COVERAGE

    PREDICTIONS

    Maryland’s defense has been respectable for most of the season, and Terps will stall Indiana’s offense at times.

    But Indiana’s defense and special teams rise to the action, and the Hoosiers pull away.

    The undefeated dream rolls on.

    TDH PREDICTION:  INDIANA 34 MARYLAND 10

    • ESPN SP+ (Computer):  Indiana 32 UCLA 16 (84% win probability for IU)
    • ESPN FPI (Computer):  Indiana has a 90.4% chance to win.

    For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.

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