Likes, dislikes from Indiana football's win at Maryland: Injuries aside, a CFP berth likely secured
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Indiana cruised through some sloppiness early for a comfortable 55-10 win at Maryland on Saturday, keeping Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers perfect as the calendar turns to November.
Injuries will have worried Cignetti more than anything else that happened on the field.
Here is what I liked, disliked, and what the game means.
What I liked from IU football's win at Maryland
- Indiana's pass rush. Not many had been able to affect Malik Washington this season, but the Maryland freshman clearly felt hassled in the first half. IU mixed and disguised its pressures well, leaving Washington nervous in the pocket and struggling for rhythm. Terps coach Mike Locksley admitted at halftime his rookie signal caller was struggling, with two interceptions in 30 minutes having thrown just three all season prior to Saturday.
- Opportunism. Indiana turned those giveaways into points with ruthless efficiency Saturday. The Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) scored 10 first-half points on those two Washington interceptions, before Devan Boykin stripped the freshman on a third-and-short quarterback keeper in the third quarter then scooped the loose ball up and ran in a 32-yard touchdown. IU turned another fumble into a touchdown a few minutes later, eventually finishing with 24 points off five turnovers for the afternoon — the last of which led to a kneel down.
- Ground game. On an afternoon when Indiana was happy to shorten yet another comfortable victory, Roman Hemby, Kaelon Black, Khobie Martin and Solomon Vanhorse combined to give the Hoosiers a healthy rushing attack. Including Fernando Mendoza's 24 yards rushing, the Hoosiers finished with 367 as a team. Mendoza's Heisman campaign might suffer for opportunity as much as anything at this point. IU can just bleed teams dry on the ground.
- Traveling crowd. Word got out late in the week out here that this game had sold out. The suspicion was that IU fans in the D.C., Philadelphia and New York areas filtered in via train to make SECU Stadium a home away from home for the Hoosiers, and as the deficit ballooned in the third quarter, so it proved. By game's end, the majority of the few thousand fans in the stands wore Indiana crimson, not the red of Maryland (4-4, 1-4).
What I disliked in IU football's win at Maryland
- Mounting injuries. Already down two starters — linebacker Aiden Fisher (was listed questionable) and left guard Drew Evans (unexpected) — IU got more bad news as Saturday wore on. Elijah Sarratt was lost early for precautionary reasons, CBS reported, his 46-game streak with at least one catch finally interrupted. Kaiden Turner, who intercepted a pass in relief of the absent Fisher, appeared to injure his calf. And right tackle Kahlil Benson spent portions of both halves visibly hobbled by an ankle injury. Like most teams, Indiana can't afford to stress its depth too much. The Hoosiers need their injury luck back.
- Tipped passes. We're nitpicking here, admittedly. But Fernando Mendoza had a handful of passes batted at the line Saturday, particularly in the first half, as Maryland's pass rush gained more ground than most do. With Penn State next week (and Ohio State potentially on the horizon), Cignetti might want to see some of that cleaned up next week.
What IU football's win at Maryland means
Did Indiana informally punch its College Football Playoff ticket Saturday? Cignetti certainly won't say so, and he won't let his team think so. But with a loss to spend, and three games left in which they'll be comfortably favored, the Hoosiers have certainly at least cleared the road back to the 12-team field.
On yet another day when it felt like IU showed just enough vulnerability to feel something approaching peril, the Hoosiers once again steamrolled an outmatched conference opponent. The various ways this team can not just win games, but win them dominantly, is so impressive.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana football score today vs Maryland, stats, likes, dislikes, injuries
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