Time to pack the rock
Indiana will have its first home Big Ten game of the Curt Cignetti era as a 3-1 (0-1) Maryland squad comes to the rock. The Hoosiers open as seven point favorites – more than they were favored by against UCLA – but by all accounts should face their first real test of the season.
Coming into this game, there’s going to be a lot of hype surrounding the quarterback matchup. Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke and Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr. have both eclipsed the 1000 yard mark four games into the season with eight touchdowns a piece.
Hype aside, Rourke is a cut above Edwards Jr., who has thrown two picks this year and has a QBR almost twenty points lower than the Hoosier signal caller. Their real weapon has been Tai Felton, who accounts for more than 50% of the Terps’ receiving touchdowns.
The Felton-Edwards connection will be especially interesting to watch against an Indiana defense that has yet to give up more than 200 passing yards in a game this season. The unit looked vulnerable last week against Charlotte, but that was in large part due to the 49ers’ willingness to run the ball.
Maryland also has a solid running attack in Roman Hemby, Nolan Ray, and Colby McDonald. The trio have combined for four touchdowns on the season, with each of the three averaging at least four yards per carry.
Indiana will have to be ready for Maryland’s talent at the top of the depth chart, but have less to worry about after the top line. While six Hoosiers have caught touchdowns this year, only four Terps have. Indiana has seven players with a rushing touchdown versus Maryland’s five.
I bring this up because it should be easier for Cignetti to scout Maryland than it will be for Maryland to scout Indiana.
Even with the 3-1 start this season, Mike Locksley sits two games below .500 in his tenure at Maryland. In five seasons at the helm of a Big Ten East team, he never finished better than .500 or in the top half of the division.
This will be Indiana’s first home game against a Power Five opponent under Curt Cignetti. There is no excuse for Memorial Stadium to be empty.
Reader, if it is feasible for you, I beg you to pack the rock. This is no longer an Indiana team that needs a home crowd and some funky luck to beat a team like Maryland, and for that reason they deserve the full support of the Bloomington faithful.
We might learn something about Indiana’s defense this week, but Maryland’s offense is far from infallible and we have yet to see a defense that can slow down Kurtis Rourke. If everything goes according to plan, Indiana will be one win away from bowl eligibility by Sunday.