Hoosier Daily, Nov. 11: What They're Saying About Maryland Win
Indiana picked up win No. 5 on the season with a narrow 34-32 victory over Maryland on Saturday.
In today's daily newsstand, TheHoosier.com looks at what media members are saying from both sides the day after the game, followed by our usual Hoosier Daily features.
Tweets of the Day
What They're Saying
Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star: Three reasons IU beat Maryland
Just bend enough, don't break defense.
It started in the first quarter, when Maryland's potent rushing attack — which amassed 353 yards by day's end — pushed deep into the red zone twice. IU's defense held, forced a couple field goals and kept the game within one score as the Hoosiers' offense tried to find its footing.
It continued in the second quarter. After Ramsey threw a regrettable interception that gave the Terrapins the ball at their own 45 yard line, Maryland drove to IU's 14 yard-line before again having to kick a field goal. Maryland also had to kick a field goal in the fourth quarter when it needed a touchdown and 2-point conversion to tie IU at 31.
IU did force four turnovers, including the game-clinching fumble late in the fourth quarter that allowed the Hoosiers to ice the game on offense. But the fact it could keep the Terrapins out of the end zone the majority of the time Maryland drives went well proved critical. Just last week IU forced four turnovers against Minnesota and still lost.
Mike Miller, HSR: Field goal a good call for Allen, IU
Tom Allen had a decision to make.
With two minutes and 37 seconds remaining in Saturday’s win over Maryland, he called time out to talk it over.
Trailing by a point and facing fourth-and-one at the Terps’ 24-yard line, the Hoosiers had options.
They could’ve sent the offense back with instructions for a hard count, trying to draw Maryland’s defense offsides. Then again, Indiana tried exactly that in its Oct. 20 loss to Penn State when a miscommunication led to a ball that shouldn’t have been snapped, blowing IU’s opportunity to claim points on fourth down.
“You know what?” Allen said. “I learned my lesson on that one. I wasn’t going to put ourselves in that position at all.”
The Hoosiers also could’ve simply tried to run a play and kept the drive going. Then again, Allen seems to trust kicker Logan Justus inside of 45 yards, and facing a 42-yard try with the game on the line, the IU coach decided to put the game on Justus’ foot rather than prolonging the drive.
“It was discussed and I said, ‘No, we’re not doing it, we’re kicking the field goal,'” Allen said. “And that’s what we did. I wanted to run as much of the clock off as we could. That’s why we the took the time out there. Because I knew they were going to get the ball. I was expecting us to make it.”
Murphy Wheeler, IDS: Three takeaways from IU footballs victory over Maryland
2. IU’s offense took some risks and they paid off.
The Hoosiers took a surprisingly aggressive offensive approach in Saturday's game, throwing the ball downfield due to the struggles of Maryland's secondary to stay out of penalty trouble.
Sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey had one of his most productive outings of the season, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns and connecting with wide receivers on multiple deep throws. The likes of senior Luke Timian, juniors Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale and sophomore Ty Fryfogle all found success hauling in Ramsey's downfield passes.
“They were just giving us those downfield throws,” Ramsey said. “For me, it was just a matter of letting Donavan, Nick and Ty to go make plays and they did a really good job today.”
But Allen said that aggressiveness was by design as he wanted his team to come into the contest with a heightened attacking mindset, compared to usual.
“I don't want to coach cautious. I don't want to coach conservative,” Allen said. “I just want to be more aggressive. I just think that's how you win.”
Emily Giambalvo, Washington Post: For Maryland football, loss to Indiana hurts in more ways than one
After trailing by 16 points in the third quarter, primarily thanks to a multitude of turnovers, the Maryland Terrapins climbed back ahead of Indiana with their best chance to secure bowl eligibility on the line.
Backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome, filling in for an injured Kasim Hill, led the offense down the field to score and take a one-point lead with 4:54 left in the game. But Indiana responded with a field goal, giving the Terps 2:32 to attempt a game-winning drive.
“Felt like we were going to win,” said Matt Canada, Maryland’s interim head coach and offensive coordinator.
But the game was decided by yet another Maryland turnover, this one with 52 seconds left. Pigrome, who had been throwing accurate passes to keep Maryland in the game, fumbled near midfield to seal a 34-32 defeat. The Terps still have not won a Big Ten road game since September 2017.
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