Indiana traveled to Maryland on Saturday looking to earn its first conference road win of the season and even up its Big Ten record at 2-2. Despite losses at offensive line and an injury to Mike Penix in the first half, Indiana was able to leave College Park with a 34-28 win.

These are points that made a difference in the game Saturday.

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Mike Penix had already missed games earlier in the season – namely the Ohio State loss – because of an undisclosed injury, and, despite being diagnosed with no pain by head coach Tom Allen after the win against Rutgers, had shown signs of pain after some hits. Those hits finally took him off the field again Saturday against Maryland, after he lowered his shoulder into the chest of a Maryland linebacker. Peyton Ramsey entered the game in the second quarter and threw for 139 yards before halftime.

Despite the good numbers, Ramsey missed tight end Matt Bjorson in the endzone on a poor pass, and the offense, which was running on all cylinders dating back to the Michigan State loss in East Lansing, looked at a loss in some areas with Ramsey under center.

Penix wouldn't return for the rest of the game, and while Ramsey passed for ___ yards in the second half, the threat of the deep pass, which had been part of the initial gameplan Saturday, was not there. Stevie Scott and the run game was relied on much more than it was when Penix was the leading rusher in the first quarter.

Ramsey finished his day 20-of-27 with 193 yards and a touchdown.

Indiana replaced four of five starters in the secondary heading into the game Saturday. Tom Allen told the media Thursday that, while defensive backs are frequently rotated in and snap counts wouldn't change much, there was a specific message he wanted to send to the veteran players in the secondary.

When it came to translating the changes to the field, no player in the secondary appeared to be locked in, as Maryland running back Javon Leake broke open a 60-yard touchdown run and Maryland sophomore receiver Dontay Demus caught a 40-yard pass on Raheem Layne then burned fifth-year senior Andre Brown on a simple route in the endzone.

Maryland backup quarterback, who is in his fourth year at Maryland, has never been known for his passing, but by halftime, he had thrown 8-of-10 for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Those woes continued after two solid drives by the defense in the second half, when Demus caught a 21-yard pass on third-and-long and tight end Tyler Mabry was left wide open along the sideline for 52 yards and, eventually, a touchdown – scored by Javon Leake.

Two of few consistent playmakers in the secondary against Maryland were Juwan Burgess, who worked well in run-stoppage, and Reese Taylor, and both players made significant plays late in the game. Burgess forced and recovered a fumble on the 16-yard line on Maryland's second-to-last drive, and Taylor intercepted an errant pass to end Maryland's final drive.

Maryland has been one of the most inconsistent teams in the country, but it has averaged 5.5 yards per play and relies on big plays, particularly big plays on the ground, to fuel its offense.

The Indiana defense allowed a 60-yard score by Javon Leake in the first half, but after that carry, limited the big plays on the ground. It was the big plays through the air – a 21-yard third-down conversion, a 52-yard pass to the one-yard line and a 40-yard pass to Dontay Demus that led to a 14-yard touchdown to Demus – that allowed Maryland to remain close when the IU offense was finding success early on.

Maryland averaged 6.0 yards per play against Indiana.

It took some time, but sophomore running back Stevie Scott found a way to continue the success on the ground that he'd been building since finding space against a top-five rushing defense in Michigan State and then having a career day against Rutgers.

After just 12 yards on the ground in the first half, Scott broke open runs of 34, 27 and 10 yards in the third quarter and scored his second touchdown of the game.

He finished his day with 108 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

When the offense seemed out of sync, Scott was the constant catalyst, as he put those concerns about the run game from the beginning of the season further into the past.

The offensive line, which was down two seniors – Coy Cronk and Hunter Littlejohn – got an impressive amount of push at the line all game and led to much of the offense's success. Indiana gained 520 total yards on offense.

Tight end Peyton Hendershot was bound to have a good day based on the matchup, as Maryland is vulnerable against tight ends, and that's what he did – – but Nick Westbrook had a big day as well.

The senior had not had a game with more than three catches in 2019, and his 75-yard touchdown catch in the season-opener stood out among any play he'd made this season. But Westbrook found his way to relevance in the passing game once Ramsey entered the game, and by halftime, he had five catches for 50 yards and a diving touchdown play before halftime.

Whop Philyor, who had just become the first Hoosier receiver with two straight games of 10-plus catches and was one of the most productive wideouts in the nation, was limited to two catches and six yards.

Ty Fryfogle finished the day with four catches and 63 yards, Westbrook finished with six catches for 75 yards, Hendershot ended his day with six catches and 95 yards, and Scott got involved in the passing game with five catches for 36 yards.

Most of Indiana's woes with penalties came on the first defensive drive, when the Hoosiers handed Maryland 40 of its 75 yards via penalties – two defensive pass interference calls and a defensive holding call. But penalties followed IU throughout the rest of the game as well.

On the first drive of the second half, a holding penalty brought back a first down and ultimately ended the drive. The defense stiffened when Maryland got the ball, so the penalty didn't hurt the Hoosiers except negating a scoring opportunity.

Perhaps the biggest penalty of the day for Indiana came on a Maryland drive with less than two minutes remaining, as Marcelino Ball committed a defensive holding foul that negated a 2nd-and-25 play and gave Maryland a first down, keeping the drive alive. Pigrome would eventually overthrow his target for a Reese Taylor interception to end the game, though.

Indiana committed 11 penalties for 105 yards on the day.

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