Indiana entered Maryland's stadium hoping to avenge last week's poor team performance against No. 5 Ohio State. Instead, Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa tore apart IU's secondary, passing for 419 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-35 win. A feeling of deja vu roamed through the air as Maryland receivers burned through defenders, broke tackles, and forced pass interference calls.
Maryland wide receiver Carlos Carriere was Tagovailoa's primary target, catching eight passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown reception didn't come until the third quarter, but it had a considerable impact to extend Maryland's lead after the defense had previously allowed 17 unanswered points.
Tagovailoa passed to Carriere in the red zone, who made defensive back Raheem Layne overcommit on a tackle attempt. Layne's missed tackle gave Carriere time to dive to the goal line, extending Maryland's lead to 28-17.
But, this didn't happen just once. It happened twice, and the second time was an even worse showing for IU's defense.
Tagovailoa again threw to a wide-open Carriere on the sideline. When the two players met again, Carriere juked an unbalanced Layne, putting him on one knee before strolling into the end zone and extending the lead to 35-20 early into the fourth quarter.
Usually a bright spot on the field, cornerback Tiawan Mullen was another player who struggled during the game.
Mullen was flagged for pass interference on Maryland's first drive, a scoring possession that gave the Terrapins an early 7-0 lead. Late in the same quarter, Mullen failed to cover Maryland running back Tayon Fleet-Davis, who easily ran down the sideline for a 45-yard gain.
IU defensive coordinator Charlton Warren said in a past press conference limiting catastrophic plays is crucial in preventing an offense from scoring. IU's defense struggled to contain Tagovailoa and his receivers, who had 10 passing plays gaining 15-yards or more.
Tagovailoa arguably could have added to his passing totals if he connected with open receivers more consistently as he overthrew them occasionally on the sidelines.
Unlike Tagovailoa, IU true freshman and third-string quarterback Donaven McCulley made his first collegiate start. McCulley completed 14 of 25 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
More importantly, he fought to make a comeback. Even when Maryland led 38-28 with around one minute left in the game, McCulley threw a 52-yard pass to a wide-open Ty Fryfogle down the sideline.
McCulley connected with Hendershot for a touchdown on the next play, and a converted extra point pulled IU within three. A failed onside kick didn't give McCulley a chance to retake the field.
Despite his performance, it’s unclear whether McCulley will start next week given Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle’s injury status.
The theme at the beginning of the season was the defense played well enough to give the offense a chance to win almost every game. Against Maryland, the opposite occurred with IU’s defense allowing 498 total yards and five touchdowns.
IU drops to 2-6 overall and 0-5 in conference matchups with the close 38-35 loss.
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