Terps Game Preview: Indiana

Opponent: Indiana Hoosiers (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten Conference)
Location: Memorial Stadium (52,929)
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2016
Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: ESPNU, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 3-1 Indiana

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Opponent Preview

Like Michigan State last week, Indiana enters this game against the Terrapins in the midst of a losing streak. The Hoosiers have lost three games in a row, and have lost four of their last five matchups. Their only conference win came in Week 5 against Michigan State, which looks a bit less impressive now than it did earlier this month. Also like the Spartans last week, Indiana is coming off of a loss to Northwestern.

Kevin Wilson is in his sixth season as Indiana’s head coach, and has essentially built the program up from nothing. Last season, the Hoosiers won 6 games, made their first bowl since 2007, and promptly extended Wilson’s contract through 2021. To this point, the 2016 season has not gone according to plan. Losses to Wake Forest and Northwestern have derailed the Hoosiers’ plans for a second consecutive bowl berth, and this game against the Terrapins is a must-win for them to go bowling this year.

Offensive Preview

Kevin Johns and Greg Frey currently serve as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinators. Both coaches have been on Wilson’s staff since he was hired in 2011. Johns has been a co-offensive coordinator for his entire six years on the coaching staff, while also coaching the team’s quarterbacks and wide receivers. Frey began his tenure as Indiana’s offensive line coach, and is in his third season as a co-offensive coordinator.

All three coaches (Wilson, Johns, and Frey) brought various offensive experience with them to Bloomington. Wilson had a background in a multiple offensive attack under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, while Johns had experience in a true spread offensive scheme at Northwestern. Frey brought experience in a pro-style offense from his time at Michigan. Together, they run an up-tempo spread system at Indiana. Their scheme originally had many elements of an “Air Raid” attack, but has since morphed into a more traditional spread-to-run system. Their primary goal is to spread opposing defenses out with 3-4 wide receivers and run the ball between the tackles, while also attacking them with short, easy completions.

Players to Watch

Quarterback: Richard Lagow (Redshirt Junior)

Lagow is in his first season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Cisco Community College. He was ranked as the best pro-style junior college quarterback in the 2016 recruiting class by ESPN. He began his career with Oklahoma State in 2013. His 2016 season has been rather inconsistent, with turnovers and sacks plaguing him thus far. He ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in passing yards, but has also posted a 12:11 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He is not a threat to run the ball, as he has accumulated -60 total rushing yards. He has an extremely talented corps of receivers, but has struggled to hit them with regularity. The lack of a running game and injuries along the offensive line have certainly hurt him, and Wilson is sticking with him at the quarterback position.

Running Back: Devine Redding (Sophomore)

After Tevin Coleman and Jordan Howard posted very impressive seasons from the running back position in 2014 and 2015, respectively, the Hoosiers have become accustomed to an excellent rushing attack. This season however, that is not the case. Redding has struggled to do much of anything in the backfield so far this season, scoring only one touchdown on the ground. He has really struggled in the team’s last three losses, failing to top 80 yards rushing in any of those contests. Last week, he averaged just 2.63 yards per carry. This has forced Indiana to throw the ball a bit more than they’d like to, which has resulted in more turnovers.

Wide Receivers: Nick Westbrook (Sophomore), Ricky Jones (Redshirt Senior), Mitchell Paige (Redshirt Senior)

These three players are the clear strength for Indiana’s offense. Westbrook and Jones have each accounted for over 500 yards receiving so far this season, and Paige has added over 350. Westbrook is the youngest of the three, but leads the team with 563 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Last week, he caught 10 passes for 126 yards. Jones is close behind him with 539 receiving yards, and caught 7 passes for 72 yards last week. Paige is the leader of the offense, and leads the team in receptions from his slot position. He is one of the best slot receivers in the conference, and is also an excellent punt returner for the Hoosiers.

Defensive Preview

After two seasons as Indiana’s defensive coordinator, Brian Knorr was fired by Wilson before this season began. To replace him, he brought on Tom Allen to co-coordinate the defense with William Inge. Allen was most recently the defensive coordinator at South Florida, and brought his 4-2-5 defense with him to Bloomington. Inge has been with the Hoosiers for four seasons, but this is his first as a co-defensive coordinator.

What to Watch For

Ball-Hawking Defensive Backs: Indiana has intercepted seven passes so far this season, and all seven have come from different players, six of them from defensive backs. This unit ranks 4th in the Big Ten Conference in interceptions.

Tegray Scales: Scales is Indiana’s best defensive player, leading the team in tackles and tackles for loss from his linebacker position. He has also recorded 2 sacks, and has returned an interception for a touchdown.

Clutch Defense: Indiana’s defensive unit is an odd one. They have an excellent third down defense, good for a Top 30 national ranking. However, the same unit is very poor in the red zone, allowing scores on 86% of red zone possessions.

Maryland Preview

The Terrapins head to Bloomington riding high on their victory over Michigan State last weekend. It was the biggest win of the DJ Durkin era, and one of the biggest home victories for the team in recent memory. After two straight losses to Penn State and Minnesota, it was one that the Terrapins needed to have in order to reach bowl eligibility.

The return of Perry Hills at the quarterback position seemed to calm an offensive unit that had struggled to do much of anything with Tyrrell Pigrome behind center. His performance against the Spartans was the best one of his career, as he completed 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. His shoulder certainly wasn’t 100% healthy, but he also carried the ball 7 times for 20 yards, including a few clutch runs to put the offense in good positions to extend drives. Luckily, Maryland didn’t need him to contribute to their rushing attack, as both Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison finished the game with over 100 rushing yards. Harrison’s effort was especially impressive, as it earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, and vaulted him ahead of Johnson for the team lead in rushing yards. Naturally, credit must be given to the excellent play of Maryland’s offensive line, who opened the big holes for the team’s running backs, and gave Hills enough time to complete passes down the field.

The defense is still a work in progress for Durkin and defensive coordinator Andy Buh, but they stepped up when they needed to last week. Despite allowing a few big runs from the Spartans, they held their own on third down and in the red zone. In their first game without William Likely III, the secondary only allowed Michigan State to pass for 156 yards, and did not allow a touchdown through the air. In fact, the first quarter featured a beautiful interception by Alvin Hill. While the run defense needs to improve, as long as this unit can continue their success on third down and in the red zone, they should be alright.

Zack’s Keys to the Game

• Play Clean – Indiana has forced a lot of turnovers this season, so it’ll be especially important for Maryland to hold onto the ball on the road. Hills has done that very well so far this season, but Harrison was a bit careless with the ball at times last week.
• Run the Ball – If this seems like it’s a key every week, that’s because it is. Maryland’s offense must be able to have success on the ground in order to score points. Just about every big pass play Hills connected on last week was off of some sort of play-action. Those plays become less effective if you can’t run the ball.
• Pressure Lagow – Indiana is dealing with injuries along the offensive line, and have allowed their share of sacks so far this season. Unlike most of the quarterbacks that Maryland has faced this year, Lagow is not a threat to extend plays with his legs. Look for Jesse Aniebonam and Melvin Keihn to pin their ears back and disrupt him in the backfield.
• Bend, Don’t Break – Durkin doesn’t yet have the defense that he wants, but that’s alright. This unit may give up their share of big plays. But if they can have success where it counts (third down, red zone), they’ll give their team a chance to win.