Maryland football hits the road for a marquee game on Saturday afternoon when they take on Indiana in what should be the toughest date for either team to-date in the 2024 season. While Maryland looks to get back to .500 in conference play, Indiana looks to maintain dominance after Curt Cignetti became the first Indiana head coach to begin his record with a 4-0 record. While the Hoosiers remain a one-touchdown favorite this weekend, what should Maryland fans look out for? With kickoff set for noon on BTN, IBG spoke with Jack Ankony of Indiana Hoosiers on SI to learn more about the Terps’ next opponent.
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IBG: Indiana has yet to turn the ball over this season. What has led to the Hoosiers' success at playing such clean games?
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Jack Ankony: It starts with having an experienced quarterback in Kurtis Rourke. He started 33 games over five seasons at Ohio and was a two-time All-MAC quarterback. Since transferring to Indiana, he has looked extremely poised in the pocket and never seems to put the ball in harm's way. The offensive line has done a nice job protecting him, too. The coaching staff also deserves credit for preparing Rourke well. Almost nothing a defense has thrown at Indiana has seemed like a surprise to Rourke, which contributes to the comfortability he's shown. Cignetti, Mike Shanahan and Tino Sunseri had a lot of success with quarterbacks at James Madison, and their formula has worked well so far at Indiana. The running backs were often seen working on ball security in preseason practices we were allowed to attend, and they've taken care of the ball, too.
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IBG: Indiana has a top five scoring offense in the country scoring 50.5 points per game. What are the Hoosiers doing offensively that is leading to their success?
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JA: Some of this is likely a result of Indiana's schedule so far, having played Florida International, Western Illinois, UCLA and Charlotte. Cignetti has admitted as much. But the Hoosiers still deserve credit for dominating their opponents, especially on offense. I mentioned the value of Rourke's experience, but he's also working with a group of established wide receivers and running backs. Indiana added four transfer wide receivers with 1,000-plus career receiving yards at previous schools, including Elijah Sarratt, Myles Price, Miles Cross and Ke'Shawn Williams. Returning Hoosiers like Omar Cooper Jr. and Andison Coby have improved from last season, too. It's wild to think Indiana really hasn't needed its 2023 leading receiver, Donaven McCulley, who's been dealing with injury this year. Indiana also benefits from having several talented running backs who keep each other fresh. Indiana added four transfer running backs – Justice Ellison, Ty Son Lawton, Kaelon Black and Elijah Green – and the run game has worked very well no matter who's in the game. The offensive line has been strong in the running game, too. Again, all of this stems from the coaching trio of Cignetti, Shanahan and Sunseri. Their balanced offense at James Madison has translated well at Indiana so far. IBG: For a team made up of mostly transfers, the Hoosiers have seemed to gel very well on the field and have lots of chemistry. What is it that has helped build that chemistry quicker than usual on the field and are you surprised by it?JA: I'm not sure I'd say it was a huge surprise, but there was definitely a high level of unknown going into the season with so many transfers. Sometimes things just don't click in these situations, but Indiana has looked like a team that's played with each other for years. An important factor is that Cignetti brought 13 players with him from James Madison. Because those players had institutional knowledge of Cignetti's system and how he ran his program, they were able to help returning Hoosiers or transfers from other schools quickly acclimate to what was required of them. Cignetti also brought six assistant coaches and his strength coach from James Madison to help ease the transition to a new school. I also think Cignetti's focus on adding production over potential in the transfer portal was a big help. Nearly all of Indiana's transfers were multi-year starters, and 14 of them were all-conference players or received all-conference honorable mentions at their previous schools. To a certain degree, Cignetti knew what he was getting with these veterans, and they know what it takes at the college level. I also think Cignetti's demeanor plays a role in this. He's a no-nonsense guy and very confident that his track record of winning will carry over to Indiana, and players have completely bought into his messaging from both a physical and mental preparation standpoint.
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IBG: The Indiana defense is top ten in the country in scoring, total yards, passing yards, and rushing yards. What is leading to the Hoosiers' success on defense?
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JA: Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines came with Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana, and so did several JMU starters: linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker, defensive linemen James Carpenter, Mikail Kamara and Tyrique Tucker, and cornerback D'Angelo Ponds. They're used to Haines' system, and having that knowledge at each level of the defense has helped others catch on quickly. Haines' scheme strongly emphasizes tackles for loss and sacks. James Madison led the FBS in TFLs last year, and Indiana has 27 from 18 players through four games. JMU also led the nation in run defense last year, and Indiana has put up similar numbers so far in 2024. Again, some of this success is based on playing weaker opponents, but the Hoosiers' domination still shouldn't be discredited.
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IBG: Indiana has looked like the stronger team so far this season. What are the keys of the game for the Hoosiers to keep things going and pull out the win?
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JA: Defensively, I think Indiana needs to bring the pressure on Billy Edwards Jr. He's been very efficient this season, and Indiana can't just sit back and allow him to be comfortable. I think Indiana feels pretty comfortable letting cornerback D'Angelo Ponds go one-on-one, and Jamier Johnson has had a solid year so far, too. That could free up a defender or two to bring pressure. Offensively, it'll be important for Indiana's red-zone execution to remain strong. Indiana has scored on 22 of its 24 red zone trips this year, including 20 touchdowns. The two non-conversions were with the third-string offense and one was a kneel down. In a game that should be closer than its first four, it's obviously important to convert red zone trips to touchdowns, not just field goals.
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IGB: Give your score prediction and why?
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JA: Indiana 38, Maryland 24. Indiana's defense has been strong this year, but it showed some weaknesses against the run last week. Maryland's run game has been efficient, so that's a bit of a concern for Indiana. But offensively, I think Rourke's decision making and the variety of weapons he has at wide receiver and running back will keep Indiana's offense humming, even against a stronger Big Ten opponent.
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