Maryland vs. Indiana: Players to Know Ahead of Heavyweight Big Ten Matchup

Joseph Luber
2 hours ago
5 min read

After their 3rd consecutive close loss on the road against UCLA, Maryland had some extra time during their bye week to prep for an Indiana team that some believe is the best in the entire country. Maryland is a 21.5-point underdog at home, according to FanDuel, which may seem large, but Indiana does not hold back, and they have run the score up on almost every team they've played, except for Iowa and Oregon. Indiana has become a powerhouse in year two under head coach Curt Cignetti. The Terps have a tall task ahead of them as they look for the program's first top-five win since 2004 as we break down the key names to know on Saturday:

HC Curt Cignetti: The image of Indiana Football has completely flipped in less than 24 months since Cignetti took over the program. As referred to by Coach Cig by IU fans, Cig led Indiana to an 11-2 record last season, with their only losses being to Ohio State and Notre Dame. Now in year 2, Cig has elevated the program even more this season with a road win over Oregon, with College Gameday in town to really put the Hoosiers in the national spotlight. Teams coached by Curt Cignetti are traditionally tough and very, very disciplined, and this Indiana team is no different, as it is also the most talented team Cignetti has ever been in charge of. Fresh off a massive contract extension, Coach Cig will be looking to do some damage in College Park this Saturday... maybe this might just be the perfect trap game for the Terps to take advantage of.

QB Fernando Mendoza: After losing QB Curtis Rourke last season due to eligibility, there were questions about what Indiana would do at the quarterback position. Coach Cignetti made a big splash in the portal by landing former Cal QB Fernando Mendoza. Before landing in Bloomington, Mendoza put himself in the national spotlight last season when he almost upset Miami at home while College Gameday was in town. After entering the portal, Mendoza was heavily pursued by Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs but ultimately ended up joining Coach Cig and company in Bloomington, Indiana. Mendoza has had an outstanding season so far this year, as he is getting lots of Heisman Trophy winner talk. Mendoza has exemplified what it means to be a quarterback under Curt Cignetti; he is extremely poised, rarely makes bad decisions with the football, and delivers great throws. Maryland and Indiana share a common opponent in UCLA, while it was a close loss on the road for the Terps, Indiana thumped UCLA 56-5, and Mendoza was a large reason for that. Mendoza's three passing touchdowns in Week 9 against UCLA last week pushed his season total to 24. He total currently leads the FBS and the Big Ten in passing touchdowns. The game against UCLA marked his fourth in 2025 with at least four touchdown passes, the most by a Hoosier quarterback in a single season in program history. So this Maryland secondary will have a very tall task on their hands trying to minimize Mendoza's threat through the air. It will not be easy, but with the right execution, there is no doubt Maryland's secondary has the talent to do so, led by star safety Jalen Huskey.

RB Roman Hemby: The Hoosiers' rushing attack is led by redshirt-senior Roman Hemby. Does that name sound familiar, Terp fans? That's because Hemby transferred to Indiana last offseason after spending the previous 4 seasons in College Park. After a relatively down season for Hemby at Maryland last year, it looks like he has revived his game with the Hoosiers. He's been a threat for the Hoosiers in the red zone as Hemby logged his sixth multi-rushing touchdown game and seventh multi-touchdown game of his career when he rushed for two scores in Week 9 against UCLA in the 56-6 win. On top of that, against the mighty Oregon Ducks with College Gameday in Eugene, Hemby racked up 2 touchdowns in the Hoosiers' 30-20 win over the Ducks. While at Maryland, Hemby was a 2-time honorable mention for the All-Big Ten team in 2022 and 2023. After transferring to Indiana, Hemby looks like he has returned to that level of play. Stopping the rushing attack of Hemby will be huge for Maryland. If Maryland can minimize the rushing attack, that will allow Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis to tee off on the pass rush and hopefully disrupt quarterback Fernando Mendoza from having a day.

WR Elijah Sarratt: There might not be a more underrated receiver in the Big Ten than Indiana receiver Elijah Sarratt. A St. Frances product, Sarratt played under Coach Cignetti at James Madison University before transferring to Indiana last season when Cig took the job to coach the Hoosiers. Sarratt has been nothing but consistent this season for Indiana. To pile onto Sarrat's consistency, he has caught a pass in each game of his career to lead the nation with a streak of 46-straight games with a reception. He's not just consistent, he's explosive. Sarratt had his tenth career multi-touchdown game with two scores in Week 8 against Michigan State. He's been a huge threat in the passing game as he currently leads the Big Ten in touchdown receptions with 10. If this Terps' secondary can contain Elijah Sarratt, that could force Mendoza to have to look the other direction from Sarratt, and that is not something he has had to do a lot this season.

LB Aiden Fisher: after becoming IU's first-ever first team All-American in 2024, Fisher is back in 2025 and is one week removed from his first pick-six in a Hoosier uniform after opening the scoring in the blowout 56-6 win vs. UCLA. Fisher sits second on the team with 49 tackles in 2025 to go with 7 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. Fisher isn't the only LB making an impact with Isaiah Jones posting 11.5 TFLs and five sacks as part of a dynamic rushing attack for IU this season, but Fisher has remained a cog in a tough Hoosier defense after leading the Big Ten in tackles a year ago. He enters November with ten double-digit tackle games through his career.

CB D'Angelo Ponds: The Hoosiers have not given up many points to almost anyone this year, and a large reason for this is their secondary, led by cornerback D'Angelo Ponds. Ponds, a junior corner from Miami, Florida, is another former James Madison Duke under Coach Cignetti who then followed him to Bloomington. Since coming to Indiana, Ponds has broken out in the secondary and become a star. Ponds has logged 0.5 tackles for loss in four of his seven games of the 2025 season and is the No. 4-rated coverage cornerback in the Power 4 per Pro Football Focus (83.1) and No. 2 in the Big Ten. In Week 8 against Michigan State (10/18), Ponds posted nine stops, 0.5 tackle for loss, and a pass breakup. So not only is Ponds effective and lockdown in coverage, he is also assigned to blitz a lot and is highly effective when doing so. It will be important for Malik and the rest of the Maryland offense to identify where Pounds is pre-snap and infer on what his role in coverage will be.

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