Opponent: Indiana (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten)
Location: Maryland Stadium, College Park, Maryland
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. EST, Saturday, Oct. 19
Last Matchup: Nov. 10, 2018, in Bloomington, IN. — Indiana 34-32
Last Game: Maryland lost to Purdue 40-14; Indiana defeated Rutgers 35-0
Odds: Indiana -5.5, per Odds Shark
TV: BTN — Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Stanley Jackson (analyst)
Streaming: Fox Sports Go
Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network (105.7 FM Baltimore, 980 AM D.C.) — Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), C.J. Brown (analyst), LaMont Jordan (analyst)
Three things to watch for Maryland
1. The secondary
Despite Purdue being down to their backup quarterback, they were still able to rack up over 400 yards through the air. The Terps’ secondary will only worsen, as they lost starting cornerback Tino Ellis for the rest of the season due to an upper-body injury. With Indiana’s Whop Philyor being one of the best wide receivers in the Big Ten so far this season, the Maryland secondary has a tall task in front of them.
2. The running backs
Star running back Anthony McFarland has had a minimal impact in recent weeks, as he’s been dealing with an ankle injury. With McFarland’s limited role, Javon Leake and Tayon Fleet-Davis will likely see their roles expand. Leake has shown explosiveness this year, having multiple long touchdown runs, and Fleet-Davis showed his versatility in the passing game against Rutgers.
3. Special teams
Maryland is currently the only team in the country that has not made a field goal this year. Sophomore Joseph Petrino is 0/2 on the season, but one of the kicks was blocked against Rutgers. Given how close the past three games have been between the Terps and Hoosiers, Petrino making field goals could be a big difference in the matchup.
Three things to watch for Indiana
1. Whop Philyor
Philyor, a junior, has arguably been the best wide receiver in the Big Ten this year. His 41 receptions and 553 receiving yards are both second in the conference, and his ability to make big catches is next-to-none. Philyor is coming off consecutive games with more than 10 receptions for over 100 yards. Given how poor Maryland’s pass coverage has been this year, Philyor could be in for another big game.
2. Turnover defense
While the Hoosier defense has been impressive so far, allowing under 285 yards per game, they have been very unimpressive forcing turnovers. They have only forced three this season, which is last in the Big Ten and second-to-last in the country, only ahead of Kansas. A big reason why Maryland has lost three games is turnovers. Temple, Penn State and Purdue were all able to capitalize on Maryland’s sloppiness, and Indiana will have to step up in that department in order to win.
3. Michael Penix
Penix, a redshirt freshman, has been very impressive in his four starts. Despite missing two games with an injury, Penix has over 1,000 passing yards and nine touchdowns on the season. His 69.5% completion rate is tied for second in the Big Ten, and his 8.3 yards per pass attempt are in the top half of the conference. Given how much Maryland has struggled to contain passing games, Penix will look to bolster his impressive start.