Indiana football went on the road Saturday for the first time since taking down then-No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 11.
Although the No. 3 Hoosiers led by just 4 points at the end of the first quarter, they pulled away as the contest wore on to secure a 55-10 victory over Maryland inside SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland.
The Hoosiers began the contest on offense; however, redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza tossed his fourth interception of the season. The Terrapins failed to capitalize with a touchdown and instead settled for a 24-yard field goal.
Both squads traded punts before Indiana began to impose its will. Mendoza led the offense on a 13-play, 93-yard drive, which he capped with a 7-yard rushing touchdown.
On Maryland’s ensuing two drives, the Hoosiers — redshirt junior linebacker Kaiden Turner and sixth-year senior safety Louis Moore — intercepted freshman quarterback Malik Washington twice. Indiana then forced two punts.
With the Terrapins’ offense sputtering, the Cream and Crimson continued putting points on the scoreboard. Redshirt sophomore kicker Nico Radicic hit two field goals, while redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr. notched a 22-yard touchdown to give the Hoosiers a 20-3 lead at halftime.
Maryland possessed the ball to begin the second half, and Washington found freshman running back DeJaun Williams for a 55-yard score. Now leading by just 10, Indiana began the onslaught.
The Hoosiers notched three touchdowns over two minutes and six seconds to take a 41-10 lead. First, it was sixth-year senior running back Kaelon Black’s 31-yard score. Then, sixth-year senior defensive back Devan Boykin’s 32-yard fumble recovery touchdown. Lastly, redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby’s 16-yard score.
Mendoza — who finished 14 for 21 with 201 yards passing, two total touchdowns and an interception — played just the first snap of the fourth quarter. Redshirt freshman quarterback Alberto Mendoza then entered the game in relief. Alberto found senior receiver Jonathan Brady for a short touchdown to bump the Hoosiers’ advantage to 38.
Redshirt freshman running back Khobie Martin added a touchdown late in the contest as the Hoosiers earned the 45-point win. Indiana’s rushing attack accumulated 367 yards and four touchdowns in the contest while its defense earned five takeaways.
The Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) now turn their attention to another road contest — this time against Penn State on Nov. 8. The Nittany Lions (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) enter the contest on a five-game losing streak, with their latest coming to No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
