Curt Cignetti stood at the red IU trident-emblazoned wooden podium inside the Don Croftcheck Team Room at Memorial Stadium. It was Monday, and the second-year Indiana football head coach opted to begin his weekly press conference just as he did the week before.
Except this time, Cignetti praised Maryland even more than he did UCLA. He spoke 329 words in two minutes and 12 seconds.
Judging from Cignetti’s assessment, it’d seem as though his team was tasked with playing the University of Miami in 2001 or Louisiana State University in 2019. Not Maryland, which entered with a 4-3 record and on a three-game losing streak.
But in the early stages of Saturday’s contest, No. 2 Indiana didn’t appear to be on its way to another road beatdown. Instead, the game “didn’t start out great” in Cignetti’s eyes.
However, over the next 45 minutes of game time, Indiana thrashed Maryland en route to a “really good” 55-10 victory, Cignetti said, inside SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland.
Redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza began the contest with an interception on the Hoosiers’ opening possession just as he did a week prior against UCLA.
“I mean, I put the defense in a tough situation to start the game with the turnover,” Mendoza said postgame. “Tough situation. I can't turn the ball over, especially in that situation.”
The Terrapins’ offense was already at the Indiana 12-yard line, but the Hoosiers’ defense didn’t break — they surrendered a field goal — as the hosts took a 3-point lead.
On the Cream and Crimson’s second drive? A three-and-out with a sack and redshirt senior Roman Hemby getting decimated on a draw in the backfield.
It appeared Indiana was headed toward a difficult game on the road, which is often the case in the Big Ten. The key, Cignetti said, was his team’s response to the sluggish start.
“We got, on offense, a lot of guys have played a lot of football,” Cignetti said. “And really, the same on defense. So, chances are, all these guys have been in this situation before, right? And they know how to respond or not react, so to speak.”
Mendoza then led the charge on the Hoosiers’ ensuing possession, as he ran up the middle into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
Leading 7-3 after the first quarter, Indiana had an 87-55 advantage in total yards. But in the second quarter, the Hoosiers seized complete control.
Although the Cream and Crimson’s offense settled for field goals on two of their final three first-half drives, Mendoza eventually found redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr. on a slant and go for a 22-yard touchdown.
The halftime story was far different than the one from just 15 minutes before. In the second quarter, Indiana outgained Maryland 203-31, outscored it 13-0 and picked off freshman quarterback Malik Washington twice.
It was the definition of “complementary football,” said redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Jones — who stepped into the coach-to-player communication role in senior linebacker Aiden Fisher’s absence.
“Playing on the road is always hard, no matter who you're playing,” Jones said. “So, just settling in, letting the offense know the defense got their back, and vice versa. We feed off when they (the offense) go down and drive down and score.”
Although the Terrapins notched a 55-yard touchdown on their opening drive of the second half, the Hoosiers began to break their will, as they have so frequently under Cignetti.
First, it was sixth-year senior running back Kaelon Black’s touchdown.
Then, it was sixth-year senior defensive back Devan Boykin forcing Washington to fumble on third down and then returning it 32 yards for a somersaulting touchdown.
Next, it was freshman defensive back Byron Baldwin Jr. — a Baltimore native — recovering a fumble on the ensuing play. Redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby, who spent the last four seasons at Maryland, found the endzone two plays later.
The Hoosiers led by 31 points halfway through the third quarter. The Terrapins’ will was shattered, joining nearly all the previous eight teams Indiana defeated this season. Sixth-year senior defensive lineman Mikail Kamara said that because the Hoosiers had experience with drubbings last season, they know what it takes.
And with some newcomers — like University of Notre Dame transfer center Pat Coogan — coming from winning programs, they too are seasoned.
“So, from the first play to the last, you got to keep the pedal to the metal and keep going non-stop, non-stop, non-stop,” Kamara said. “‘Cause at some point, they're going to break, and it's not going to be us.”
The Terrapins, in fact, broke. They entered the contest with just five turnovers all season — one of the best turnover ratios in the country. Indiana notched five takeaways Saturday to double Maryland’s previous total.
Mendoza took just one snap in the fourth quarter. Indiana threw only three passes to 14 rushing attempts in the fourth quarter with numerous reserves on the field.
In total, Saturday was another will-breaking win the Hoosier faithful have become so accustomed to seeing from Cignetti’s squad.
From the first play to the last, Indiana played as though the score was knotted at zero. It’s the mentality Cignetti has instilled in his players, who sound more like his disciples as the season continues.
While reaching historic 2001 Miami and 2019 LSU levels are almost certainly unattainable, Indiana is focused on being 2025 Indiana.
It’s a team whose coach stares at the scoreboard — which often displays a significant Hoosier advantage — with a frown. It’s a team that dismantles others weekly and promptly turns its focus to which squad they’ll pummel next.
“Now, it's about winning the championship, it's about winning the Big Ten championship and then trying to win a natty,” Kamara said. “So, I just think we just understand every single week, we have to attack it like it's any other game. So, I think that's just the mindset every single time.”
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.
