Maryland finds offense late snaps three-game skid in win over Indiana

Maryland found the offensive form it’s been lacking for the last month, snapping a three-game losing streak on homecoming by holding on and beating Indiana, 38-35.

Maryland junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 419 yards â€" a career high for him and the third-highest total in a game in school history â€" and two touchdowns. It was his fourth 300-plus-yard effort of the season and the first in four games. 

He looked more of the quarterback fans saw when it was still summer in College Park, able to maintain his composure, trust his downfield throws, and not lose his discipline when pressured behind the line.

Senior receiver Carlos Carriere had his best day in a Maryland uniform, hauling in eight passes for 134 yards, both career highs, and back-to-back second-half touchdowns. All but two of his catches and 32 of his yards came in the second half. He found opportunities among a depleted receiving corps and a Maryland offense that spread the ball to nine different receivers on the day.

Indiana freshman quarterback Donaven McCulley started for the Hoosiers after juniors Michael Penix and Jack Tuttle both didn’t make the road trip. Tuttle injured his ankle on Oct. 23 against Ohio State, and Penix, who was sensational for Indiana in last year’s surprise pandemic campaign, has been out for a month with a shoulder injury.

McCulley was inconsistent early, but settled in to finish 14-25 for 242 yards and a touchdown. Stephen Carr led IU on the ground, with two touchdowns on 21 carries for 136 total yards.

A bad 25-yard punt after an Indiana three-and-out set up Maryland’s first scoring drive at the Hoosier 35 early in the first quarter. Tagovailoa took little time to get back to a September-looking version of himself, going 3-3 and start staying mobile in the pocket. Tayon Fleet-Davis punched it the ball from the one for his sixth score on the year, and Maryland scored their first first-quarter touchdown since Oct. 1 against Iowa.

Locksley gave Fleet-Davis a break on Maryland’s second drive. That’s when the Challen Faamatau show took over. Starting from Maryland’s 10, the senior running back from Hawaii touched the ball six times, including a 37-yard reception, and got to finish the 90-yard drive with a touchdown to stake Maryland to a 14-0 lead.

A missed Joseph Petrino 40-yard field goal got Indiana’s first points of the game. McCulley steadied and found his form on two key completions â€" a six-yard fourth-down conversion to senior receiver Ty Fryfogle followed up immediately by a 31-yard completion to senior tight end Peyton Hendershot â€" to put the Hoosiers at Maryland’s one. Carr ran it in from there to cut the Terrapin lead in half.

Following a Terrapin three-and-out, sophomore Anthony Pecorella’s punt was blocked by Jaren Handy at the Maryland 13. But IU was backed up by a sack and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the ensuing possession. That didn’t help junior kicker Charles Campbell, who missed a 42-yard field goal attempt, and Maryland survived the miscue late in the second quarter.

Lethargy caught up to both offenses â€" the schools were a combined 2-17 in the first half on third down â€" until Indiana found some rhythm. Carr’s second touchdown of the day on IU’s first drive of the second half went for 66 yards as he blew by two Maryland defenders to give Indiana their first lead.

That score seemed to immediately spark Tagovailoa. He went three-of-four, finding sophomore Rakim Jarrett on a 42-yard catch-and-and run down the left sideline, then freshman Marcus Fleming for 11, and 5 more to freshman Tai Felton. Faamatau finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown dive, his second on the day, and Maryland retook the lead, 21-17.

Carriere then began to break out. He scored on Maryland’s next two drives â€" a 14-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter, and a 45-yard screen pass that saw him juke senior Indiana safety Raheem Layne out of position at the 38 and race down the sideline for the score.

Down two scores, the Hoosiers answered immediately. McCulley was a perfect four-for-four, and found Hendershot again for an 18-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion to slice UMD’s lead to 35-28.

Two key third-down conversions on a five-plus minute drive forced Indiana to use all of their time outs and ended with a 41-yard Petrino field goal to extend the lead to ten. Indiana, though, had some theatrics left with under two minutes to go in the game. McCulley found Fryfogle for 52 yards, and Hendershot scored on their next play to cut the lead to three with a minute remaining. An onside kick was unsuccessful, however, and Maryland held on for the win.

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