Maryland hurt by two late turnovers, falls to Indiana 34-28

During a Saturday afternoon where they gave up over 500 yards of total offense for the second consecutive week, Maryland’s defense dug deep and got a key stop on third-and-long to get their offense the ball for one more chance to take the lead.

Trailing Indiana 34-28 with under two minutes left, the Terps’ offense had one final opportunity to drive down the field, score and leave Capital One Field with their fourth victory of the season.

After converting a crucial fourth-and-three, quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome’s pass sailed over the head of junior wide receiver Sean Savoy into the hands of  Hoosiers’ defensive back Reese Taylor, sealing Maryland’s fate.

The Terps fell short in their matchup against Indiana, losing 34-28.

Before the game ending interception, Maryland had another opportunity to drive and score from their 18-yard line with a little under four minutes left in the game. Junior running back Javon Leake was stripped, the Hoosiers recovered and settled for a field goal, their final score of the game.

“I know we played our hearts out,” Leake said. “There’s just a couple plays we have to execute next time to get the win.”

Leake led the Terps’ backfield as sophomore running back Anthony McFarland missed his first game of the season due to a high-ankle sprain suffered against Temple on Sept. 14.

He finished the afternoon rushing for a career-high 158 rushing yards and two touchdowns. 

Head Coach Mike Locksley said that a good team does not beat themselves week after week.

“We didn’t make the plays when we had the opportunities to,” Locksley said. “We had two drives in the end to win the ball game and we didn’t get it done.”

Pigrome made his second start of the season as Josh Jackson missed his second straight game at the helm with a high-ankle sprain.

After showcasing some accuracy issues against Purdue last week, Pigrome started the game off sharp throwing for two touchdowns while completing 80 percent of his passes in the first half. He finished the game with 210 yards and two scores through the air.

Two notable throws from Pigrome went to wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. on Maryland’s third touchdown drive of the game. Demus Jr. caught a 40-yard strike down the right sideline before catching a perfectly placed ball in the left corner of the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter.

Demus Jr. led the team in receiving for the fifth consecutive week as he finished the afternoon with five receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.

After giving up two touchdowns on their first two drives of the game, the Terps’ second quarter defensive efforts led to two key stops as Indiana was in prime scoring position deep in Maryland territory on both possessions. 

Senior defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. made a juggling interception in the red zone at the beginning of the quarter to stop Indiana from scoring their third touchdown of the day. Brooks’ first interception of the season marked the 19th consecutive game the Terps have forced a turnover. 

This is now the longest streak in the country after both Mississippi State and Syracuse had their respective streaks of 22 and 20 snapped in their losses Saturday.

The Terps cashed in off the interception on the ensuing drive when Leake went untouched for a 60-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14. His run marked the 5th play of over 50 yards for Maryland this season, the most in the country.

Maryland’s second key stop came on the next drive after the Hoosiers had driven down the field and set up with a third-and-goal at the Terps’ two-yard line. Linebacker Chance Campbell made a touchdown saving deflection in the endzone forcing Indiana to settle for a field goal.

After Demus Jr.’s touchdown put Maryland up 21-17, the Hoosiers answered with another score right before the half. Wide receiver Nick Westbrook made a miraculous diving 26-yard touchdown reception to put Indiana up 24-21 at halftime.

“That score was very tough in that critical moment,” Brooks Jr. said describing how crucial it was allowing a touchdown late in the half.

While the Terps’ halftime adjustments on defense allowed them to hold the Hoosiers to ten points in the second half, overall it was a rough outing for the group.

Linebackers Keandre Jones and Ayinde Eley shared Maryland’s lone sack of the game while Brooks Jr. forced the Terps’ only turnover.

Sitting at 3-4 on the year, Maryland is now on the backside of becoming bowl eligible now having to win three out of their next five games to qualify for a bowl game.

Their next three games are against No. 20 Minnesota (7-0) and No. 3 Ohio State (7-0) on the road, while hosting No.16 Michigan (5-1).

The Terps will visit TCF Bank Stadium on Oct. 26 to face Minnesota at 3:30 p.m.