Can Indiana football handle Tagovailoa and Terps in Week 7?

Indiana football will be taking on Taulia Tagovailoa and the Maryland Terrapins in mid-October, as the Hoosiers will hope to continue a strong conference season by handling the talented Terps offense. IU fell just short of Maryland last season, losing 38-35 in College Park, despite 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Hoosiers’ running back, Stephen Carr.

Indiana football looks to win its fourth straight home game against the Maryland Terrapins in Week 7:

Opponent: Maryland Terrapins
Date/Time: Saturday, October 15th at TBD
TV: TBD
Location: Memorial Stadium – Bloomington, Indiana
All-time Head-to-Head Record: 7-3-0 (.700)

Offensive Key Player(s)

Taulia Tagovailoa – #3 – QB

The younger brother of Miami Dolphins and former Alabama quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, has shown his abilities to take over games and this should be no different against Indiana football. In 2021, Tagovailoa threw for an astounding 419 yards and two touchdowns against the Hoosiers and finished the season second in the Big Ten in passing yards (3,860), behind only C.J. Stroud of Ohio State.

The junior QB set a school record for passing yards last season and has earned himself to be named to the Manning Award Watch List for the 2022 season, and rightfully so, as the Terrapins should have one of the best passing attacks in all of college football this season. Tagovailoa has a strong arm, just like his NFL QB brother, but the Hoosiers will have to worry about more than just his arm in the Week 7 matchup:

Dontay Demus Jr. – #7 – WR

Though he appeared in just five games last season before suffering a season-ending injury, Demus ranked second in receiving yards (507) with just 28 receptions by the end of 2021. Demus Jr. has the size, and athleticism to lead this Terps receiving corps and, averaging 18.1 yards per reception last season, shows the flashes he can bring to the field in 2022.

For this upcoming season, Demus Jr. has earned the following preseason awards: 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List; 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000; 2022 Phil Steele Third Team Preseason All-Big Ten; and 2022 Pro Football Focus First Team Preseason All-Big Ten. Tiawan Mullen will be locked in on Demus Jr. for this matchup, but look for a high scoring affair if the Hoosiers can hang with Demus Jr. and the Terrapins.

Defensive Key Player(s)

Jakorian Bennett – #2 – DB

Bennett showed out for Maryland football last season, as he led all power-five defensive players in pass breakups (11) in 2021, along with earning All-Big Ten honors and racking up three interceptions in 11 games played. Indiana and Maryland played in a very high scoring affair in 2021, so the defense did not seem to make much of an impact. Look for both teams to establish some sort of defensive presence, and Bennett should be the focus for the Terrapins in 2022.

Overall Outlook

Indiana football has had success in Bloomington against the Terrapins, though, only winning two of the last three home games by a combined eight points. Look for that success to continue as the Hoosiers hope to rebound from a tough Week 6 home game against the top-10 ranked Wolverines. Maryland’s offense will be tough to wrangle, but hopefully Indiana football can hang with the high-powered offense and show some grit on the defensive side of the ball.