Indiana Football improves to 5-0 for the first time since 1967 after win over Maryland

For the first time since 1967 Indiana football is 5-0 after a 42-28 win against Maryland.

It was a rocky start from the offense that had not turned the ball over once this year coming into the game. They had three first-half turnovers including back-to-back interceptions from Kurtis Rourke, and finished the game with four turnovers.

Despite plenty of opportunities for the Maryland offense, the Hoosier defense stood tall and held the Terrapins to just seven points in the first half.

After the poor start, the offense got back to what they had done through the first four games and exploited the Maryland secondary.

Kurtis Rourke went 22-33 for 359 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in addition to his two interceptions. Rourke’s connection with Elijah Sarratt played a huge role for Indiana football.

Sarratt finished the game with a game-high seven catches for 128 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Omar Cooper Jr. also had a big game for Indiana with four receptions for 83 yards and he made a highlight-reel catch for a touchdown at the end of the first half..

Myles Price also had another good game for the Hoosiers, with two catches for 63 yards. He also added a rushing touchdown on a swing pass in the first half.

Donaven McCulley, who has dealt with injuries this year, also caught his first touchdown of the season for Indiana football.

While the rushing attack was not as dominant as it had been, it was still very effective for the Hoosiers. As a team, Indiana had 151 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Once again, it was the tandem of Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison leading the way.

Lawton led the team in attempts and rushing yards. He finished the game with 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts. He also added two receptions for 18 yards in the passing game.

Ellison finished the game with 51 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts.

Indiana finished the game with 510 total yards of offense in the win.

The defense stepped up for Indiana football, especially the defensive line. Indiana had five total sacks and eight tackles for loss. It was the former James Madison duo of James Carpenter and Mikail Kamara who led the way.

Carpenter finished the game with two sacks and two tackles for loss, both of which were team-highs.

Kamara also played a big role and was consistently causing havoc in the Maryland backfield. He finished the game with seven tackles, a sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Linebacker Aiden Fisher was everywhere for Indiana football as he finished the game with a game-high 12 tackles. He also had half a sack and half of a tackle for loss.

Coming into the game a big story was how sophomore cornerback D’Angelo Ponds would play against one of the best passing attacks in the country. He finished the game with 10 tackles, half a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup. He held Tai Felton to five catches for 38 yards before Felton left the game with an injury.

Running back Roman Hemby had a big game for Maryland as he finished the game with 165 total yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard rushing score.

Billy Edwards Jr. took a beating from the Indiana defensive line but still threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns while completing 63% of his passes.

While it wasn’t pretty at times, Indiana football did what they had to do and improved to 5-0. They’ll be back in action next Saturday when travel to face Northwestern (2-2) at 3:30.

SEE ALSO: HoosierIllustrated Live Blog: FINAL: Indiana football 42, Maryland 28

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