COLLEGE PARK, Md. –Â An Indiana football bye couldn’t have come at a better time.
Coming off Saturday’s 44-17 loss at Maryland (5-0 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten) and facing problems on offense and defense, the Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2) will get two weeks to turn things around before traveling to No. 2 Michigan (5-0).
IU fell behind 21-3 in the first quarter and never recovered.
Quarterback Tayven Jackson was 17-for-29 for 113 yards and an interception. Brendan Sorsby entered in the third quarter and finished 7-for-11 for 84 yards and two touchdowns.
Receiver Donaven McCulley had six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Running back Christian Turner added 54 rushing yards on 14 carries.
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa completed 24-of-34 passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns.
IU was without running back Josh Henderson, wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr., and tight end Bradley Archer.
Hoosier problems started right away.
IU gave up passes of 62 and 13 yards for a Maryland game-opening touchdown to fall behind 7-0 in less than a minute.
A Jaylin Lucas 56-yard kickoff return and 20 rushing yards from Turner resulted in a Chris Freeman field goal for a 7-3 score.
The defense had an early spark with a cornerback Kobee Minor pass breakup in the end zone and a punishing tackle for loss by linebacker Aaron Casey to help force a Maryland punt on its second possession.
The Terrapins came back with a Tagovailoa TD pass and a TD run for a 21-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. They had a 152 to 23 edge in total yards.
A promising second-quarter IU drive into the red zone ended without a point. A second promising drive ended with an 11-yard sack.
Maryland came back with Tagovailoa’s third touchdown pass for a 27-3 halftime lead. It added a Tagovailoa touchdown pass and a field goal in the third quarter, and got a fifth Tagovailoa TD pass in the fourth quarter.
Sorsby came in facing a 37-3 third-quarter deficit. He threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to McCulley and a 16-yard TD pass to Andison Coby in the fourth quarter.
