Indiana @ Maryland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2014 ) Maryland 37, Indiana 15

With a 0-6 mark in Big Ten play and only four wins overall, Indiana’s prospects for qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2007 with only two games remaining appear to be pretty slim. However, the Hoosiers only need to defeat a pair of two-win teams to get there – a process that begins on Saturday when they visit Maryland.

Indiana’s season of close calls and near misses continued last weekend in a 48-41 double-overtime home setback to No. 13 Michigan, marking the fourth time in six conference games in which the Hoosiers lost by one score. "My deal is we're going to keep working; we don't have the outcomes we want. There's victory and only victory, but we see progress, and we've got to keep pushing to get victory because ultimately that's what you need and want,” said coach Kevin Wilson, whose team will close out the regular season next week at Purdue. Indiana’s six-game slide is trumped in the Big Ten only by the seven-game losing streak of the Big Ten East rival Terrapins, who are the only other team besides the Hoosiers who are winless in league play. Maryland fell 24-7 last weekend at No. 9 Michigan State, which was the fifth ranked opponent the Terrapins faced during their skid.
TV: Noon ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Maryland -2.5

ABOUT INDIANA (4-6, 0-6 Big Ten): Jordan Howard became the 11th Hoosier to rush for 1,000 yards in a season with a season-high 238 – the second-most ever by a Michigan opponent – after the Wolverines entered the contest allowing 80.6. Mitchell Paige scored on a 51-yard punt return against Michigan, enabling him to become the first Indiana player since 1990 (Rob Turner) to record two punt return touchdowns in the same season. Griffin Oakes set a career high and matched a program record with four field goals; the redshirt sophomore is 16-of-18 on the season and Saturday’s effort was enough for him to earn Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career.
ABOUT MARYLAND (2-8, 0-6): While the Terrapins have struggled offensively – 12th in the conference in scoring (22.2) and last in yards per game (336) – select members of the defense and special teams have stood out. Junior defensive end Yannick Ngakoue posted 1.5 sacks versus the Spartans to bring his season total to 12.5 (second in the nation and one-half sack shy of tying the single-season school record) while William Likely finished with 75 all-purpose yards to become the first defensive player in Maryland history to reach 3,000 for his career. The school announced on Monday that running back Wes Brown has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of the university's student-athlete conduct code.

EXTRA POINTS
1. Maryland has thrown 28 interceptions (on only 309 attempts), which is tied for the highest mark in FBS over the last 20 years.
2. The Hoosiers hold a 102-27 scoring advantage in the third quarter this season, but have been outscored 152-69 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
3. Howard leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the country in rushing (149.9). His 1,199 rushing yards is the second-highest total in the league despite missing most of 10 quarters earlier in the season with an ankle injury.

PREDICTION: Indiana 45, Maryland 31