IU senior linebacker Dameon Willis Jr. jumped in the air, his arm twirling in a circle like a pinwheel in the wind, motioning toward the IU end zone.
Willis’ teammate, senior defensive tackle Kayton Samuels, had just forced the ball to pop out of the arms of Maryland sophomore quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome, sending it to the ground where IU senior defensive end Nile Sykes fell on it.
It was the fourth and final turnover forced by the IU defense, this one coming with less than a minute to go, in Saturday's thrilling 34-32 home victory against Maryland.
“It felt great,” Sykes said. “When I saw Kayton get the strip and the ball on the ground, I knew I had to get in there immediately and I knew that would be the ball game.”
The win marks the fifth of IU’s season and brings the team within one victory of bowl eligibility.
Here are three takeaways from the Hoosiers’ narrow triumph over the Terrapins.
1. IU’s defense bent, but it didn’t completely break.
While the Hoosiers had some success against Maryland’s passing attack, including the first career interception for freshman Jaylin Williams, they were torched on the ground. It was a big day for Maryland freshman running back Anthony McFarland, who rushed for 210 yards on 29 carries.
But even as the Terrapins chewed up yardage on the ground and tallied up 542 total yards on offense, the Hoosiers remained fairly strong defensively near the end zone, forcing Maryland to kick three field goals.
“We decided as a staff to take the approach of forcing them to kick field goals.” IU Coach Tom Allen said. “That was the plan. I knew we were going to be a little bit less aggressive against the run by design because I was so concerned about their ability to throw it over our heads.”
Things looked bad when Maryland finally got another touchdown late in the fourth quarter. After a 15-yard passing score from Pigrome to freshman wide receiver Jeshuan Jones, Maryland retook the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter.
But when IU stole the lead back with a 42-yard field goal from junior kicker Logan Justus with 2:32 remaining, IU responded with the forced fumble from Samuels to seal the victory.
2. IU’s offense took some risks and they paid off.
The Hoosiers took a surprisingly aggressive offensive approach in Saturday's game, throwing the ball downfield due to the struggles of Maryland's secondary to stay out of penalty trouble.
Sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey had one of his most productive outings of the season, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns and connecting with wide receivers on multiple deep throws. The likes of senior Luke Timian, juniors Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale and sophomore Ty Fryfogle all found success hauling in Ramsey's downfield passes.
“They were just giving us those downfield throws,” Ramsey said. “For me, it was just a matter of letting Donavan, Nick and Ty to go make plays and they did a really good job today.”
But Allen said that aggressiveness was by design as he wanted his team to come into the contest with a heightened attacking mindset, compared to usual.
“I don't want to coach cautious. I don't want to coach conservative,” Allen said. “I just want to be more aggressive. I just think that's how you win.”
3. Logan Justus proved himself in the fourth quarter.
When Justus’ 42-yard field goal attempt went sailing between the uprights with about two and a half minutes to play, it gave the Hoosiers the lead for the final time.
The kick was just two yards shy of the longest made field goal of his IU career, and it showed the confidence Allen and his staff have in their kicker. This was even more apparent given the fourth and one situation IU faced before electing to kick the field goal.
“I knew they were going to get the ball, I was expecting us to make it, not a short kick, but a great kick,” Allen said.
After showing signs of being shaky on longer field goal attempts, like his 50-yard miss against Ohio State on Oct. 6, Justus showed he was deserving of his recent distinction of being named a Lou Groza Award finalist for college football’s best kicker.
Not only was Justus’ kick a perfect shot down the middle, it also moved his team another step closer to achieving its ultimate goal of competing in a bowl game.
“I was just ready when they called my name,” Justus said.
