Here's an early look at Maryland's matchup Saturday versus Indiana:

Head Coach: Tom Allen (fourth year, 14-17)

Record: 4-2 in 2019, 5-7 in 2018

Series notes: Maryland trails the all-time series 5-2 with Indiana having won the last meeting Nov. 10, 2018, by a score of 34-32 in Bloomington. These teams have a knack for close games, as Maryland won 42-39 in College Park in 2017.

Early line: Maryland +3.5

Over/Under: 56.5

Is Penix to Philyor one of the best QB-WR combinations in the Big Ten?

After starting the first two games of the season under center for the Hoosiers, redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. missed two games due to a minor injury but has been excellent in his last two outings since returning. In a 40-31 loss to Michigan State, he was 33-for-42 for 282 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. The next week against Rutgers, Penix was 20-for-29 for 282 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception while only playing in three full quarters of a 35-0 victory. He and his favorite target Whop Philyor have turned into one of the best passing game combinations in the Big Ten. Philyor’s numbers this season speak for themselves. The junior wideout leads the conference in catches per game (6.8) and is leading the Hoosiers with 41 catches for 553 yards and three touchdowns. In his last two outings, he's had 24 catches for 324 yards. With the way Maryland’s secondary has played of late, Penix and Philyor could both be in for another big day.

Hoosiers holding it together on the offensive line

With starting left tackle Coy Cronk already undergoing season-ending surgery and starting fifth-year senior center Hunter Littlejohn getting nicked up last weekend against Rutgers, the Hoosiers are hurting on the offensive line, but you wouldn’t know it with how well the unit has played recently. Unlike Maryland, Indiana has overcome its offensive line injuries and is doing a great job of pass protecting for Penix. Indiana is an offense that likes to pass more than it throws, but the Hoosiers’ blockers have also helped open up big holes for starting sophomore running back Stevie Scott III, who is averaging just over 5 yards per carry so far this season and has four touchdowns on the ground. Rutgers’ defense is porous, but the Hoosiers did what they had to do and took advantage last weekend, rushing for a season-high 260 rushing yards, including 164 from Scott. This offensive front has also allowed Penix to be sacked just once so far this year.

Playmakers in IU’s front seven

Indiana’s defense isn’t considered one of the elites of the Big Ten, but the Hoosiers do have some serious playmakers on that side of the ball, especially in the front seven. Demarcus Elliott is a 6-foot-3, 328-pound sophomore defensive tackle who has proven to be a load for blockers to handle. His playmaking ability was on display against Rutgers as he recorded a sack, a forced fumble, and three tackles for loss. Elliott’s forced fumble against the Scarlet Knights was scooped up and returned for a touchdown by his teammate, senior linebacker, and fellow playmaker Reakwon Jones. So far this season, Jones has a team-high 35 tackles, which include two sacks. He continues to be one of Indiana’s most consistent presences on defense and is someone Maryland is going to have to be aware of at all times.

Locksley on Indiana

“It starts with their quarterback. Penix is a lefty who I am very familiar with having recruited him some. The offense goes through him. They do some of the RPO stuff that we’re all doing in college football. They have a big back that’s a little bigger than the backs we’ve faced the last few weeks. He’s a downhill runner and a hard tackle. We have to do a really good job of being physical and playing with great leverage and wrapping him up to get him on the ground, which we didn’t do a great job of last week. And then they have a lot of wide receivers out there who have opportunities and made a lot of plays the last few weeks. For us, again, it’s affecting the quarterback. It starts with stopping the run and then trying to get pressure on the young quarterback to get him off his spot and not allow him to just sit back there and pick us apart.”

“Indiana poses a different kind of challenge than what we’ve seen the past few weeks. Their interior guys are really big guys — they’re 320-pound, 330-pound guys on the interior, which means we have to play great pad level and match the intensity on the inside to be able to get our running game going, which we weren’t able to necessarily do last week, minus the quarterback runs.”