Maryland Football: Durkin prepares for Indiana
By Wesley Brown
After a decent attempt in Madison last Saturday, DJ Durkin spoke to the media as Maryland prepares for Indiana.
Indiana is playing well on both sides of the ball
The Hoosiers are led by head coach Tom Allen who is in his second season. Durkin opened his press conference by discussing how Indiana players have really bought into Allen’s system. Indiana comes in with a 3-4 record like the Terrapins, but are below in the standings due to an 0-4 conference record.
All four of their conference losses were to their ranked east division foes. After a week one throttling at the hands of Ohio State, their next loss was at Penn State 45-14. Their last two games, however, have been very close games. Against Michigan and Michigan State, the Hoosiers lost by a combined 15 points. Maryland will have to make stellar decisions on offense to work this defense apart.
Getting to the quarterback is an issue
Maryland’s defense has been on the other end of the spectrum from the hoosiers. As mentioned in the five takeaways from the Wisconsin game, the Terrapins have struggled stopping their opponents from passing the ball. Durkin noted this saying “there is no quick fix”, and that it all comes down to getting consistent pressure on the quarterback. The defensive linemen need to be aware of their positioning and how they are supposed attack the line so that holes do not open up. Indiana’s quarterback Peyton Ramsey really will threaten Maryland with his legs, so the pressure and containment will be crucial.
Max feels like the QB now
Durkin mentioned that Max Bortenschlager is feeling much more confident about his position on this team. During his first few games, Bortenschlager seemed to feel that he was pushed into the role of starting quarterback, and that may have led to some of his mistakes. With this newly found confidence, Maryland fans can hope that the quarterback play is elevated.
Homecoming message: There is a standard set by the people before you
When asked about homecoming being this weekend, Durkin said the team hasn’t spent much time talking about it. But, later in the week players will be made aware of the standards that have been set by former players. It will be these players’s role to elevate those standards for future teams.